An aristocratic officer and a revolutionary singer fall in love - Balalaika (1939)
When I feel under the weather, I love watching the classic movies to cheer me up. Tonight's choice was the 1939 delight Balalaika, starring Nelson Eddy and Ilona Massey.
Balalaika, made by Hollywood from a huge British stage hit of the same name, tells a story straight out of a romance novel (or a kdrama). It starts in 1914, right before the outbreak of World War I. Prince Peter Kuragin, an officer of the cossack corps, and Lydia Marakova, a popolar cafe singer, meet and fall in love. Only, both of them are hiding quite a secret - Peter is pretending to be a voice student while Lydia is secretly an anarchist, plotting the overthrow of the government and full of hatred for aristocrats and the military. That's quite a roadblock in a relationship.
The story is, of course, quite not realistic (and has little in common with real Russia), but it has a lovely melodrama logic. More importantly, both Nelson Eddy and Ilona Massey were opera singers before they came to Hollywood and their incredible voices are shown to the best advantage by the movie's to-die-for soundtrack (a mix of opera, folk songs, and musical songs). Lydia falls in love with Peter when she hears him sing the Volga Boatman song (Nelson Eddy sings in in almost-unaccented Russian (!!!!) I was very impressed) and after hearing him, I cannot blame her. (Peter goes from infatuation and lust to proper pure love after hearing her pray to her mother. Ahhhh, romantic cliches).
So, if you want a romantic plot (and don't mind a side of cheese) with some gorgeous music, do check it out. It's on youtube.
Oh, and I have NO idea how the Code let them get away with indicating they spent at least one (or more) nights together pre-marriage. Shock! :P
Here they are singing Carmen:
Here is Nelson Eddy singing the Volga Boatman song.
Have a MV:
Balalaika, made by Hollywood from a huge British stage hit of the same name, tells a story straight out of a romance novel (or a kdrama). It starts in 1914, right before the outbreak of World War I. Prince Peter Kuragin, an officer of the cossack corps, and Lydia Marakova, a popolar cafe singer, meet and fall in love. Only, both of them are hiding quite a secret - Peter is pretending to be a voice student while Lydia is secretly an anarchist, plotting the overthrow of the government and full of hatred for aristocrats and the military. That's quite a roadblock in a relationship.
The story is, of course, quite not realistic (and has little in common with real Russia), but it has a lovely melodrama logic. More importantly, both Nelson Eddy and Ilona Massey were opera singers before they came to Hollywood and their incredible voices are shown to the best advantage by the movie's to-die-for soundtrack (a mix of opera, folk songs, and musical songs). Lydia falls in love with Peter when she hears him sing the Volga Boatman song (Nelson Eddy sings in in almost-unaccented Russian (!!!!) I was very impressed) and after hearing him, I cannot blame her. (Peter goes from infatuation and lust to proper pure love after hearing her pray to her mother. Ahhhh, romantic cliches).
So, if you want a romantic plot (and don't mind a side of cheese) with some gorgeous music, do check it out. It's on youtube.
Oh, and I have NO idea how the Code let them get away with indicating they spent at least one (or more) nights together pre-marriage. Shock! :P
Here they are singing Carmen:
Click to viewHere is Nelson Eddy singing the Volga Boatman song.
Have a MV: