bgrot Yes, the movie is not at all faithful to the book. Yes, it has a cheesy plot, low-budget cinematography and 19th century special effects. But none of these things can take away from the charm of this picture. The acting is simple and the actors are adorable (young Abdulov rocks!). Many of the lines from the movie have since become everyday phrases (eg: "Nu ktozh tak stroit!") and several of the songs immortal ("Pesenka pro kostyumchik," "Tri Belix Konya"). And the sentimental value of the good ol' Soviet rudeness and bureaucracy is immeasurable.If you understand Russian, have spent any time in USSR, and love fairy tales for adults, you'll love this movie.

evgeniy77 I love this movie for the fact that they treat all ancient Russian fairy tale elements in a modern context. A great pun is made in the last names of the characters---all are variations on terms and names of the magical and the mystical. Also it is a great romantic comedy. Many of the quotes from this film stay with you for a lifetime. I especially love the song in the film about the three white beautiful horses named December, January and February that carry your sled off into the beauty of Her Majesty Winter. You can put it on the shelf for the classic Soviet New Year's Eve romantic comedies, such as "Ironiya sud'by ili "s legkim parom!"" and "Karnaval'naya noch'". I was also pleasantly surprised when I found out that it was made by the Odessa Film Studios---my city of birth.

akoumare This movie is a modern fairy tale. The story happens in an institute of magic during Christmas time. the girl (Alena) is supposed to marry to Ivan. However, an envious person makes to think to her boss that Alena is in love with the boy friend of the boss in question, who decides to bewitch Alena. The only way to save her is to be kissed by Ivan. I liked this movie because of the humorous way of presenting the intrigue. It is amusing and refreshing. The dialogs and expressions are funny.

hope-35 This is a movie loosely based on the novel written by the Strugatsky brothers "Monday Begins on Saturday". It`s pretty far from the original text and that`s why all Russian SF fans are not happy with. But the script is also written by the Strugatskys, so I think it`s fair to write a new story rather than use the existed one. If one can "forget" about the book while watching this movie it is fairly witty, funny and kind love story. The songs became hits back in 1982. The cast is wonderful, basically every face you see in this movie is a famous actor or actress. Most of the cast are brilliant dramatic or character actor/actress. There are also lots of Soviet lifestyle in-jokes, which you understand only if you are a Russian over 15 years old (the younger ones don`t remember the Soviet reality). The movie is worthy a watch.