The Girls (1961)
Not just a slice, but a half-loaf of bread, with sweet jam on top and a cup of tea to boot, drunk ideally from a saucer – whether you’ve seen it or not, this scene makes one want to throw a feast just like Tosya’s. This is perhaps every Russian’s favorite food moment from Soviet cinema. However, the buterbrod-and-tea set isn’t the only thing in the picture; if you look closely, there are also home-canned peaches, coffee and condensed milk, a bowl of candies, and more – everything that the heroine was able to forever “borrow” from her girl roommates.
The Irony of Fate (1976)
This quintessential Russian New Year’s classic is memorable for not only an anything-can-happen spirit, a good ol' switcheroo, and an abundance of catchy phrases, but also quite a few food scenes that feature traditional meals of that time – mayo-based salads, roast beef, and fish aspic. However, the “fish” moment stands out the most. After his first bite, Ippolit, spurred on by rejection and alcohol, delivers one of the most iconic lines in Russian cinema: “What a nasty thing, this fish aspic of yours!” It turns out this was a completely genuine reaction on the actor's part – the fish was left out overnight and started to taste funny.
Operation Y and Shurik's Other Adventures (1965)
“Who doesn't work – eats!” proudly claims overgrown hooligan Fedya before treating himself to a three-course meal, rather atypical for someone sentenced to community service. He’s enjoying soup as his first meal and then proceeds on to shashlyk, which he eats right off a skewer and, of course, compote, but with a lil’ secret twist. In contrast to him, Shurik, the movie’s protagonist, who chooses to work at a construction site out of good intentions, is simply having a baked bun and kefir.
Ivan Vasilievich Changes His Profession (1973)
This 1973 film is a time-travel tale that takes viewers on a back-and-forth between Soviet Russia and the Time of Troubles. In the “medieval” portion of the movie, the most famous food scene is a feast organized for Ivan the Terrible, or rather his doppelganger from the USSR. His table is fit to burst with delicacies – a full-sized pike and pig, a bowlful of red and black caviar, and a handful of eggplant caviar, brought to the tsar specifically from a far-off land. The scene plays on the contrast of the two epochs; during the Soviet times (and today’s, too), black caviar is seen as quite a luxury, while eggplant caviar is budget-friendly and easy-to-find.
The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson (1979-1987)
This porridge scene from the Soviet adaptation of Sherlock Holmes opened the door for a ceaseless stream of humor. Out of the director’s desire to make the character more authentic, Holmes is served porridge for breakfast in this scene, bringing us one of the most classic and memeable lines – “Porridge, sir!” by Mr. Barrymore, the butler of the Baskerville family – and a brilliant show of emotion from Holmes, who would rather have some meat on his plate than the gluey porridge. Although, behind-the-scenes accounts say that it was, in fact, delicious.
Want to know more about Russian cinema? Popular studios and their best films, early Russian cinema, and winter-themed movies – find all these and more under the Russian Cinema tag on ITMO NEWS.
