Wings (1966)
"Krylya" (original title)

A fascinating and human portrayal of a once-famous fighter pilot and loyal Stalinist named Nadezhda Petrovna. Now a 41-year-old provincial schoolmistress, she has so internalized the ... See full summary »

Director:

Larisa Shepitko

Writers:

Valentin Ezhov, Natalya Ryazantseva

Stars:

Mayya Bulgakova, Sergey Nikonenko, Zhanna Bolotova

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Mayya Bulgakova	...	Nadezhda Petrukhina
Sergey Nikonenko	...	Sergei Bystryakov
Zhanna Bolotova	...	Tanya
Pantelejmon Krymov	...	Pavel Gavrilovich
Leonid Dyachkov	...	Mitya Grachov
Vladimir Gorelov	...	Igor
Yuri Medvedev	...	Boris Grigoryevich
Nikolai Grabbe	...	Kostya Shuvalov
Zhanna Aleksandrova	...	Zinka
Rimma Markova	...	Shura (as Rimma Nikitina-Markova)
Arkadi Trusov	...	Morozov
Olga Gobzeva	...	Journalist
Boris Yurchenko	...	Sinitsin
Evgeni Evstigneev	...	Misha
Natalya Gitserot	...	(as N. Gitserot)

Storyline

A fascinating and human portrayal of a once-famous fighter pilot and loyal Stalinist named Nadezhda Petrovna. Now a 41-year-old provincial schoolmistress, she has so internalized the military ideas of service and obedience that she cannot adjust to life in peacetime.

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Genres:

Drama

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Details

Official Sites:

International Film Circuit

Country:

Soviet Union

Language:

Russian

Release Date:

1996 (USA)

Also Known As:

Wings

Company Credits

Production Co:

Mosfilm

Technical Specs

Runtime:

85 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Connections

Featured in Fejezetek a film történetéböl: A szovjet film 1953-1970 (1990)

User Reviews

Worth seeing but very, very slow...and probably not for all tastes.

This is a film directed by Larisa Shepitko--a woman whose life was cut very short at age 41. Because Russian movies are generally pretty tough to come by here in the US and because her career was short, there aren't a lot of opportunities to see her films.

"Wings" is a very slow-moving film. This isn't necessarily a criticism--just a comment on the style. Instead of telling the viewer a lot about the lady who is the subject of the film, you slowly begin to learn more about her as she appears to be in the throes of an existential crisis.

Nadezhda Petrovna is a woman in her early 40s, though she appears much older. She is the principal of a high school but seems vaguely dissatisfied with her job and personal life. Watching her, she seems rather sexless and emotionally stunted--and a bit lost. As the film unfolds, you learn through brief flashback scenes that she was a pilot during WWII and apparently since then, she has been in a bit of a fog. And, the only time she smiles or seems at ease is when in an airplane. Throughout nearly all of the film, Petrovna walks about in a rather tentative and slow-motion manner--and it may take some getting used to in order to enjoy the film. Perhaps 'enjoy' is not the right word, as this isn't meant to be enjoyed but more appreciated for the character study that it is. Visually and especially musically, this is a very, very good film--very evocative but slow and with a rather vague ending that might disappoint many. I give it a 7, as it IS a quality production--but not one that I'd heartily endorse.

By the way, while this is NOT a funny film and won't elicit a lot of laughs, I did love seeing the school play where a few of the kids were dressed like nesting dolls (matryoshka dolls). This was pretty cute.