There Was an Old Couple
Cast & Crew
Grigoriy Chukhray
Ivan Marin
Vera Kuznetsova
Lyudmila Maksakova
Grigoriy Martynyuk
Galina Polskikh
Film Details
Technical Specs
Synopsis
When their farmhouse is destroyed by fire, an elderly Russian couple decide to visit the neediest of their three children, their daughter, Nina, who lives in a small mining town beyond the polar circle. Upon their arrival, however, they learn that Nina has left with a married man, abandoning her alcoholic husband and infant daughter. Knowing they can be of help, the old couple move in and make a home in their son-in-law Valentin's cold and desolate hut. Eventually Valentin stops drinking and returns to his job. A young neighborhood woman, Galya, who loves both Valentin and the child, becomes part of the little family. The old people take an active part in the community; the old man, a retired veterinarian, is taken for his first helicopter ride, even further north, to treat a reindeer herd. One day, Nina returns, having been discarded by her lover. The old man talks tenderly to her and persuades her to leave home--though she is his daughter, her presence can bring only unhappiness. When the old man dies, he is mourned by the whole community.
Director
Grigoriy Chukhray
Cast
Ivan Marin
Vera Kuznetsova
Lyudmila Maksakova
Grigoriy Martynyuk
Galina Polskikh
Anatoliy Yabbarov
V. Kolpakov
Nikolay Kryuchkov
Nikolay Sergeyev
Gyuli Chokhonelidze
Lenochka Derzhavina
O. Amalina
R. Aristarkhova
N. Barmin
Yu. Volkov
V. Vyshkovskiy
M. Drozdovskaya
L. Kadrov
V. Kazanskiy
G. Krasheninnikov
M. Lukach
V. Markin
A. Fyodorinov
O. Fomichyova
N. Khlibko
O. Shtoda
Crew
Yu. Danilovich
Yuliy Dunskiy
Valeriy Frid
Yu. Gantman
S. Litvinov
Boris Nemechek
L. Oshanin
Aleksandra Pakhmutova
Aleksandra Pakhmutova
Sergey Poluyanov
Lev Semyonov
O. Zguridi
Film Details
Technical Specs
Quotes
Trivia
Notes
Released in the U.S.S.R. in 1965 as a 2-part film; combined running time: ca140 min. Cannes Festival running time: 110 min. Russian title: Zhili-byli starik so starukhoy. Also known as The Couple.
