Film Review: Cruel Romance Cruel Romance is a 1984 Classic Russian film made in the final years of Soviet Russia. The film stars Larisa Guzeeva as Larisa and Nikita Mikhalkov as Paratov. Larisa is a 19th century noble women that is stuck in the difficult position of trying to pick a suitor that she love while in a society where love a marriage are inextricable linked to one's wealth and the amount of social and capital gain that can be had from arranged marriages.
Overall, Cruel Romance is a very enjoyable representation of Russia as it is engulfed in a cultural, social and political flux. We see the influence and variety of the growing middle class, also known as raznochintsy, in Russia as the nobles are making attempts to keep their societal position. Although Cruel Romance ends in despair, we are shown a very detailed and complicated picture of the gender roles, and the rights that accompanied those roles, within Russia during this tumultuous in Russia's history. The film does waver on the side of over dramatic at times; however, the quality of the cinematography and editing overshadows much of the rather corny moments in the film.
There are several themes that Cruel Romance seems to repeatedly emphasize throughout the film. One of the subtler, yet consistently emphasized themes throughout the film, is the presentation of women, particularly Larisa, as objects instead of people. Although many would say that this theme is not subtle at all, due to the fact that almost every man that is presented in the film in some way or another tries to purchase the rights to Larisa, there are other aspects of the film that would suggest that women are property to be owned and not people to be won over by love and affection. An aspect that presents this idea, while being largely unannounced, is the fact that we are constantly seeing Larisa through glass. Although some may see this as simple necessity due to space constrictions, in actuality it is meant to have us see Larisa as if she were an item displayed in a shop window. This aspect is finally emphasized in the final moments as we see Larisa sliding across the front of the boat looking at each of her would be buyers through the class, each recognizing her as an item, which cannot be bought.
Of coarse, the problem of gender inequality is not a problem that is secular to Russia nor is it a fictional issue. Although it was much worse in the 19th century, gender inequality is still a major issue today. However, Cruel Romance focuses on primarily arranged marriages and the role that a woman or man's dowry played in those marriages. This of coarse was a very real issue in Russia during the 19th century. With the rising raznochintsy class in Russia, we saw a whole new wave of suitors that depended entirely on their economic value due to the fact that they had no official title. This is displayed very well throughout the movie as Larisa is torn between suitors. An almost comical assembly of these suitors is scene towards the end at Larisa's fiancé's dinner party. Overall, I would say if you enjoy tragic romances and would like an interesting look into another culture of the 19th century than Cruel Romance is for you.
Overall, Cruel Romance is a very enjoyable representation of Russia as it is engulfed in a cultural, social and political flux. We see the influence and variety of the growing middle class, also known as raznochintsy, in Russia as the nobles are making attempts to keep their societal position. Although Cruel Romance ends in despair, we are shown a very detailed and complicated picture of the gender roles, and the rights that accompanied those roles, within Russia during this tumultuous in Russia's history. The film does waver on the side of over dramatic at times; however, the quality of the cinematography and editing overshadows much of the rather corny moments in the film.
There are several themes that Cruel Romance seems to repeatedly emphasize throughout the film. One of the subtler, yet consistently emphasized themes throughout the film, is the presentation of women, particularly Larisa, as objects instead of people. Although many would say that this theme is not subtle at all, due to the fact that almost every man that is presented in the film in some way or another tries to purchase the rights to Larisa, there are other aspects of the film that would suggest that women are property to be owned and not people to be won over by love and affection. An aspect that presents this idea, while being largely unannounced, is the fact that we are constantly seeing Larisa through glass. Although some may see this as simple necessity due to space constrictions, in actuality it is meant to have us see Larisa as if she were an item displayed in a shop window. This aspect is finally emphasized in the final moments as we see Larisa sliding across the front of the boat looking at each of her would be buyers through the class, each recognizing her as an item, which cannot be bought.
Of coarse, the problem of gender inequality is not a problem that is secular to Russia nor is it a fictional issue. Although it was much worse in the 19th century, gender inequality is still a major issue today. However, Cruel Romance focuses on primarily arranged marriages and the role that a woman or man's dowry played in those marriages. This of coarse was a very real issue in Russia during the 19th century. With the rising raznochintsy class in Russia, we saw a whole new wave of suitors that depended entirely on their economic value due to the fact that they had no official title. This is displayed very well throughout the movie as Larisa is torn between suitors. An almost comical assembly of these suitors is scene towards the end at Larisa's fiancé's dinner party. Overall, I would say if you enjoy tragic romances and would like an interesting look into another culture of the 19th century than Cruel Romance is for you.