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This is a collection of eight of the best films for learning Russian. Each of these movies is highly acclaimed and engaging, with great soundtracks. The actors are legends of the Russian/Soviet film industry, and their pronunciation of Russian words will not leave you confused about what they’re saying.

If your Russian isn’t yet at a high level, read the detailed descriptions below to understand what these films are about. I don’t recommend using English subtitles, as you’ll end up reading them and ignoring the Russian dialogue.

 

1.     Операция “Ы” и другие приключения Шурика (The operation “Ы” and other adventures of Shurik), 1965, Leonid Gaidai

This is the most famous Soviet/Russian movie; 99% of people in Russia and the former Soviet republics have watched it more than once. It’s a cult film with simple language and an interesting, funny plot. Some phrases from this movie have become idioms, and the actor Alexander Demyanenko, in his role as Shurik, became a household name.

This movie consists of three short films about Shurik and his adventures:

The first film is about a bully who starts a fight on the bus and is punished with 15 days of forced labor in construction. There, he meets Shurik and has to work with him. Then the comedy begins…

The phrase “Надо, Федя, надо!”, which means something like “you don’t want to, but you must,” has become an idiom in the Russian language.

The second film is a funny story about nerdy students. Shurik is preparing for an exam and reads a textbook, then he follows a beautiful nerdy girl with a notebook of lectures on autopilot, while they are studying so hard that they don’t even see each other… After the exam, he dates this girl, and they don’t realize that they were both learning the notebook by rote at her home…

The third film is actually called Operation “Ы”. The warehouse chief hires three rogues to stage a fake robbery of the warehouse in order to help him avoid inspection. They call this operation “Ы”. But instead of the old babushka (the security guard), he asks Shurik to replace her that night… In this film, apart from Shurik, there are three other famous Russian actors – Yury Nikulin, Georgy Vitsin, and Evgeny Morgunov – in the roles of the rogues.

2. Кавказская пленница или новые приключения Шурика (Caucasian prisoner or new adventures of Shurik), 1965, Leonid Gaidai

Another story about Shurik, and one of the most famous Russian/Soviet movies. In this full-length film, Shurik travels to the Caucasus as a folklorist to learn about local traditions and customs. He meets a girl named Nina who is there on vacation with her uncle.

The man with the last name Saachov wants to marry Nina and reaches an agreement with her uncle to provide Nina with 20 sheep and some other items. While Shurik is exploring local traditions, Saachov and Nina’s uncle conspire to show him a performance of the old local custom “Bride Kidnapping.” However, it turns out not to be a performance but a real bride kidnapping. They hire three rogues, played by Yury Nikulin, Georgy Vitsin, and Evgeny Morgunov (the same actors as in Operation “Y”), to carry out this task.

The phrase “(Нина) просила, чтобы это сделали именно вы” – “(Nina) asked that it be done precisely by you” (changing Nina to any other name or pronoun) has become an idiom in the Russian language.

3.     Иван Васильевич меняет профессию (Ivan Vasilievich changes the profession), 1973, Leonid Gaidai

One more comedy featuring Shurik. The film begins in black and white. Shurik is an inventor who tries to create a time machine. He turns it on, it explodes, the electricity fails, and Shurik falls, hits his head, and loses his mind. Then colorful visions begin…

Shurik’s wife comes to his flat and says that she is leaving him. Then the thief George Miloslavski breaks into Shurik’s neighbor’s flat and robs it. Shurik shows the time machine to the house manager Ivan Vasilievich, who is a twin of the tsar Ivan the Terrible. He turns on the machine, and the wall between his and the neighbor’s flat disappears. They see the thief Miloslavsky, who becomes interested in the device and comes to Shurik’s flat. Shurik then increases the power, and through the wall, the 16th-century tsar’s palace appears, revealing tsar Ivan the Terrible. Suddenly, a security guard throws a spear at the time machine, causing it to break. Miloslavsky and Ivan Vasilievich are sent to the 16th century, while Shurik and the tsar are left in the present time…

4.     Бриллиантовая рука (The Diamond hand),  1968, Leonid Gaidai

Also, one of the most famous Soviet/Russian films ever. In the main roles of Yury Nikulin and Andrei Mironov.

Contrabandists traffic illegal diamonds from abroad. The member of the gang of contrabandists, Gennady/Gesha(actor – Andrei Mironov) goes on a cruise to Istanbul to get a party of valuable diamonds and meets the tourist Semyon (actor – Yury Nikulin) who was in the same cabin. Gesha had to go to a place, stage a scene of fake falling on watermelon crust and traumatizing his arm and say the password «черт побери! (dammit!)» next to the pharmacy where he had to get a party of contraband diamonds and carry them inside gypsum bandage. He walks with Semyon and then leaves him and runs to the street. And Semyon ran to look for him, but suddenly came to that street, fell on watermelon crusts, broke his arm, and said the same password. And he got diamonds under bondage instead of Gesha…

5.     Ирония судьбы, или С лёгким паром (The irony of fate, or Enjoy your bath!), 1976, Eldar Ryazanov

This film is always shown on 31st December on Russian television. In many families, it is a tradition to watch this old movie on New Year’s Eve.

My friend Angelos even created a Russian Language course based on this film.

Evgeny(Zhenya) is going to propose marriage to Galya and celebrate the New Year with her in a new flat. And on New Year’s Eve, he goes to the anya with his friends according to their old tradition. Then they get drunk and go to see off their friend Pavlik at the airport, however, drunk friends by mistake put sleepy Zhenya on the airplane instead of Pavlik (at that time there was not such strict security at the airport, so it was possible) and he flies to Leningrad (Saint-Petersburg now). When he wakes up at Leningrad’s airport, he orders a taxi and requests a ride to his address. He comes to the address with the same street name as in Moscow and opens the flat with the key from his flat in Moscow. Being still with a hangover, Zhenya falls asleep there, and soon the beautiful woman Nadezhda comes home, she was going to spend the New Year with her fiancé…

6.     Приключения Шерлока Холмса и доктора Ватсона (The adventures of Sherlok Holmes and Doctor Watson), tv-serie, 1979-1986, Igor Maslennikov

There are many screen versions of this popular book. However, pay special attention to this one. This is a Soviet/Russian screen version of the story about Sherlock Holmes and Doctor Watson with Russian actors. In fact, one of the best screen versions. It contains 11 very interesting series. The series is followed by a great soundtrack.

The phrase “Элементарно, Ватсон!” – “Elementary, Watson!” became an idiom in the Russian language.

7. Старик Хоттабыч (Old man Khottabych), 1956, Gennady Kazansky

Old Soviet/Russian fantasy movie.

Kids are swimming in the Moskva river, and suddenly 12 years old Volka Kastylkov finds a closed bulb with a gene in the river. Gene’s name is Gassan Abdurahmad Ibn Khottab, or just Khottabych, and he is trying to serve the child due to his gratitude for finding him.

8.      Невероятные приключения итальянцев в России (Unbelievable Adventures of Italians in Russia), 1974, Eldar Ryazanov, Franco Prosperi

An elderly Russian woman in an Italian hospital tells with her last breath tells to her granddaughter that she belongs to a rich aristocratic bloodline and when she fled Russia (i.e. after the revolution), she left a very big treasure, a total of 9 billion Italian lire in Leningrad (now Petersburg), “underneath the lion”, but didn’t mention under which one. Apart from the granddaughter, it was heard by the doctor, two male nurses, a mafioso, and a patient with an injured leg. And then they all travel to Petersburg to find this treasury. And they are also joined by a Russian tour guide, Andrey…