5 movies in which FALL is one of the main ‘characters’ 

1. ‘Autumn Marathon’, 1979

This is a drama about the inability to make the right choice. Translator Buzykin is torn between his wife and his mistress. He’s not one of those who can confidently say “yes” or “no”. Therefore, he does the work for his less talented colleague, obediently goes mushroom picking with a neighbor and goes jogging in the mornings with a Danish professor.

Georgy Daneliya’s movie takes place in St. Petersburg in the fall – this is the perfect backdrop for a story about a man who lives his life as if he were running in circles. Gloomy dawn landscapes give way to postcard pictures of golden fall, a walk through the forest, instead of admiring nature, brings only meaningless conversation about nothing. It seems that even nature does not want to participate in this imitation of life!

2. ‘Captain Fracasse’, 1984

On a rainy fall night, a group of wandering artists ask to stay overnight at the castle of Baron de Sigognac. And, in the morning, its owner himself joins the group and sets off on a journey in which plays mix with reality.

The script for this road movie, which equally combines the incredible beauty of fall landscapes, sword fights and theatrical passions, was written by famous bard and actor Yuri Vizbor. The songs, meanwhile, are based on the poems by Bulat Okudzhava, another bard of the 1960s, which are performed by singer Elena Kamburova.

3. ‘Scenes from Life of People on Leave’, 1980

This movie is set at the end of the fall season by the seaside. Instead of the sun, there is a thick fog that shrouds a boarding house with residents, who are forced to come up with their own entertainment until the fog disperses. The group with a very active and cheerful leader do everything from gossiping through force, mandatory exercising and idle talk.

In this movie, the fall is chilly, like an unpleasant reminder that summer is over and only cold and loneliness lie ahead. Instead of crowds on the beach, the camera captures morning exercises on the pier and, instead of idyllic summer views, an empty park. Against this background, a romance between two residents of the boarding house begins.

4. ‘Fall/Autumn’, 1974

This is a romantic drama with music by composer Alfred Schnittke. The main couple escape from Leningrad (now St. Petersburg) to a remote village for a week. There they plan to chat, spend time fishing and pick mushrooms. And they also plan to spend this time deciding whether they can have a common future together. And when their own words are not enough, Boris Pasternak's "In the hot stuffiness of the train car I gave myself up entirely to the impulse of my innate weakness" (from his poem ‘On Early Trains’) will sound.

The movie does not have any “glossy” fall landscapes; instead, there is the muted beauty of Karelian nature. And the boat trip through the fog is like an artistic attempt to look into the future. Everything is unclear, but it seems that the fog will part any minute around the corner.

Soviet functionaries, however, did not appreciate the movie and criticized director Andrei Smirnov: too many explicit scenes, too little construction of a bright socialist future.

5. ‘Office Romance’, 1978

‘U prirody net plokhoy pogody’ (‘Nature has no bad weather’) – this song from the movie sets its entire tone. This story of an employee at the statistics institute and his strict boss, who begin an affair, also unfolds in the fall.

A sea of ​​multi-colored umbrellas, long, pouring rains, the first snow in the middle of golden fall – even if you have watched this comedy by Eldar Ryazanov before, these scenes will make you linger in front of the screen again!