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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. As in Without a Dowry (1879), the film centers on the dramatic conflicts between not only Larisa Ogudalov and her various suitors but also amongst the aspiring men themselves. Through its representation of Ostrovsky’s themes, Ryazanov’s production depicts the ramifications of humanity’s obsession with money, leading to misery, jealously and even death.

The characters are all introduced in an opening wedding scene in which the heroine's impoverished sister makes a loveless marriage. Larisa is a lovely young woman whose innocence will soon be compromised by the financial machinations of her mother. Sergei Paratov is a glamorous cad. Yuli Karandyshev is a dreary fellow who is smitten with Larisa but dares not hope to win her hand.

Director: Eldar Ryazanov
Cast: Alisa Frejndlikh, Larisa Guzeyeva, Nikita Mikhalkov, Andrei Miagkov, Aleksei Petrenko, Georgi Burkov, Borislav Brondukov, Aleksandr Pankratov-Chyorny, Sergei Artsybashev
Country: Soviet Union
Genre: Drama, Romance

2xDVD9 | NTSC 4:3 | 01:09:24 + 01:07:17 | 6.21 Gb + 6.54 Gb
Language: Russian, English, Francais
Subtitles: Russian, English, Francais, Deutsch, Nederlands, Espanol, Arabic, Italiano, Portugues, Japanese, Hebrew, Svenska, Chinese

Extras:
-- Preface - an introduction to the film by director Eldar Ryazanov.
-- Stills gallery
-- Filmographies
-- Interview with Larisa Guzeeva
-- Interview with Vadim Alissov
-- Introduction to A Cruel Romance
-- Fragment from the film “A Dowerless Girl” (1937)
-- Archive documentary
-- Songs