It so happened that the most interesting films for children were shot in Soviet times, in particular in the 70s and 80s of the twentieth century. Children's cinema was then given much more attention than now, and the perception of both the filmmakers and their young viewers was brighter and more innocent. And in these films wonderful melodies sounded created by the best composers who wrote for the cinema.
Instruction manual
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The Belarusian director Leonid Nechaev managed to create a special world of a children's fairy tale. The classic fairy tale stories in its reading turned out to be unusually fascinating and sounded so modern that to this day they enjoy great love not only from children, but also from adults. In the wonderful film “The Adventures of Pinocchio”, which became perhaps the best adaptation of the fairy tale by Alexei Tolstoy, even sometimes creepy and by no means funny episodes from the life of a wooden boy are perceived easily and optimistically. And the ominous Karabas Barabas (Vladimir Etush) and Duremar (Vladimir Basov) do not look scary at all. The reasons for this should be sought in the bright eyes of the director, a brilliant game of adults and young actors and in the wonderful music of Alexei Rybnikov. The real discovery of the film was the nine-year-old Dima Josephov. An unusually organic Belarusian student managed to become a real Pinocchio - mischievous, cheerful and infinitely charming.
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The next film by Nechaev - “About Little Red Riding Hood” became a true masterpiece of children's cinema. The script of Inna Vetkina, although based on the classic tale of Charles Perrault, is actually a continuation of the old story. Little Red Riding Hood is cheerful and bold here, the grandmother is vigorous and energetic, the wolves are not so scary, but the hunter, unfortunately, turns out to be a coward. Surprisingly, the continuation turned out to be much more interesting, multifaceted and witty than the famous fairy tale. And again, as in “Pinocchio”, the audience is delighted with the wonderful songs of Alexei Rybnikov and the brilliant play of magnificent actors - Vladimir Basov, Nikolai Trofimov, Galina Volchek, Evgeny Evstigneev, Rolan Bykov and Rina Zelenaya. The choice of ten-year-old Yana Poplavskaya for the role of Little Red Riding Hood was the same success as the choice of Dima Iosifov for the role of Pinocchio. By the way, Dima Iosifov, almost unrecognizable here, played the role of a furry and incredulous, but smart and kind Wolf Cub.
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Filmed 12 years after Little Red Riding Hood, Leonid Nechaev’s film “Don't Leave!” quickly left the television screens and for a long time was almost forgotten. Meanwhile, this is a very beautiful and sad tale, designed for teenagers and youth. The lead actor, Prince Patrick, Igor Krasavin, after the premiere of the film, became the idol of millions of high school students across the country. Beautiful romantic songs for the film were created by composer Yevgeny Krylatov and poet Leonid Derbenev.
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No less exciting than these and other beautiful tales were films about the amazing adventures of modern schoolchildren. The dilogy of Vladimir Alenikov "The Adventures of Petrov and Vasechkin, ordinary and unbelievable" and "Vacations of Petrov and Vasechkin, ordinary and unbelievable" was widely popular. Funny and witty musical comedies about the adventures of two friends - the brisk, inventive Petya Vasechkin and the modest, judicious Vasya Petrov and their "beautiful lady" Masha Startseva, to this day are of interest and cheer up both children and their parents.
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Older children are addressed to "The Adventures of Electronics" by Konstantin Bromberg. The three-part television movie based on the fantastic stories of Evgeny Veltistov has incorporated elements of a detective, adventure film, science fiction, comedy and family cinema. Despite the outward ease and entertainment, the film "Adventures of Electronics" raises a serious question: "What qualities must be possessed in order to become a real Man?"
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And, of course, speaking of the most interesting films for children, one cannot but recall the wonderful fairy-tale films created by Czechoslovak filmmakers. In the Soviet Union, they were no less popular than in their homeland. One of the most beloved tales of children of all ages was the magnificent film by Vaclav Vorlichka “Three Nuts for Cinderella”. This is a completely original version of the famous plot, where the mischievous and energetic Cinderella does not wait for the appearance of a good fairy, and she herself (though with the help of three magic nuts) decides her fate. The leading woman, Libushe Shafrankova, who subsequently starred in many other fairy tale films, became almost the most charming princess of the world screen.
