Watch Carnival For Free

If you don't like this, we can't be friends.

Good movie, but best of all time? Hardly . . .

An old-fashioned movie made with new-fashioned finesse.

The acting in this movie is really good.

What a wonderful find!The story of this very Russian film is universal and easily could have been made with Judy Garland in the lead. A young Russian girl is in love with show business and wants to leave her small town for Moscow and make it big in the big city. She encounters her long missing, remarried with child, father and gets a boy friend (Alexander Abdulov) who uses her and them leaves her.After bouncing about Moscow trying many different jobs - some in show business - she gets her big break when a roller skating bear gets diarrhea (!!!!!) and takes it's place.The film is fuzzy, warm and wonderful with great dancing, a glorious musical score and an uplifting theme for the female lead. And the lead is outstanding! A great film to try if you want to see a charming Russian film about Russian people and Russian life. And little, if any, propaganda.

Nina Solomatina, a naive girl from a provincial town, comes to Moscow hoping to enter a theatre institute and become an actress. The reality, such as suffering from an unrequited love and the need to earn a living, brings her back to earth but also makes her stronger.The film includes many memorable musical acts, in which Nina plays the leading part. These are her dreams, but we believe that one day they will come true...I especially like the scene when Nina, in the last minute, has to stand in for a roller-skating bear! One can't help laughing to see the resulting mess, but in reality the act has been carefully planned and masterfully executed.Another interesting ingredient of the film is a Gypsy family who accommodates Nina at the first night in Moscow and helps her out later on. Of course, they will also sing and dance! The film stars well-known Soviet actors: Irina Muravyova, Yuri Yakovlev and Aleksandr Abdulov.It reminds me of "Koroleva benzokolonki" (1963), where main character also dreams of becoming an actress and skates on rollers, but the plot of the Carnival it is less ideological and much more realistic. It has also parallels with "Moscow Does Not Believe in Tears" (1980).The film is not a masterpiece and, especially in first the part, some scenes could be shorter. Nevertheless, it definitely worth seeing by those who are interested in the Soviet reality and cinema.