''Winter Cherry'' () is a 1985

romantic comedy Romantic comedy (also known as romcom or rom-com) is a sub-genre of comedy and Romance novel, romance fiction, focusing on lighthearted, humorous plot lines centered on romantic ideas, such as how true love is able to surmount all obstacles. Ro ...

directed by

Igor Maslennikov Igor Fyodorovich Maslennikov (; 26 October 1931 – 17 September 2022)
was a Soviet and Russian film director.

B ...

Plot

The main character of the film is Olga (

Yelena Safonova Yelena Vsevolodovna Safonova (; born 14 June 1956 in Leningrad) is a former Soviet and a Russian actress. She is an Honored Artist of Russia (2011). She was made famous by the 1985 melodrama ''Winter Cherry'' and its two sequels. In 1988, she was ...

), a beautiful intelligent 30-year-old woman, resident of Soviet

Leningrad Saint Petersburg, formerly known as Petrograd and later Leningrad, is the List of cities and towns in Russia by population, second-largest city in Russia after Moscow. It is situated on the Neva, River Neva, at the head of the Gulf of Finland ...

who is a scientific researcher employed at an institute. She is divorced and is a

single mother A single parent is a person who has a child or children but does not have a spouse or live-in partner to assist in the upbringing or support of the child. Reasons for becoming a single parent include death, divorce, break-up, abandonment, bec ...

to her 5-year-old son Anton (Mikhail Poduschak). Olga tries to arrange her personal life and longs for happiness which she would attain with a loved one. Family, just like Homeland has to exist! Otherwise life makes no sense – muses the young woman. All her neighbor-friends are likewise unhappy in love; childless daycare educator Valya (

Larisa Udovichenko Larisa Ivanovna Udovichenko (; born 29 April 1955, Vienna, Austria) is a Russian actress. People's Artist of Russia (1998).

) cohabiting with crude hockey player Alexander (Sergey Parshin), accountant of a carpool Larissa (

Nina Ruslanova Nina Ivanovna Ruslanova (; 5 December 1945 – 21 November 2021) was a Soviet and Russian theater and film actress. She was honored as a People's Artist of Russia (1998).

) who is divorced and raises her 5-year-old son Sergei Olga loves and is loved, her son Anton is constantly by her side, but her 45-year-old companion is married and does not want to leave his family. Olga's infrequent, hurried meetings with her lover leave the young woman with a bitter aftertaste. Her suitor is a married selfish lover (her colleague from work) Vadim (

Vitaly Solomin Vitaly Mefodievich Solomin (; 12 December 194127 May 2002) was a Soviet and Russian actor, director and screenwriter, best remembered for playing Dr. Watson in a series of Sherlock Holmes adaptations for Soviet television. He was the younger b ...

). Olga leaves her son for five days at a kindergarten and tries to arrange her life. First off an old bachelor Veniamin (

Alexander Lenkov Alexander Sergeyevich Lenkov (; 17 May 1943 – 21 April 2014) was a Soviet-Russian film, stage and voice actor. He is probably best known for his voice acting in animated films and dubbing the foreign movies to Russian. He is the Russian voi ...

) appears in her life, who is seemingly writing his thesis. In his 36 years, the man has never been married (still lives with his mother), and in general has a very naive view about family life. After their first evening together, he silently leaves the apartment of Olga, and then she has to urgently pick up Anton from the daycare. Then in the woman's life prince charming appears; an imposing Muscovite Herbert (

Ivars Kalniņš Ivars Edmunds Kalniņš (born 1 August 1948) is a Latvian film and television actor. He graduated in 1974 from the Jāzeps Vītols Theatre Department of the Latvian Conservatory. He had already started acting however in 1972 at the Artistic Acade ...

), working partially in the city and in Switzerland. He is handsome, intelligent, and well off. Even Larissa who regards all men with severe skepticism thinks that her friend has finally found a real man. When Olga and Anton leave for Moscow together with Herbert, Vadim finally understands who and what he loses... Olga gets rid of the prospective groom and returns with Anton and lover to Leningrad. However, the illusion of happiness does not last long. With the hope to find true love and a new father for Anton, Olga again remains alone with her son.

Cast

as Olga *

as Vadim Dashkov *

as Gerbert *

Nina Ruslanova Nina Ivanovna Ruslanova (; 5 December 1945 – 21 November 2021) was a Soviet and Russian theater and film actress. She was honored as a People's Artist of Russia (1998).

as Larisa *

Larisa Udovichenko Larisa Ivanovna Udovichenko (; born 29 April 1955, Vienna, Austria) is a Russian actress. People's Artist of Russia (1998).

as Valya *

as Veniamin * Sergey Parshin as Aleksandr *

Alla Osipenko Alla Yevgenyevna Osipenko (; 16 June 1932 – 12 May 2025) was a Soviet ballerina and ballet teacher. One of the last pupils of Agrippina Vaganova, Osipenko became a prima ballerina of the Kirov Ballet in Leningrad in 1954. She danced both clas ...

as actress, Olga's former in-law * Svetlana Kryuchkova as Vadim's wife *Song dubbing

Alla Pugacheva Alla Borisovna Pugacheva (, ; born 15 April 1949) is a Russian singer and songwriter. Her career began in 1965 and continues to this day, although she retired from performing in 2010 after the international concert tour "Dreams of Love". For her ...

Production

The main role was originally to be played

Natalya Andrejchenko Natalya Eduardovna Andreychenko (; born May 3, 1956) is a Soviet and Russian actress. She has starred in '' Mary Poppins, Goodbye'' and '' Wartime Romance'' (both 1983). She has the title of Honored Artist of the RSFSR (1984).Новая Рос� ...

and

Sergey Shakurov Sergey Kayumovich Shakurov (, ; born 1 January 1942) is a Soviet and Russian actor of theater. He has appeared in more than ninety films since 1967. Life and career Sergey Shakurov was born in Russian-Tatar family in Moscow. His father was Mis ...

. But at the last moment Andrejchenko refused to play and moved to the US with

Maximilian Schell Maximilian Schell (8 December 1930 – 1 February 2014) was a Swiss actor. Born in First Austrian Republic, Austria, his parents were involved in the arts and he grew up surrounded by performance and literature. While he was still a child, his fa ...

, and the role of Olga has been rewritten for Safonova. Shakurov barely starting his acting, also refused to work in the film, and the role of Vadim was approved for Vitaly Solomin, who had spent several years working with the director on the set of films from the series ''

The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson ''The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson'' () is a series of Soviet television films portraying Arthur Conan Doyle's fictional English detective, starting in 1979. They were directed by Igor Maslennikov. Overview Between 1979 and 198 ...

''. Nevertheless, in a scene on a fishing trip, where Vadim and Olga kissing, showing legs Shakurov.

Awards

*1986 — The 19th All-Union Film Festival (Alma-Ata) in a program of feature films: ** Prize for his studies of actual moral problems ** Best Actress Award —

Sequels

* '' Winter Cherry 2'' (1990) * '' Winter Cherry 3'' (1995)

References

External links

* *
Cоломинка успеха

Winter Cherry at Russiancinema
{{Authority control 1985 films 1980s romantic comedy-drama films Lenfilm films Films directed by Igor Maslennikov Soviet romantic comedy-drama films Russian romantic comedy-drama films 1980s Russian-language films Russian-language romantic comedy-drama films Films with screenplays by Vladimir Valutsky Films set in Saint Petersburg 1980s Soviet films