Recently, we’ve watch an excellent aerobatic-video “Waltz of Swifts“, where authors used music by Eugeny Doga from a very beautiful soviet movie “Мой ласковый и нежный зверь”(My Tender and Affectionate Beast), 1978. This movie is adaptation of Chekhov‘s story “Shooting Party” or sometimes they translate it as “A Hunting Accident”.

Russian aristocracy in her decadent glamor. Almost every frame is beautifully shot and movie fulfilled with magnificent music. The actors are playing professionally in best tradition of the old Soviet theatrical school. Story is simple. Based on the classic novel. Friendship, love, greed, death and pay-off. The main characters are a young detective, his friend and a beautiful young lady. She seems to be looking for money and enjoys flirting with rich men. Married and fooled old guy and in the same time promising her love to the young one. Her character is more complicated than it seems at first. She, I believe, loves young detective with all her heart but strong desire to be rich and powerful drags her towards old aristocratic money bags. She had been poor all her life and had been dreaming to be in the center people attention since her childhood. The final is dramatic and everybody pays for their sins. A-grade movie. Included in Golden collection of Soviet cinematography.

Today we’ll watch selected scenes of this movie.

Part 1:

Part 2:

Full version of this movie in Russian (without subtitles, sorry) you can watch here.

comments always welcome.