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7.5/10
2.2K
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Surreal Soviet-era Christmas fantasy movie.Surreal Soviet-era Christmas fantasy movie.Surreal Soviet-era Christmas fantasy movie.
Lyudmila Myznikova
- Oksana
- (as L. Myznikova)
Lyudmila Khityaeva
- Solokha
- (as L. Khityayeva)
Nikolay Yakovchenko
- Patsyuk
- (as N. Yakovchenko)
Marina Sidorchuk
- Odarka
- (as M. Sidorchuk)
Aleksandr Radunsky
- The Head
- (as A. Radunsky)
Mikhail Vasilyev
- Cossack
- (as M. Vasilyev)
Andrey Demyanenko
- Sverbyguz
- (as A. Demyanenko)
- Director
- Writers
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaFilming took place in March 1961. Winter nature was filmed near the city of Kirovsk (Murmansk region), where the Ukrainian village was built.
- ConnectionsFeatured in Blackbox Ukraine: Kampf um die Geschichte (2024)
Featured review
This remarkable work merges into one powerful creative stream the genius of two outstanding figures of Russian culture: the writer Nikolay Gogol and the filmmaker-storyteller Alexander Rowe.
Gogol, a close friend of Pushkin, is a very original Russian writer, whose childhood and youth were spent in South-West Russia, also known as Little Russia or the Ukraine. He was one of the first to notice and embody the enormous literary potential of Little Russian life and folk art. The story "The Night Before Christmas", on which this film was shot, opens the cycle of his Little Russian works.
You might think that this is a typical love story, but in fact this is only the background, and in moral terms the Blacksmith, who fell in love with an arrogant and frivolous girl, is no better than the lustful Deacon who came to the Witch at night. This fits in well with the general outline of Russian literature, which traditionally looks down on the base passions of man. This is, first of all, a story about the triumph in a person's soul at Christmas in the context of a distinctive southern Russian village, which perfectly conveyed its atmosphere with all the qualities characteristic of the people of southern Russia, such as a sense of humor, kindness, broad soul, the ability to both deeply immerse themselves in thought and to walk, sing and have fun on all holidays, especially Christmas and Easter.
There is no evil in this story, the evil is leveled down to petty human vices, the victory over which is symbolized by the solemn worship at the end. Even the devil, played by the brilliant Georgiy Millyar, is not an enemy of humanity here, but the same victim of his own petty vindictiveness, appearing in an exclusively comical image. This is an exceptionally kind Soviet film for a kind holiday like Christmas and New Year.
Gogol, a close friend of Pushkin, is a very original Russian writer, whose childhood and youth were spent in South-West Russia, also known as Little Russia or the Ukraine. He was one of the first to notice and embody the enormous literary potential of Little Russian life and folk art. The story "The Night Before Christmas", on which this film was shot, opens the cycle of his Little Russian works.
You might think that this is a typical love story, but in fact this is only the background, and in moral terms the Blacksmith, who fell in love with an arrogant and frivolous girl, is no better than the lustful Deacon who came to the Witch at night. This fits in well with the general outline of Russian literature, which traditionally looks down on the base passions of man. This is, first of all, a story about the triumph in a person's soul at Christmas in the context of a distinctive southern Russian village, which perfectly conveyed its atmosphere with all the qualities characteristic of the people of southern Russia, such as a sense of humor, kindness, broad soul, the ability to both deeply immerse themselves in thought and to walk, sing and have fun on all holidays, especially Christmas and Easter.
There is no evil in this story, the evil is leveled down to petty human vices, the victory over which is symbolized by the solemn worship at the end. Even the devil, played by the brilliant Georgiy Millyar, is not an enemy of humanity here, but the same victim of his own petty vindictiveness, appearing in an exclusively comical image. This is an exceptionally kind Soviet film for a kind holiday like Christmas and New Year.
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- Also known as
- Evenings on a Farm near Dikanka
- Filming locations
- Production company
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
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Top Gap
By what name was The Night Before Christmas (1961) officially released in Canada in English?
Answer