The Red Snowball Tree (1974)

A former thief is released from a prison. He tries to start a new life with his penfriend - a good village woman, but his past doesn't let him go.

Director:

Vasiliy Shukshin

Writer:

Vasiliy Shukshin

Stars:

Lidiya Fedoseeva-Shukshina, Vasiliy Shukshin, Ivan Ryzhov

3 wins.

Cast

Credited cast:
Lidiya Fedoseeva-Shukshina	...	Lyuba Baykalova (as Lidiya Fedoseeva)
Vasiliy Shukshin	...	Yegor Prokudin
Ivan Ryzhov	...	otets Lyubi (as I. Ryzhov)
Mariya Skvortsova	...	maty Lyubi (as M. Skvorsova)
Aleksey Vanin	...	Pyotr (as A. Vanin)
Mariya Vinogradova	...	Zoya (as M. Vinogradova)
Olga Bystrova	...	maty Yegora (as O. Bystrova)
Lev Durov	...	Sergey Mikhailovich, ofitsiant (as L. Durov)
Nikolay Grabbe	...	Nachalnik kolonii (as N. Grabbe)
Georgiy Burkov	...	Guboshlyop (as G. Borkov)
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Iya Arepina	...	sestra Yegora (as I. Arepina)
Tatyana Gavrilova	...	Lusyen (as T. Gavrilova)
Anatoli Gorbenko	...	Mikola Baykalov (as A. Gorbenko)
Natalya Gvozdikova	...	Telefonista (as N. Gvozdikova)
Vadim Kondratev	...	priyatel Koli (as V. Kondratev)

Storyline

After leaving the colony, the thief recidivist Yegor Prokudin, nicknamed Gore, decides to go to the village where the blue-eyed stranger Lyuba lives with whom he corresponded - after all, he needs to wait a bit and look around. But life in the village destroys all of Yegor's plans, and he decides to forever break with the past. Now he has friends, work, a beloved woman. However, the criminals, former friends of Yegor, are not going to put up with his new lifestyle.

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Plot Keywords:

ex convict | village | russia | rural setting | river | 

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Genres:

Drama

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User Reviews

The Red Snowball Tree-A Vasily Shukshin film which shows that some people do not want to see other people happy.

The most unique thing about "Kalina Krasnaya" is that it is absolutely true to itself. Everything about it whether it is costume, decor or pastoral setting is truly authentic. The people shown in this film are simple but they do not hesitate in showing their maliciousness towards a person who had a shady past. This proves the point that human society is cruel with wicked people. While watching Egor's suffering one wonders whether there is any such thing as a reformed criminal as society does not give any second chance to criminals. In the 1980s and 1990s,Russian cinema was largely known due to films made during 'Glasnost' and 'Perestroika' times, Kalina Krasnaya was much ahead of its times as it spoke about holidays and brothels which were alien concepts for Russian cinema in 1970s. The Red Snowball Tree/Kalina Krasnaya is an important film in the history of Russian cinema. It was the last film made by Vasily Shukshin in 1974 both as an actor as well as director. For countless people in the world who are aware of the richness of Russian culture and civilization, the name of Vasily Shukshin is easily recognized as one of Russian cinema's greatest actors. Kalina Krasnaya impresses viewers with excellent acting performances. Apart from his own role as an actor, Vasily Shukshin has managed to extract excellent performances from leading actors such as Lidiya Fedoseyeva-Shukshina and Georgi Burkov.

Details

Country:

Soviet Union

Language:

Russian

Release Date:

25 March 1974 (France)

Also Known As:

Călina roşie

Filming Locations:

Mosfilm Studios, Moscow, Russia

Company Credits

Production Co:

Mosfilm, Pervoe Tvorcheskoe Obedinenie

Technical Specs

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1