Review By: Farouq Abdul-Aziz
Three women in search of a dream
Moscow Does Not Believe In Tears
Moscow Does Not Believe In Tears (1980), directed by V. Menshov, has always gained a phenomenal success wherever shown. Dubbed in several international languages,screened publicly in over 50 countries, and garnered prestigious prizes including Best Actress to Vera Alintova (who plays Katia) and Best Foreign Film Oscar in 1981.
But where does the film’s public appeal come from? 1 think it is the very simplicity of its own style, the seemingly casual and ‘unformal portrayal of the heroines living under everyday lights in modern Moscow. This is the basis of its communicative power that carried its message all through in an instantaneous rapport.
It’s Menshov’s style and through it we gain our aesthetic experience in Art mainly from observing, and eventually enjoying, styles. Many a sophisticated subject get lost somewhere on the way to its audience, and many a simple one is telegrammed immediately. And vice-versa of course. It’s all there in the styles of men, and in their ability to sort out the right style to the right subject in a formula that works on all levels.
Well. In addition to its power of simplicity, there is the humanistic attitude that provides the flesh to every scene. It’s a general trait of Soviet cinema that could incredibly survive an age of violence, sex and other contagious diseases that ailed other cinemas.
Of course it’s needless here to stress the fact that each cinema industry is a mirror of the its society’s overall ideology.
It may also be needless now to go into the history and trends of Soviet Cinematography as I’ve already done so introducing L. Shepitko’s excellent feature The Ascent months ago.
In the present film we have got Moscow, the face of a big city. It does not believe in the tears of the three young immigrant girls, Luda. Tania and Katia. who abandoned their places in the country in search of a dream in the Big City.
Moscow is a film about human relationships looking for a redefinition of love in the lives of three women spanning a period of 20 years.
This is Luda who believes that everybody is flocking to Moscow ‘as if it were a plastic city’ (whatever that means). She dares to criticize poetry, talk about philosophy and claims experience in psychology. Before all she assigns herself an official spokeswoman of all villagers moving to Moscow.
Katia, dear Katia is the well-known Soviet actress Vera Alintova. She is the guest of Kuwait. Why don’t we let her present the Katia she knew?
Vera Alintova talks:
‘This film is about women in general. You’ll see on the screen three different types of Russian girls having their own characters and ambitions. One of them marries rather early and lives all her life at her husband’s expense.
‘Another lady is trying to get everything from her life without giving anything in return (never paying back). The third girl is my heroine not only because I play her, but she is more close to me as a person as well.
‘This lady is doing everything on her own, pushing her way up without anybody’s help and at the same time she has a generous heart.
‘I think this type of woman’s character is progressive and future belongs to it.’
‘No, actually this film has nothing to do with feminism though it deals with women’s problems. I think that you know quite well that people in the USSR, both men and women have equal rights.’
‘Anyone can get education and become whatever he wants. For example, the director of this film is a former miner.’
‘This film shows three different but typical characters of Russian women and covers the problems of how they adapt themselves within these rights and this is the problem of each individual.’
‘I am not a specialist in this field and as a matter of fact this problem is only slightly touched upon in the film Moscow Does Not Believe in Tears.’
