Customer Reviews

Balalaika [VHS]

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

A rather underrated curiousity from 1939. Although the picture sumptuously deals with the ambiance of the Russian Revolution of the 191O's, the viewer learns very little about the historical events. As a musical, BALALAIKA refrains from commenting on the struggle between the nobility and the revolutionaries while making it the centre of the action. The irony and nostalgia of royal expatriates working as waiters and tailors is beautifully handled, although the conflict of the drama is never realised. This is not to say that the film is dull. It's richly mounted, excitingly photographed, and full of tender and funny moments. Eddy is in especially good voice and delivers some outstanding numbers. The stunningly exotic Hungarian beauty Ilona Massey proved to be a fascinating soprano with her vivid renditions of TANYA & MAGIC OF YOUR LOVE with Eddy. Why didn't her career fly? Unfortunately, Massey lacked the showmanship and warm personality of Jeanette MacDonald, plus she and Eddy had a decidedly limited chemistry between them. Too bad, because in my opinion, Ilona was one of the most underrated beauties of film. Always a defender of underrated talents in films, if viewers would like to view more of this gorgeous diva's work in three very watchable movies available on video, I would suggest the following: INTERNATIONAL LADY (1941) FRANKENSTEIN MEETS THE WOLFMAN (1943) & HOLIDAY IN MEXICO (1946).

Ok...I'm not that fond of old movies...BUT for this...I'll make an exception. First of all, you would never expect to hear a Baritone voice come out of Nelson Eddy..unless you've heard him before. He was also the whale in a disney cartoon. The movie is about the Russian revolution and a prince that falls in love with a Bolshevik whose brother tries to assassinate his father. VERY ROMANTIC! Good story...beautiful voices... especially the Volga Boatman song.

Ok...I'm not that fond of old movies...BUT for this...I'll make an exception. First of all, you would never expect to hear a Baritone voice come out of Nelson Eddy..unless you've heard him before. He was also the whale in a disney cartoon. The movie is about the Russian revolution and a prince that falls in love with a Bolshevik whose brother tries to assassinate his father. VERY ROMANTIC! Good story...beautiful voices... especially the Volga Boatman song.

I happened to be at my neighbor's house when she had Balalaika on her VCR. Suddenly, Nelson Eddy sang the Volga Boatmen Song. Everyone and everything in the room came to a halt. We were witnessing a great performance and we all knew it. Amazing voice, superb performance. I hadn't known who he was, I thought he was just a faded long ago matinee idol. Not so. He was absolutely brilliant. I am going to buy his movies now. What a splendid performer. (We kept re-winding the tape and watching the song over and over, just unbelievable).

Until and unless Turner/MGM releases this movie on DVD in the USA, this Brazilian DVD version is a great alternative to the VHS tape released in the 90s. Even though it is a foreign release, the movie is in English; the speaking voices of all the actors are the originals and so are the singing voices. The DVD is "All Region" and plays on USA Region 1 DVD players.

The only drawback, which is not much of a drawback, is that the text on the DVD cover and Menu are in Portugese. In spite of the menu being in Portugese, it took me only a few seconds to figure out how to "turn off" the Portugese subtitles and to get the movie started.

As for the movie, Nelson Eddy is terrific in this one. His Russian rendition of "The Song of the Volga Boatman" is both stirring and impressive. Showcasing his diversity and talent, later in the movie he sings "Silent Night" in German in a very moving war scene. I am not a fan of Ilona Massey, but she is very good in her role and the supporting cast is excellent, with Frank Morgan and Charlie Ruggles standing out in particular.

Balalaika takes place on the eve of World War I and the coinciding Russian Revolution which obliterated the rule of nobility & the Czar in favor of communism under Lenin.

Nelson plays Peter Karagin, a Russian prince (& officer in the royal Cossack Army) who is attracted to Lydia Marakova (Ilona Massey) without realizing she is a communist revolutionary. Suspecting a commoner would have no interest in someone of nobility, Peter pretends to be a voice student in order to meet her and the two eventually fall in love. Their romance ends abruptly & their true identities become apparent to each other when Lydia's father and his compatriots attempt to assassinate Prince Karagin and his father on the eve of the outbreak of World War I. Lydia is sent to prison for her part in the plot and Peter spends the ensuing three years as a Colonel in the Russian army. As the World War comes to a close, the opportunistic communists overthrow the Czar in Russia and the nobility is forced to flee the country for survival. Although they've been long parted and their relationship severely strained, Peter and Lydia's love for each other has never died and amid a Paris New Year's celebration of the former Russian nobility, the couple is reunited.

I know there are beautiful voices today but I guess everything is relative. After hearing Nelson Eddy in this classic, well, there just isn't any comparison to other baritones - or even tenors for that matter. His rendition of almost anything he sings is superb and Balalaika's "Volga Boatman" is hauntingly well done. They just don't make 'em like Nelson anymore.

Just my two cents,

Born too late.
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This performer is so far before my time that I don't think I had really ever heard of him. Nevertheless, I have never seen anything like his rendition of the Volga Boatmen Song. It is the most powerful performance I have ever seen in a movie. I saw the movie accidentally on the Turner (Old Movie) Channel last month. I then bought the movie to be sure that I hadn't imagined it. I then researched Nelson Eddy on the internet. He was the most highly paid singer in the world for FOURTEEN years. He had a magnificent voice but it's also his interpretation of the songs. Anyway, as to the movie, the plot is about the Russian revolution and doesn't make a great deal of sense but the singing and the music is simply excellent. Nelson Eddy plays a prince. The female lead plays the revolutionary. She is quite beautiful and can also sing beautifully but she can't really hold her own with Nelson Eddy. He was truly an amazing talent. If you like good music and great voices you will thoroughly enjoy this movie.

I grew up in Nelson Eddy's time - saw him in person in Chattanooga in 1941-41. It was a real tragedy when I read he had collapsed on stage and died not that long after that. And Ilona Massey - when she flashes those eyes - Wowee!! Reminds me of Miliza Korjus in "THe Great Waltz" (with Fernand Gravet (as he used to spell his name)). And this movie is fantastic!! All the actors are great. All the scenes are wonderful. And the pathos in the Paris Balalaika scene, and when they are brought back together again at the very end! I could see the movie a hundred times. Hurray for DVD's!

I was totally unaware of the existence of this Nelson Eddy operetta before I ran into a copy of it in a thrift store. Now, it's one of my favorites. The film was made in 1939 and I wonder if something about the revolutionary political situation in the story made it less than popular. The film doesn't really take sides politically. The lovers are an Aristocrat and a Bolshevik.

The Russian-flavored costumes are delicious, especially Ilona Massey's sparkling traditional headpiece in the final scene. Her singing isn't terribly great but her beauty is, with a face a bit reminiscent of the Gabor sisters. (And just a little holiday from the face of Jeanette MacDonald was not too much to endure.)

The Volga Boatmen song is considered hands-down awesome by most viewers.

I also liked the opening scene a lot. Nelson as Prince Peter and the handsome Cossack army ride into a Petersburg village, swelling the street with robust maleness-in-song while girls with long braids hang out of windows and mothers pull them back inside. A nice humorous note! The closing scene New Year's party in Paris where the ex-Aristocrats congregate is a composite of wistful memories of bygone greatness, aristocrats inviting servants to dance, reconciliation of true loves as long-lost Lydia comes in from the rain and gladdens the heart of lovelorn cafe-singer Peter, all finally brought together because of a "revolution."

I admit it ... I am a fan of Nelson Eddy. It started early in my life because my mother and sister had to see all his movies and I was hauled along. "Balalaika" is fabulous!!! Eddy sings in proficient Russian, German, English, and French. The story moves and the love story in it is not gushy. Massey is beautiful and carries her role well. She is not MacDonald but who would want her to be. It would have been beautiful filmed in color which was not developed at that time but the black and white filming is most charming and lends much to the story. This is a great film and in my opinion Eddy is at his finest.