Petrov and Vasechkin

I couldn’t for the life of me figure out which category of post to file this under, eventually deciding to just relax and not categorise it at all. It’s very much its own thing, as with its subject matter.

As what happened with Fanny and Alexander, these are two films that were also aired as miniseries. The version of The Adventures of Petrov and Vasechkin that I will link to below I believe to be the film, whereas Petrov and Vasechkin’s Vacation is the miniseries. The runtime of both pretty much match what is listed with online resources, so the miniseries versions clearly aren’t longer cuts or anything.

They just sliced them down the middle.

Both films have an episodic vibe to them anyway, so my staccato viewing (without English subtitles or dub), over the course of about a month, felt natural. I just dipped in and out whenever I had 5 minutes spare. You know, in my hectic schedule of, erm, sitting around watching crap.

Right, “What on Earth are you on about, Jim?!”, you’re probably asking by now. Well, these are two Russian family films that appear to follow the musical adventures of a pair of energetic schoolboys, the titular Petrov and Vasechkin, along with their pigtailed gal-pal Masha. The latter seems to keep the boys’ craziness in check, while also providing some mild romantic interest. This the young girl is fine with, as she clearly adores her two classmates, even just as friends. Aww! So that’s a general naive overview for you of both epics (over 2 hours a piece!), but the films themselves couldn’t be more different if they tried.

And they do try.

The Adventures of Petrov and Vasechkin (1983), has the boys breaking up the mundanity of school life by rocking out in a band, performing a stage play, and simply slipping off into fantasy. I like that their band is fronted by a flamboyant Elton John-type on piano, with their gymnasium rehearsal space having to be cleared regularly for, you know, actual PE lessons to take place. I get the feeling that the musical numbers are meant to act as wannabe music videos for their band’s real songs, only incorporated into the general beats of the storyline. No pun intended. This visual swirling together of musical fantasy and reality could very well have been an inspiration for Flight of the Conchords, indeed!

But probably not.

Petrov and Vasechkin’s Vacation probably speaks for itself. The boys take time off school and bugger off to the coast for sun and surf, consorting with the rustic locals as they prance around rhythmically. The musical numbers have multiplied this time, with my starting to feel lost when another didn’t start a minute after the previous. Seriously, the songwriters and choreographers must have been exhausted by the end of production! Vasechkin is now pining after multiple girls and goes on a Don Quixote-inspired adventure on his own, while Petrov seems to be doing… something. His plotline doesn’t stand out so well, I guess. Unless I kept mixing the two boys up, which, given my poor eyesight, is very likely.

I’ve only watched the two films once, with my jumpy viewing experience meaning I will have missed a few things.

There aren’t many grown-ups in Petrov and Vasechkin’s world, less so in the first one. The centrepiece stage play appears to be lacking a drama teacher, which is amusing in itself. Children don’t usually have the organisational skills to produce something so lavish. Unless they do and adults just never trust them with it. Who is to say. Well, probably parents and teachers and anyone who’s ever witnessed a shambolic live stage production slapped together by a bunch of clueless elves.

The director of both films, Vladimir Alenikov, appears to be “the Ridley Scott of Russia”, which is no bad thing. The Adventures of Petrov and Vasechkin features copious amounts of shaft-lighting, smoke machines, and cameras regularly angled stylishly to capture the length of a set. There’s a bit of Jonathan Demme thrown in there too, with Alenikov getting around the kids accidentally looking at the camera by having them stare down the barrel of the lens constantly. I love that cheat. Petrov and Vasechkin’s Vacation has a warmer vibe, obviously intended to compliment its pastoral goings on, and shot largely outdoors. Again, they have their own unique tones, both visually and musically.

I initially assumed the second film was made a decade earlier, as the music is very ABBA and the actors look slightly different, so I was surprised to learn that it was actually made in 1984, directly after the first. The clothes certainly look like 1970s throwbacks too, with the costume designer having found the tiniest denim shorts allowed by law. You will find yourself having to avert your eyes a few times.

Cough.

My favourite moment out of the two films, which comes towards the end of the second one, has Petrov attempting to wake Vasechkin up after the two have spent the night in a tent. Simple nudging fails to work, so Petrov pinches his friend’s nose and covers the boy’s mouth with his other hand. This provokes a perfectly natural panic reaction from Vasechkin, but at least it works. The comedic timing is perfect. I suppose it is technically a rather dark moment, but hilarious if you enjoy a splash of twisted humour.

Our two leads, Dmitriy Barkov and Egor Druzhinin, respectively, are just fabulous, with Druzhinin in particular a dancing and singing natural. Whatever that implies. It’s sad they didn’t produce any further films, although, given that puberty was clearly knocking on the door by the end, it’s probably best the two boys and their adventures are locked in an idyllic time and place.

The Adventures of Petrov and Vasechkin (1983) can be found here.

Petrov and Vasechkin’s Vacation (1984) can be found here.

I had an absolute blast watching both films, even without knowing exactly what was going on. This just goes to show the strong grasp of the language of cinema director Alenikov had. Both works, while long in runtime, race along at a stunning pace. Never have musicals had the pace of an action movie quite like this. At least not in my experience. These are musicals for people who don’t like musicals.

They will truly brighten your day and soul. I genuinely wished they would never end, which is probably why I took so long to get through them.

Do stay in touch, darlings.

Poka!