adriennenoracarter
Eldar Ryaznov's Office Romance (1977) tells the story of workers in a statistical bureau in the era of stagnation. Director Liudmilla Prokofievna Kalugina is a strict woman who is seen as the office hag by the rest of the workers. When Yuri Grigoriovich Samokhvalov is named assistant director, he tries to appoint worker and old friend Anatoly Yefremovich Novoseltsev to a higher position in order to help him provide more for his two young sons. However, Liudmilla doesn't approve of this promotion . . . therefore; Yuri suggests that Tolya lightly flirt with Liudmilla in order to win her favor for the promotion. The two, however, soon begin to have actual feelings for each other which begins to lead the story in entirely new directions. The film shows a true view of how many things were in the era of stagnation: for example, transportation. Both Olga Ryzhova and Tolya take public transportation everyday—the tram and the trolleybus. The scenes from the film show how crowded the cars of these forms of transportation become. Not shown in the movie, however, are the usually long lines in order to get onto these cars Another thing that could be noted in this film is the way the office women and eventually even Liudmilla dress. Although it is still the communist Soviet state, in the Brezhnev era there is a sort of frivolity in things such as this. One of the main reasons is because foreign clothing and other foreign goods are increasingly becoming easier and easier to obtain through the Soviet black market. This classic Taming of the Shrew like tale has the perfect blend of humor and truth—it's easy to see why it is still a favorite in many of the former Soviet countries.
deeanaid
It's really a great movie especially if you love old romantic movies!! Romantic and funny and illustrates perfectly the work environment and organization from '77. Excellent actor performances and great story line. It made me think at first at the "The taming of the shrew" story. A romance that brings a smile on your face and you can watch on a rainy day. Although I'm not a fan of Russian movies it made me search for other Russian movies and this one remains a "must see". I really liked the male character and his clumsiness and also the shyness of the female main character and to observe people way of thinking and ethics of that period . I'd watched it again in a few years!
Ben Pound
Simple. Thank you, Ryazanov!I could even cry when it ended. Even the songs are enough to get you hooked. It's one of those rare movies when you forget that you are actually watching a movie. It was the first time I see those actors and they were adorable, even that nosy secretary was wonderful. What can I say? Thank you, Ryazanov! What I don't understand is why IMDb is giving me such a hard time at my very first comment. I am not a movie critic. I just wanted to say that this film is simply beautiful and that's it. I am only sorry I don't know Russian to appreciate it fully, but anyway I know the sound of it and this is enough. It's good that these movies are rare because people should understand that it's not easy to make good movies.
Firuza
This is one of the movies made by the best Soviet Director Eldar Ryazanov. The story is about the relationship between a boss (female) and a male worker in the Statistics Organization in Moscow. Unfortunately, this movie could be enjoyed by those who speak some Russian. There are a lot of jokes, which in my opinion are not easy to translate. Only those who know about life in Soviet Union and perhaps visited it (or have some friends over there) could thoroughly enjoy it. Many years later this movie remains one of the favourite movies in Former Soviet Union.