• 12 stulyev (1977) (12 Chairs) M. Zakharov [8]
  Comedy-musical. Based on the novel of the same title by Ilf and Petrov (written in 1920s). The characters, played by famous Soviet actors Mironov and Papanov, are trying to seize a treasure hidden in one of the 12-chair set.

  
  Andrei Mironov as Ostap Bender

• Afonya (1975) Georgi Daneliya [8]
  The main character Borshev A.N. is a locksmith who spends his free time, as well as working hours, drinking with his buddies whom he even doesn't recognize the next day after another heavy drink. His wife leaves him, his boss places him on probation, his whole life is falling a part but he doesn't realize it. There is only one person who can save him - nurse Katya whom he met on dances and didn't pay much attention to... With my favourite actors Yevgeniya Simonova, Evgeni Leonov, Saveli Kramarov, Leonid Kuravlyov.

• Ballada o soldate (1959) (Ballad of a Soldier) G. Chukhraj

• Baryshnya-krestyanka (1995) (The Aristocratic Peasant Girl) Aleksei Sakharov [7]
  Based on a famous short story by Pushkin, this film tells of a love story that begins as a girlish joke. Liza is eager to get to know her young neighbour but cannot do so as their fathers are not on speaking terms. With the help of her loyal servant Nastia, she dresses up as a peasant girl and goes pick mushrooms in the nearby woods....

• Beg (1970) (The Flight) A. Alov, V. Naumov

• Beloye solntse pustyni (1970) (White Sun of the Desert) Vladimir Motyl [10]
  The best Soviet action film, it has also become a cult film. For example, the Russian cosmonauts have a tradition to see it every time before the launch into the outer space. The theme song "Vashe blagorodie, gospozha Udacha" ("Your Excellency Lady Luck") has been a hit for decades. Plot: Comrade Sukhov returning home from the civil war is charged (against his will) with the task of protecting a harem of Oriental women from their husband.

• Beregis avtomobilya (1967) (Beware of the Automobile) E. Ryazanov [9] B/W.
  Comedy and one of Ryazanov's best films. Best Soviet actors. Many lines have become sayings in Russian. Unfortunatelly, this film is not yet available in foreign languages

• Brilliantovaya ruka (1968) (The Diamond Arm) Leonid Gaidai [7]

• Chaikovsky (1969) (Tchaikovsky) Igor Talankin [9]

• Chelovek-amfibiya (1962) (The Amphibian Man) Gennadi Kazansky [7]

• Dersu Uzala (1975) Akira Kurosawa - the Dersu Uzala site - [8]

• Dzhentlmeny udachi (1972) (Gentlemen of Fortune) Aleksandr Seryj [6] - Comedy.

• Dvoryanskoe gnezdo (1969) (A Nest of Gentry) Andrei Konchalovsky [7]
  A free, lyrical adaptation of Turgenev's novel. One of the first films directed by Andrei Konchalovsky, then not yet a master, in which he stared a then unknown Irina Kupchenko.

• Formula lyubvi (1984) M. Zakharov [8]

• Idi i smotri (1985) (Come and See) Elem Klimov [9] - Come and see if you dare... Byelorussia (Belarus) in 1943.

  
  The main characters in Come and See

• Interdevochka (1989) (Intergirl) P. Todorovsky

• Ironiya sudby, ili S lyogkim parom! (1975) (Irony of Fate or Have a Good Bath) E. Ryazanov [10]
  Comedy. A love story which happened on a new year's eve. The Russians love to see it, especially as part of their New Year celebration.

• Ivan Vasilyevich menyayet professiyu (1973) (Ivan Vasilievich: Back to the Future) L. Gaidai [8]
  Comedy. Shurik (whom you probably already know from Operatsiya Y and Kavkazskaya plennitsa) has now invented a time machine and decides to travel to the Middle Ages. The film is very amusing and probably is more understadable for foreigners than other Gaidai's comedies. The music by A. Zatsepin is superb!

  
  Yuri Yakovlev as Ivan the Terrible

• Kalina krasnaya (1973) (The Red Snowball Tree) V. Shukshin [10]

• Karnaval (1981/I) Tatyana Lioznova [7]
  Genre: comedy, musical, drama. Nina Solomatina (one of the best parts of Irina Muravyova), an unexperienced girl from a provincial town, comes to Moscow hoping to become an actrice. The reality, such as suffering from an unrequited love and the need to earn her living, brings her back to earth but also makes her stronger. The film includes many memorable musical acts, in which Nina plays the leading part. These are her dreams, but may also be her future. Other well-known actors in this film are Yuri Yakovlev (Nina's father) and Aleksandr Abdulov (her boy-friend).

• Kavkazskaya plennitsa, ili Novye priklyucheniya Shurika (1966) (Kidnapping the Caucasian Style) L. Gaidai [9]
  Probably the best Soviet comedy. Many lines have become sayings in Russian. The Caucasus of the Soviet times, gone forever... Music by Alexander Zatsepin - Listen

• Kholodnoye leto pyatdesyat tretyego (1987) (Cold Summer of 1953)

• Koroleva benzokolonki (1963) Nikolai Litus, Aleksei Mishurin [6]

• Ko mne, Mukhtar! (1964) (Come Here, Mukhtar! a.k.a. The Criminal Shall Not Escape) Semyon Tumanov [8]. B/W. Staring Yuri Nikulin. A must-see for dog lovers!

• Letjat zhuravli (1957) (The Cranes Are Flying) Mikheil Kalatozishvili (Mikhail Kalatozov) [8] B/W.
  Drama. A young woman is waiting for her beloved from the WW2. Excellent filming techniques, superb acting by Samoylova and Batalov.

• Kurer (1987) (The Messenger Boy) Karen Shakhnazarov [6]

• Mary Poppins, do svidanija! (1983) - A film for kids. Marvelous music by Maxim Dunayevsky.

• Malenkaya Vera (1988) [10]

• Mesto vstrechi izmenit nelzya (1979) (Can't Change the Meeting Place) [9]
  A cult film in Russia, just like Beloye solntse pustyni or Semnadtsat mgnovenij vesny. Starring Vladimir Vysotsky.

  
  Vladimir Konkin and Vladimir Vysotsky

• Monanieba (1987) (RU: Pokayaniye, EN: Repentance) Tengiz Abuladze [8] -
  This is a very symbolic Georgian film about tyrany. In order to understand it well, you will need to know basic facts about the regime of Stalin and Beria. After seeing the film, read the viewers' comments. The comment posted by a viewer from Tbilisi (Irakli28) is especially helpful.

• Moskva slezam ne verit (1979) (Moscow Doesn't Believe in Tears) [8]
  Melodrama. USSR of the 1950s and 1980s. Russian women love to see it. Oscar Award for the best foreign film. Script (in Russian)

  You can see the whole film on YouTube subtitled in English. Here's the beginning.

  http://www.youtube.com/v/0IoScbnQ6uQ

• My iz dzhaza (1983) (Jazzmen) Karen Shakhnazarov [8] - Excellent music (by Alexei Kroll).

• Neokonchennaya pyesa dlya mekhanicheskogo pianino (1977) (Unfinished Piece for a Player Piano, An) Mikhalkov [7]

• Neskolko dnej iz zhizni I.I. Oblomova (1979) (Oblomov) N. Mikhalkov [8]

• Pokayaniye - see "Monanieba"

• Obyknovennoye chudo (1978) (An Ordinary Miracle) M. Zakharov [9]
  Fairy tale about love. Mironov, Leonov and other famous Soviet actors.

  The scene of declaration of love from An Ordinary Miracle:

• Offret (1986) (RU: Zhertvoprinosheniye; EN: Sacrifice) A. Tarkovsky
  The last film made by Tarkovsky, and I like it more than his other films. Filmed in Sweden and in the Swedish language. The main character makes a sacrifice to God in order to avert a world war.

• Operatsiya Y i drugiye priklyucheniya Shurika (1965) (Operation Y and Other Shurik's Adventures) Leonid Gaidai [7]

• Osennij marafon (1979) (Autumn Marathon) Georgi Daneliya [8]

• Priklyucheniya Sherloka Kholmsa i doktora Vatsona: Sobaka Baskervilej (1981) Igor Maslennikov

• Ruslan i Liudmila (1972) (Ruslan and Liudmila) A. Ptushko [8]
  Fairy tale based on A. Pushkin's ballad. Excellent music by Tikhon Khrennikov. This film enthralled me as a child, especially the crystal garden! My favourite scene is when Ludmila throws pillows at Chernomor and his guard.

• Semnadtsat mgnovenij vesny (1973) (Seventeen Moments in Spring) B/W.
  Soviet intelligence agent in the Nazi Berlin. A legendary film and a part of Russian folklore.

  
  Vyachelav Tikhonov as Stirlitz

• Sluzhili dva tovarishcha (1968) (Two Comrades Were Serving) Yevgeni Karelov [9] - B/W.
  The last days of the Civil War in Russia: the Reds assault the Crimea strongholds. Brilliant acting of O. Yankovsky, R. Bykov, A. Papanov, V. Vysotsky and others.

• Sobachye serdtse (1988) (The Dog's Heart) [7]
  Based on Bulgakov's story. Satire on bolshevism. Yevstegneyev as Prof. Preobrazhenski is brilliant.

• Solomennaya shlyapka (1988) (The Straw Hat) Leonid Kvinikhidze [6]

• Solyaris (1972) Andrei Tarkovsky
  The film probes man's thoughts and conscience, as it follows a psychologist who is sent to a space station situated over the mysterious Solaris Ocean. The two other scientists there tell the psychologist of strange occurrences in the station, and the Ocean's eerie ability to materialize their thoughts. [7]

• Starik Khottabych (1956) (Old Man Khottabych; aka The Flying Carpet) Gennadi Kazansky
  Analysis of the film and the book as a mirrow of the Soviet reality (Radio Liberty)

• Sudba cheloveka (1959) (Destiny of a Man) S. Bondarchuk

• Tegeran-43 (1980) (Teheran 43: Spy Ring) A. Alov, V. Naumov

• Tot samyj Myunkhgauzen (1979) M. Zakharov

• Tretya meshchanskaya (1927) Abram Room [6]

• Uchitel peniya (1972) (A Teacher of Singing) Naum Birman [7]
  The plot is simple and even somewhat naive, as in many Soviet films, especially for children. The teacher conducts a boys' choir in a secondary school. The boys love the teacher's dog, which always attends their rehearsals. One day the dog gets lost. Meanwhile the teacher's family moves to a new apartment, so the teacher comes to spend nights in the old apartment, where there is already a new family, and during day-time someone of the boys is on duty there to wait for the dog. Eventually, the dog returns.
  The film stars several famous Soviet actors: Aleksandr Demyanenko (everybody in Russia knows him as Shurik in such hits as "Kidnapping Caucassian Style" and "Ivan Vasilievich: Back to the Future"), Yevgeni Yevstigneyev (famous for "The Dog's Heart", "Beware of the Car" and many other films) and Irina Alfyorova (her first role). The main part is played by Andrei Popov, who is better known for his part of Zakhar in "Oblomov".

• Urga (1991) (Urga; Close to Eden) N. Mikhalkov [7]

• Vesyolyye rebyata (1934) (Jolly Fellows) Grigori Aleksandrov

• Voina i mir (1968) (War and Peace) S. Bondarchuk [9]
  Based on Tolstoy's novel, it has probably been the most expensive of all Russian films, due to the battling scenes. I like the acting very much, but I am not so fond of the film director's style - too much smoke, clouds, and bird's-eye views. Oscar Award for the best foreign film.

• Vokzal dlya dvoikh (1982) (A Railway Station for Two) Eldar Ryazanov [7] Script (in Russian)

• Volshebnaya lampa Aladdina (1966) (Aladdin's Magic Lamp) Boris Rytsarev [9]

• Zhertvoprinosheniye - see "Offret" (above)

• Zhenitba Balzaminova (1965) Konstantin Voynov [8]

• Zhestokij romans (1984) E. Ryazanov

• Zabytaya melodiya dlya flejty (1988) E. Ryazanov [8]

Russian films (1991 - present)

• Amerikanka (1998) (American Bet) Dmitri Meskhiyev [7]
  The experiences of a teenage boy growing without parents in a backwater Soviet town in the 1970s. A realistic picture of the Soviet school. The title refers to a teenage game of betting (there's nothing American in the film)

• Dnevnik yego zheny (2000) (The Diary of His Wife) S. Uchitel [9] - The private live of the great Russian writer Ivan Bunin in emigration.

• Chekist (1992) [7]
  Srubov is a part of CHEKA, the secret police Lenin established after the Bolshevik Revolution. They arrest, interview for a minute, try in ten seconds, and execute intellectuals, aristocrats, Jews, clergy, and their families. In the building basement, five people at a time are shot as they stand naked facing wooden doors. No one to remember their last words; no martyrs, just anonymous bodies. Daily, the kangaroo court, the executions, the loading of bodies onto wagons. Srubov is cold, distant, sexually dysfunctional, and a deep thinker, hated by former friends and his family. As he tries to reason the nature of revolution and the purpose of CHEKA, he slowly goes mad. (IMDB)

• Dom durakov (2002) (House of Fools) Andrei Konchalovsky [10]
  Psychiatric patients become entrenched in the Chechen War after the staff split to find them a safer hospital. Based on a true story.

  Cast: Julia Vysotsky (Janna), Sultan Islamov (Akhmed), Bryan Adams (Himself), Vladas Bagdonas (Doctor), Yevgeni Mironov (Officer), Marina Politsejmako (Vika)
  Reviews: Chicago Sun-Times, Искусство Кино
  Interviews: Андрей Кончаловский, Юлия Высоцкая

  
  Julia Vysotsky as Janna

• Sibirskij tsirylnik (1998) (The Barber of Siberia) N. Mikhalkov [6]
  The story of love between a Russian officer and an American lady at the turn of 20th century. "The Russia we lost", or never had. The film is uneven in quality, I like the maslenitsa (pancake fair) scenes most.

• Karmen (2003) (Carmen) Aleksandr Khvan [7]

• Kukushka (2002) (Cuckoo) Aleksandr Rogozhkin [8]

• Svad'ba (2000) (The Wedding) P. Lungin [8] - Russia / France. How people live without money in Russia and how they get married. A tragicomedy.

• Strana glukhikh (1998) (The Country of the Deaf) [7]

• Utomlyonnye solntsem (1994) (Burnt by the Sun) N. Mikhalkov [8] - About Stalinism based on the life of a Russian family. The atmosphere of the 30s is brilliantly captured.

• Voditel dlya Very (2004) (A Driver for Vera) Pavel Chukhraj [7]

• Vozvrashcheniye (2003) (Return, The) Andrei Zvyagintsev [8]
  In the remote Russian wilderness, two brothers face a range of new, conflicting emotions when their father -- a man they only know through a single photograph -- resurfaces.

My favorite film directors and some of their best films

• Bondarchuk, Sergei : Voina i mir (1968), Sudba cheloveka.

• Daneliya, Georgi: Afonya (1995), Ya shagayu po Moskve (1963), Mimino (1977), Osennij marafon (1979).

• Gaidai, Leonid : Operatsiya Y i drugiye priklyucheniya Shurika (1965), Kavkazskaya plennitsa ili Novye priklyucheniya Shurika (1966), Brilliantovaya ruka, Ivan Vasilyevich menyayet professiyu (1973)

• Konchalovsky, Andrei: Runaway Train (1985), The Inner Circle (1991), The Odyssey (1997), Dom durakov (2002)

• Mikhalkov, Nikita (Andrei Konchalovsky's brother): Neokonchennaya piesa dla mechanicheskogo pianino (1977), Neskolko dnej iz zhizni I.I. Oblomova (1979), Urga (1991), Utomlyonnye solntsem (1994), Anna: ot shesti do vosemnadtsati (1993), Sibirskij tsirylnik (1999)

• Ptushko, Aleksandr: Kamennyj tsvetok (1946), Sadko (1953), Ilja Muromets (1956), Alyye parusa (1961), Skazka o poteryannom vremeni (1964), Skazka o tsare Saltane (1966), Ruslan i Lyudmila (1972)

• Ryazanov, Eldar: Karnavalnaya noch, Beregis avtomobilya (1967), Ironiya sudby ili S legkim parom (1975), Vokzal dlya dvoikh (1982), Zhestokij romans (1984), Zabytaya melodiya dla fleity (1987)

• Shukshin, Vasili: Kalina krasnaya (1973)

• Tarkovsky, Andrei: Solyaris (1972), Stalker (1979), Offret (1986)

• Zakharov, Mark: 12 stulyev (1977), Tot samyj Myunkhgauzen (1979), Formula lubvi(1984)

Cartoons

• Krokodil Gena (1971), Cheburashka (1972) Roman Kachanov

  
  Cheburashka is a fairy tale creature from a story by the Russian writer Eduard Uspensky. He is also the hero of an animated film series.

• Nu, pogodi! (1969) (18 episodes) Vyacheslav Kotyonochkin

• Vinni Pukh (1969) Fyodor Khitruk

• More to follow...

Please suggest your favourite films.