''A Long Happy Life'' () is a 1966

Soviet The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...

melodrama A melodrama is a Drama, dramatic work in which plot, typically sensationalized for a strong emotional appeal, takes precedence over detailed characterization. Melodrama is "an exaggerated version of drama". Melodramas typically concentrate on ...

film A film, also known as a movie or motion picture, is a work of visual art that simulates experiences and otherwise communicates ideas, stories, perceptions, emotions, or atmosphere through the use of moving images that are generally, sinc ...

directed by

Gennady Shpalikov Gennady Fyodorovich Shpalikov (; 6 September 1937 – 1 November 1974) was a prominent Soviet Russian poet, screenwriter and film director. Early years Born in the town of Segezha, Karelian ASSR into a Russians, Russian family of military backgr ...

. Included in the 100 best Russian films according to the

Russian Guild of Film Critics The Russian Guild of Film Critics () is a Russian organization of professional film critics, headquartered in Moscow. Beginning in 1998, the guild began conferring annual awards in several categories. The awards were called the "Golden Ram" or ...

(No. 92). The film tells about the geologist Viktor, who on his way home meets a girl named Lena, whom he falls in love with. Victor promises her a long happy life, but in reality everything does not turn out as he thought. He understands that his feelings are not as strong as at the first meeting, and she, in turn, was ready for this.

Plot

The film, based on a screenplay by

, is set in the town of N., described as resembling the many young towns that emerged in

Siberia Siberia ( ; , ) is an extensive geographical region comprising all of North Asia, from the Ural Mountains in the west to the Pacific Ocean in the east. It has formed a part of the sovereign territory of Russia and its predecessor states ...

. After a Saturday work shift, a group of young construction workers head home. Their bus stops abruptly, its headlights illuminating a suitcase and a bag on the road. A new passenger, Viktor (

Kirill Lavrov Kirill Yuryevich Lavrov (; 15 September 1925 – 27 April 2007) was a Soviet in Russian stage, a film actor and a director. He was honoured with the following titles; People's Artist of the USSR (1972), Hero of Socialist Labour (1985), Order of Le ...

), boards the bus. Seated next to Lena ( Inna Gulaya), he introduces himself alternately as a geologist separated from his group and as a foreign spy. As the story unfolds, it becomes clear that Viktor is an engineer returning to his hometown of Kuibyshev after a three-month expedition. The two develop a growing connection, sharing memories of significant moments: Lena recalls learning to swim, while Viktor reminisces about living on a high-altitude station as a child. The bus arrives in N. and stops near the local cultural club. A

Moscow Art Theatre The Moscow Art Theatre (or MAT; , ''Moskovskiy Hudojestvenny Akademicheskiy Teatr'' (МHАТ) was a theatre company in Moscow. It was founded in by the seminal Russian theatre practitioner Konstantin Stanislavski, together with the playwright ...

troupe is in town, performing ''

The Cherry Orchard ''The Cherry Orchard'' () is the last play by Russian playwright Anton Chekhov. Written in 1903, it was first published by '' Znaniye'' (Book Two, 1904), and came out as a separate edition later that year in Saint Petersburg, via A.F. Marks Pu ...

''. Lena, organizing the event, invites Viktor to attend the play. Although initially unable to respond due to interruptions from Lena's acquaintances, Viktor joins later, during the second act. In the intermission, the pair reconnect. Their dialogue, reminiscent of Chekhovian characters, touches on deep themes. Lena admits her fear of "living an empty life," while Viktor speaks of the need to find "something bright and true." As their bond deepens, Viktor, who describes himself as a "free man," expresses a desire to embark on a journey with Lena "in any direction." Lena, in turn, declares she would go "anywhere" with him. However, the next morning, when Lena arrives at Viktor's floating base with her suitcase and three-year-old daughter, the situation becomes uncertain. Viktor, unprepared for such a dramatic shift, hesitates. Their breakfast at an outdoor café is tense, culminating in Viktor leaving under the pretext of making a phone call, only to never return. As Viktor departs the town by bus toward the airport, he gazes out the window at a barge drifting down the river, its slow progress mirroring the unresolved tension of their encounter.

Cast

* Inna Gulaya as Lena *

as Viktor * Yelizaveta Akulicheva as Barmaid *

Pavel Luspekayev Pavel Borisovich Luspekayev (;с20 April 1927, Luhansk — 17 April 1970, Moscow) was a Soviet actor who is best known for his role of Vereschagin in the classic Russian movie ''White Sun of the Desert''. Laureate of the State Prize of the Russia ...

as Pavel * Oleg Belov as friend of Lena * Larisa Burkova as Firefighter's Fiancée *

Alexey Gribov Alexey Nikolayevich Gribov (November 26, 1977) was a Soviet and Russian actor, "master of all types of Russian national character"Inna SolovyovaAlexey Nikolayevich Gribovarticle at the Moscow Art Theatre website (in Russian) mostly remembered fo ...

as Firs * Liliya Gurova as Maid in a rest home * Natalya Zhuravel as bus conductor A Long Happy Life (1966) Full Cast / Crew
/ref> *

Alla Tarasova Alla Konstantinovna Tarasova (; – 5 April 1973) was a Soviet and Russian stage and film actress and pedagogue. She was a leading actress of Konstantin Stanislavski's Moscow Art Theatre from the late 1920s onward. People's Artist of the USSR ( ...

as Ranevskaya * Leonid Gubanov as Trofimov

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Long Happy Life, A 1966 films 1960s Soviet films 1960s Russian-language films Soviet romantic drama films Russian-language romantic drama films 1966 romantic drama films Soviet teen drama films 1966 directorial debut films Lenfilm films Soviet black-and-white films Films scored by Vyacheslav Ovchinnikov