Moscow Does Not Believe in Tears is a popular film that was directed by Vladimir Menshov and made in 1979 during the era of Stagnation. The film takes place in two time periods, the late 1950’s and the late 1970’s. The Soviet Union was in a period known as the Thaw in the 1950’s, while it was in the era of Stagnation in the 1970’s. This gives the viewer a valuable perspective on each of the two periods.
Each of the characters that are first introduced in the film are looking for different things in life and from Moscow. Katerina is looking for success. The viewer learns that she is trying to get into college in the beginning of the film, but she fails the test that she needs to pass in order to be accepted into college. Lyudmila does not understand why Katerina wants to attend college; she is focused on trying to get married to a wealthy and rich man who has connections in Moscow. The third friend, Antonnia, seems to be looking to have a family.
An aspect of Moscow Does Not Believe in Tears that I found interesting was the different outcomes between Katerina and Lyudmila. Katerina is unsuccessful in her first relationship. She has a baby and the man she was in the relationship with, Rudolph, leaves her. Lyudmila is able to marry an athlete and live a comfortable life. However, when the film enters the era of Stagnation, Lyudmila is divorced and her ex-husband is an alcoholic. Katerina, on the other hand, is able to eventually reach a powerful position in her factory and find a husband. I think that the film demonstrates that someone who works hard in life will ultimately be more successful than someone who lives a bourgeois life and use marriage to try to attain wealth and status.
There is one thing that I did find puzzling about Moscow Does Not Believe in Tears. This is the relationship that develops between Gosha and Katerina. Gosha holds the belief that a family should be patriarchal. When Katerina voices her concern over a fight Gosha participated in, Gosha scolds her and tells her to never speak to him in that manner again. If she does, he will leave her. When Gosha discovers that Katerina makes more money than him, he runs out and does not return for a week. This is strange to me because I would think that Katerina would not stand for this. She is seen in the film as a strong woman. She is a single mother after Rudolph leaves her, and she is able to work her way to a powerful position at her workplace. Though she seems strong, she becomes subservient to Gosha when he becomes a part of her family. This makes the relationship not convincing in any aspect.
I find it interesting that you didn't go a little more in depth with Tonya in your blog. In my opinion she was just as crucial to the message that this film conveyed as Lyudmila
ReplyDeleteI think your not understanding women at a certain age settle or have such low self esteem that they immediately fall in love with and want to have a family with even if they are not the best.
ReplyDeleteA lot of people do have trouble with the way the movie ends...and you'll note that both of our texts for this class take a somewhat negative attitude toward that ending. But something in me really likes the relationship they develop--I think they're always both going to be strong willed (and this would probably not be the last of their quarrels)...but that their ties would grow even stronger over time.
ReplyDeleteAs for Tonya, she is indeed a bit easy to overlook and (I think) underestimate...but she plays a subtle role throughout the film of holding things together w/out taking center stage. She's not a "success story" or a "glamor queen," but she and Kolya are raising a healthy and (by Soviet standards) rather large family.
Wishful_Writer09-I understand what you are trying to say (If you are referring to Katerina and her relationship with Gosha). What struck me after watching the film is that I thought Katerina would be wary about going into another relationship after the outcome of the relationship with Rudolph. And I do realize that the situations are different going into the relationship than they were before when she was going into the relationship with Rudolph. Her low self-esteem that comes as a result from the relationship with Rudolph may result in her falling in love with someone immediately with the desire of having a family. However, I could also see the low self-esteem cause Katerina to be more cautious about relationships that she enters.
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