Walking the Streets of Moscow

Georgi Daneliya, 1963; 78m

Scripted by '60s icon Gennady Shpalikov, Walking the Streets of Moscow stars a young Nikita Mikhalkov as Kolya, a construction worker not yet out of his teens. When Volodya, a friend and aspiring writer, comes to Moscow from Siberia, Kolya tries to arrange a meeting for him with a noted author. Meanwhile, Kolya's childhood friend Sasha wants to get married, but he must first get an Army deferral. Add to the mix Alena, a pretty shop girl to whom Kolya takes an obvious shine although Alena seems to have eyes only for his visitor. Free flowing, and full of wry, wisecracking dialog a Shpalikov trademark “Walking the Streets of Moscow brims with a sense of hope and promise.

by Richard Pena