''Station for Two'' (russian: Вокзал для двоих, Vokzal dlya dvoikh) is a 1983 Soviet

romantic comedy Romantic comedy (also known as romcom or rom-com) is a subgenre of comedy and slice of life fiction, focusing on lighthearted, humorous plot lines centered on romantic ideas, such as how true love is able to surmount most obstacles. In a typica ...

directed by

Eldar Ryazanov Eldar Aleksandrovich Ryazanov (russian: Эльдар Александрович Рязанов; 18 November 1927 – 30 November 2015) was a Soviet and Russian film director, screenwriter, poet, actor and pedagogue whose popular comedies, satiriz ...

. The film became the Soviet box office leader of 1983 with a total of 35.8 million ticket sales. It was entered into the 1983 Cannes Film Festival.

Plot summary

There are three main heroes in this movie: Vera, a waitress; Platon, a pianist; and ... a train station where these two people met. The differences in the heroes' characters and professions, the plight that Platon found himself in (he is to be arrested and undergo trial) trigger a host of both amusing and sad situations which serve as a backdrop for their unfolding love. Platon is innocent of the crime he is accused of. He simply took the blame for his wife's driving over a pedestrian. But this is known only to Platon's wife and Vera in whom he confided. However, after the verdict has been passed, Platon's life is of no interest to his wife, although Vera is ready to wait for his release.

Ideas for the filming

The script (the beginning and the end of the movie) is based on two real stories from the life of well-known people – the composer

Mikael Tariverdiev Mikael Leonovich Tariverdiev (russian: Микаэл Леонович Таривердиев, hy, Միքայել Թարիվերդիև; 15 August 1931 – 25 July 1996) was a prominent Soviet composer of Armenian descent. He headed the Composers' ...

and the poet Yaroslav Smelyakov. The idea was given to the authors by Tariverdiyev. During the trip on his car, he took the passenger's seat and had one of the famous actresses drive his car. Unfortunately, it ended tragically. They had an accident and a pedestrian died. The composer decided to take the blame on himself to save the woman. There was a very long legal process that lasted about two years. Mikael was found guilty. But he was saved by

amnesty Amnesty (from the Ancient Greek ἀμνηστία, ''amnestia'', "forgetfulness, passing over") is defined as "A pardon extended by the government to a group or class of people, usually for a political offense; the act of a sovereign power offici ...

. However, the affair with that woman did not last long. The second story, which happened with the poet Smelyakov, was used in the ending of the film. He was arrested in the early 1950s and was sent to the

Arctic Circle The Arctic Circle is one of the two polar circles, and the most northerly of the five major circles of latitude as shown on maps of Earth. Its southern equivalent is the Antarctic Circle. The Arctic Circle marks the southernmost latitude at w ...

. In 1953, he was given a day off to meet his friends. The next morning after the feast friends woke up late and overslept the roll-call. Delay for the roll-call was equated with the escape. So, Smelyakov and his friends had to run a few kilometers along the snow-covered

tundra In physical geography, tundra () is a type of biome where tree growth is hindered by frigid temperatures and short growing seasons. The term ''tundra'' comes through Russian (') from the Kildin Sámi word (') meaning "uplands", "treeless moun ...

to the camp. Towards the end of the road, his friends had to drag him up to the very gates of the camp, as he was too tired.

Cast

Lyudmila Gurchenko Lyudmila Markovna Gurchenko ( née Gurchenko; russian: link=no, Людмила Марковна Гурченко; 12 November 1935 – 30 March 2011) was a popular Soviet and Russian actress, singer and entertainer. She was given the honorary titl ...

as Vera Nikolayevna Nefyodova, waitress *

Oleg Basilashvili Oleg Valerianovich Basilashvili (russian: Оле́г Валериа́нович Басилашви́ли; ka, ოლეგ ბასილაშვილი, ; born 26 September 1934) is a Soviet and Russian stage and film actor. People's Artist ...

as Platon Sergeyevich Ryabinin, pianist *

Nikita Mikhalkov Nikita Sergeyevich Mikhalkov (russian: Никита Сергеевич Михалков; born 21 October 1945) is a Soviet and Russian filmmaker, actor, and head of the Russian Cinematographers' Union. Mikhalkov is a three-time laureate of the ...

as Andrey, conductor *

Nonna Mordyukova Noyabrina Viktorovna Mordyukova (Russian: Но́нна (Ноябри́на) Ви́кторовна Мордюко́ва; 25 November 1925 – 6 July 2008) was a Soviet and Russian actress and People's Artist of the USSR (1974). She was the star ...

as "Uncle Misha", a speculator *

Mikhail Kononov Mikhail Ivanovich Kononov (russian: Михаи́л Ива́нович Ко́нонов) (25 April 1940 – 16 July 2007) was a Soviet and Russian actor. People's Artist of Russia (1999). Biography He first appeared on stage at school. In 1963 ...

as Nikolasha, militiaman * Anastasia Voznesenskaya as Yuliya, on duty at the hotel *

Aleksandr Shirvindt Aleksandr Anatolyevich Shirvindt (russian: Александр Анатольевич Ширвиндт, born July 19, 1934) is a Soviet and Russian stage and film actor, screenwriter and voice actor. People's Artist of the RSFSR (1989). Since 2000 ...

as Shurik, pianist *

Tatyana Dogileva Tatyana Anatoliyevna Dogileva (russian: Татья́на Анато́льевна До́гилева; born 27 February 1957) is a Soviet and Russian film and stage actress, Meritorious Artist of Russia (1989), and People's Artist of Russia (2000) ...

as Marina, on duty at the hotel *

Olga Volkova Olga Volkova may refer to: * Olha Volkova (born 1986), Ukrainian freestyle skier * Olga Volkova (actress) Olga Vladimirovna Volkova (russian: Ольга Владимировна Волкова; born 15 April 1939 in Leningrad) is a Russian theatr ...

as Violetta, waitress * Raisa Etush as Lyuda, waitress *

Viktor Bortsov Viktor Andreyevich Bortsov (russian: Виктор Андреевич Борцов; June 14, 1934 in Orenburg, USSR – May 20, 2008 in Moscow, Russia) was a Soviet/Russian theatrical and cinema actor. He was a People's Artist of RSFSR. Bortsov ...

as drunken visitor restaurant *

Anatoli Skoryakin Anatoli ( el, Ανατολή) is a town and a former municipality in the Ioannina regional unit, Epirus, Greece Greece,, or , romanized: ', officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the southe ...

as commandant * Stanislav Sadalsky as drunk man with a carburetor *

Alla Budnitskaya Alla Zinovievna Budnitskaya (russian: Алла Зиновьевна Будницкая; born 1937, Moscow) is a Soviet and Russian actress of theater and cinema. Biography Born July 5, 1937, in the family of the builder Zinovy Lazarevich Budnits ...

as Masha, Platon's wife *

as Railroad Supervisor

References

External links

* *
Trailer
an
Screenshots
{{Eldar Ryazanov 1983 films Mosfilm films 1983 romantic comedy films 1980s Russian-language films 1983 in the Soviet Union Films directed by Eldar Ryazanov Films set in Russia Films set in the Soviet Union Films shot in Moscow Films shot in Moscow Oblast Films shot in Saint Petersburg Films scored by Andrey Petrov 1980s prison films Soviet romantic comedy films Russian historical comedy films Prison comedy films