It definitely doesn't hold true across the board, yet it can be the mark of a great film that nearly from the moment it begins it makes an impression and sweeps one up in its craftsmanship. With outstanding, sharp, vibrant shot composition, cinematography, and editing, and low-key and plainspoken but true and artful depictions of a city, a home, and their inhabitants, this 1927 film is immediately, inescapably charming and even entrancing before any semblance of a story has even begun to take shape. 'Bed and sofa' is so plainly beautiful just to look at that it carries a certain whimsical quality to it, a trait that extends to the outstanding performances of prominent principals Nikolai Batalov, Lyudmila Semyonova, and Vladimir Fogel - acting of tightly controlled but natural spirit and nuance. In no time at all this 1927 feature inspires as a masterful classic, and that notion will only be affirmed as the length draws on. This is phenomenal, and direly underappreciated!
The keen vision of director Abram Room and cinematographer Grigorii Giber allows the ordinary to feel extraordinary, revitalized, and refreshing. Incidentally, whether it was intentional or not, this quite dovetails into the primary thrust of the narrative penned between Room and Viktor Shklovsky - the excitement and rejuvenation brought into the lives one way or another of housewife Liuda, and her husband Kolia, by the arrival of companion Volodia. Tremendously smart scene writing adjoins the shrewd aforementioned direction, cinematography, editing, and acting in molding the picture with magnificent, clever subtlety and suggestion; no detail of any kind is too small to escape the attention and wit of the creative minds who brought the title to vivid life. When the feature does present story beats and ideas more starkly, they ring out all the clearer for the supreme tact with which this is otherwise conjured and constructed. Truly, I can't overstate how stupendous this is.
The excellence of 'Bed and sofa' very much extends to the lovely production design and art direction, costume design, hair, and makeup. Everything about this looks fantastic, nevermind the strength of the storytelling at large as fraught, shifting dynamics emerge in a love triangle between husband, wife, and visitor. Why, even in that very premise this movie broaches thoughts that were otherwise rather pointedly avoided in cinema up this time, and beyond, or at least delicately danced around. This is to say nothing of other emphatic plot points, equally if not even more taboo and treated just as unreservedly, nor the general portraiture served up of the working class in the Soviet Union. Take these considerations together with the emotional undercurrents, the especial drama and themes of the last minutes, and the exquisite, expert splendor that the film represents in every capacity, and the result is nothing less than an incredible exemplar, a neglected treasure of the medium.
For every conceivable reason I assumed I would enjoy this, but to speak frankly, I was wrong: I love it. In every single way this is one of the most engrossing, striking, satisfying, and downright rewarding movies that I've seen. Other comparisons due come to mind in terms of the level on which this operates, but they are very, very few. From the very beginning to the very end I was absolutely hooked, and there is no aspect of this picture that is anything less than terrific. There are few perfect movies in the world, but Abram Room made one of them. It's sad that this isn't more widely well known, because even almost one hundred years later it still stands wonderfully tall, and as far as I'm concerned this is a must-see. 'Bed and sofa' is a superb masterpiece of early cinema, and is not to be missed - this is one title that's well worth seeking out! My highest recommendation!
