This is the story of a lonely young man. This compelling story makes for a thrilling read in a setting and time that comes to life, pulling the reader into the vividly drawn, rarely seen world. For this reason watching the movie was a treat to me personally, and henceforth I will view my Russian friends and colleagues with a slightly higher degree of understanding. This young man comes from wealth and prestige, is well-endowed in both appearance and temperament, is a warlord by profession, and has no unhealthy avocations. And by bad guy, I don’t mean the misunderstood loner bad boy commonly found in other romances. The main female role was played by Larisa Guzeyeva, for whom this was a cinematic debut. At one point I thought "not again" and realized that they pretty much recycled the same plot point with a few minor changes. A Cruel Romance | Zhestokiy romans (OST) lyrics with translations: Мохнатый Шмель, Под лаской плюшевого пледа, Не довольно ли нам пререкаться A cruel “romance” indeed. In the opening of the romance, he is in the course of It is the second adaptation after Protazanov's and is the best known screen version of Alexander Ostrovsky's classic play Without a Dowry (1878). A Cruel Romance summary: This is the story of a lonely young man. Cruel Romance has a decent main story line, but the story gets bogged down with some of the secondary story line to the point of annoyance. The MC is a bad guy, as are most of the people who appear around him. A Cruel Romance book. Directed by one of Russia’s greatest filmmakers, Eldar Riazanov, the film features wonderful cinematography of the Volga River region, and a host of beautiful songs that have become staples of Russian culture. A Cruel Romance (1984) Brief Synopsis: This romantic period drama is based on Alexander Ostrovsky’s 19th century play Without a Dowry . This particular young man was born into wealth and power, well-endowed in both looks and temperament, a warlord by profession, and has no unhealthy avocations. Released in 1983, Eldar Ryazanov’s A Cruel Romance remains the most compelling adaptation of Alexander Ostrovsky’s nineteenth century play about a beautiful but poor young woman desperately seeking love in an inherently selfish world. A Cruel Romance (Russian: Жестокий романс) is a 1984 Russian romantic drama directed by Eldar Ryazanov. A Cruel Romance - 21549 - - The film is based on the play “A Dowerless Girl” by the prominent 19th-century Russian playwright Alexander Ostrovsky.The beautiful Larissa Ogudalova,daughter of an impoverished,widowed noblewoman,living in a small to “A Cruel Romance” (“Жестокий романс”) is Soviet melodrama directed by Eldar Ryazanov. Read reviews from world’s largest community for readers. And, despite the fact that 'Cruel Romance' is a Soviet-era depiction of 19th century Tsarist Russia, these are cultural traits to be found in abundance in modern-day Russians. The movie was filmed in 1984 and based on the play “Without a Dowry” (“Бесприданница”) written by the Russian playwright Alexander Ostrovsky in the 19th century. The Cruel Romance is a tale of love, violence, and acceptance as Serafima is forced to live with what the Germans left behind.