Big School-Break

Big School-Break

Created by	Gosteleradio
Written by	Aleksei Korenev Georgy Sadovnikov
Directed by	Aleksei Korenev
Starring	Mikhail Kononov Aleksandr Zbruyev Yevgeny Leonov Rolan Bykov Lyudmila Kasatkina
Theme music composer	Eduard Kolmanovsky
Country of origin	Soviet Union
Original language	Russian
No. of episodes	4
Production
Cinematography	Anatoly Mukasei
Running time	268 min
Original release
Release	1972 (1972) – 1973 (1973)

Big School-Break (or Big Break translit. Bolshaya Peremena, Russian: Большая перемена) is a Soviet 1972 TV miniseries in 4 episodes. It was known in the US as The Long Recess, and it is loosely based on Georgy Sadovnikov's novel Walk towards people (Иду к людям).

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Transcription

Plot summary

Nestor Petrovich Severov, a student preparing to start his PhD in Russian history, has his ego bruised by his girl-friend, who beats him on their entrance exam. He starts working at a night school, having had his spot at a graduate program taken away by the young woman. He soon finds out that teaching adults can be very hard, especially when they aren't willing to learn.

Cast

Mikhail Kononov as Nestor Petrovich Severov, the history teacher
Yevgeny Leonov as Stepan Lednyov
Rolan Bykov as Alexander Petrykin
Aleksandr Zbruyev as Grigory Ganzha
Svetlana Kryuchkova as Nelli Lednyova
Yanis Yakobson as Nelli’s school-desk neighbour
Yuriy Kuzmenkov as Ivan Fedoskin
Natalya Bogunova as Svetlana Afanasyevna, literature teacher
Natalya Gvozdikova as Polina
Savely Kramarov as Timokhin
Viktor Proskurin as Gena Lyapishev
Valery Nosik as Otto Fukin
Nina Maslova as Vika Korovyanskaya
Iren Azer as Lyus’ka, Lyapishev’s girlfriend
Valeri Khlevinsky as Avdotyin
Lyudmila Kasatkina as The School Headmaster
Mikhail Yanshin as Professor Volosyuk
Valentina Sperantova as Auntie Glasha, the School Janitor
Lev Durov as Militiaman, comrade st. sargeant
Lyusyena Ovchinnikova as Valya, Petrykin's bride/wife
Lev Dubov as Engineer
Anastasiya Georgiyevskaya, Valentina Talyzina, Nina Zhilina, Lyudmila Antsiferova, Valentina Kuznetsova as The School Teachers
Vladimir Basov as photographer at the Petrykin's wedding
Elya Baskin as pupil
Nikolai Grabbe as Tarasov
Ivan Ryzhov as comrade Major (militia), head of the department
Valentina Ananina (episode)
Mikhail Remizov (episode)
Vladimir Zemlyanikin as Petrykin's friend
Gotlib Roninson as Brigadier
Yelena Koreneva as a girl in library
Valentina Titova as a wedding guest
Pyotr Shcherbakov as a guest

Production

Film locations

The film was shot in Yaroslavl (Central Park, Kotoroslnaya embankment, Damansky Island etc.)^[1] and Moscow (Moscow State Pedagogical University).^[2]

Music

External videos
Black and White

The main song of the film is Black and White (Russian: Чёрное и белое, lit. 'Chyornoe i beloe'), sang by Svetlana Kryuchkova, written by Eduard Kolmanovsky and Mikhail Tanich specifically for her.^[3]^[4]

In the wake of the huge film success, this song became associated with Kryuchkova for many years.^[5]^[6]^[7]

Reviews

Despite critical reviews, the film is considered a classic^[8] and is often shown on Russian TV channels.

Mikhail Kononov was skeptical about the film. In his memoirs, he wrote: "In the multi-series "Big School-Break", the full spectre of four generations of actors was collected, ranging from popular folk to those who had just graduated from theater schools. I had to justify phantasmagoric situations and an absurd script. A lot has been written about the "Big School-Break", and it was successfully held abroad. Such was the strength of talents in Russia at that time. Any nonsense in their performance looked cute and charming, and most importantly — sincere".^[9]