Balalaika (1939) User Reviews

A well-made underrated musical with some good songs and some fine sequences.

[Art-22 · 7/10 · 22 December 1998]

I am generally a soft touch for movies that have fictional characters in a well-known historical setting, and this one is no exception. Based on a 1936 underrated musical that opened in London, and set on the eve of both World War I and the Russian revolution, it involves a Russian Prince, Nelson Eddy, and a singer and revolutionary, Ilona Massey, who deceive each other as to who they really are, and fall in love. But even after they discover their true identities, they remain in love until separated by the war and then the revolution.

The sets and costumes are first-rate and director Reinhold Schunzel keeps the film moving at a nice pace and handles the crowd scenes extremely well. Mild comedy is provided by Charlie Ruggles and Frank Morgan. Although I'm not much of a fan of Nelson Eddy - he's somewhat bland in his acting - he does have a good voice, so I did enjoy lots of his singing. The stirring "Ride, Cossack, Ride" while the Cossacks are on horseback riding towards the camera, which keeps moving back to avoid a collision, is beautifully photographed. His rendition of "Silent Night" in German, while in the trenches during WW I, answering the Austrian enemy soldiers singing of that song, was a wonderful tender sequence. Eddy also sings the Toreador song from Bizet's "Carmen" which will surely will be liked by opera fans.

But I loved best the last 15 minutes or so, when the Russian emigrés who have gathered in Paris after the war, meet at the Paris version of the Balalaika Cafe to celebrate the Russian New Year. Instead of the joy you would expect on such an occasion, you see the sadness in everyone's eyes at having had to leave their homeland. Frank Morgan sings about his "Land of Dreams," and it moved me to tears.

The Cossack and The Bolshevik

[bkoganbing · 5/10 · 28 October 2004]

This movie asks the question, can a Cossack boy and a Bolshevik girl find true happiness either in old mother Russia or the new Soviet Union?

In this movie the answer is no. Nelson Eddy and Ilona Massey are attracted to each other, but background and politics strive to keep them apart.

While he was at MGM, Nelson Eddy and Jeanette MacDonald did very few films with other leads and in this one Nelson gets to act with the women who he did the second amount of co-starring with. Ilona Massey cuts a fine figure as a revolutionary with her father, Lionel Atwill who is a music teacher by day and a Bolshevik by night.

Nelson Eddy apparently liked Russian themes. He did two other films with Russian elements in them, The Chocolate Soldier and Northwest Passage. His singing in Russian of The Volga Boatman is the high point of Balalaika.

My favorite performer in this however is Charlie Ruggles. He plays Nelson Eddy's orderly and he plays the fool quite well. He steers clear of politics, but ultimately winds up the only real winner in this movie.

Not the best or the worst of Nelson Eddy's screen efforts, but enjoyable.

An enjoyable historical romance musical

[atlasmb · 7/10 · 13 January 2013]

I found this film enjoyable for a number of reasons. First, the black and white cinematography, which contributes to the moods of the scenes. A romanticized version of Soviet Russia is presented and the lighting, scenery and music all play their parts in this portrayal.

The film was released in 1939 (the golden year of cinema) and at that time, the U.S. was debating its role in the world conflict that was developing. There was a general ignorance of the Stalin atrocities and an ambivalence about Russia as ally or enemy. Portraying Russia as a victim of WWI was not unrealistic and contributed to the sympathetic depiction of the nation and its peoples.

As other writers have written, Nelson Eddy acts rather stiffly. But I found his singing very enjoyable. The object of his affections, played by Ilona Massey, is rather charming and talented. THe other players were amusing and talented.

The Wizard of Oz was released the same year. If anyone happened to see Balalaika and TWOZ back to back, they must have done a double take when they saw Frank Morgan in his mustache and his busby playing nearly identical roles. In Balalaika, the applicable scene is near the end of the film. In TWOZ, he played the guard to the city of Oz (among other roles).

In a few (long) years--after WWII--America's view of Soviet Russia would change dramatically. Here is a view of Russia before the American public came to see Russians as enemies.

One of Nelson Eddy's weakest, but still a nice decent film generally

[TheLittleSongbird · 6/10 · 7 September 2013]

Balalaika is not the worst of Nelson Eddy's films, that's I Married an Angel and even that for this viewer was not that bad. But it's not even close to the likes of Maytime, New Moon and The Chocolate Soldier. Balalaika is a decent and quite nice film but did come across as very problematic. Eddy has never been the best of actors(his best performances have been in Chocolate Soldier, Maytime and Let Freedom Ring), and Balalaika doesn't really change that perception. He is at least better than he was in The Phantom of the Opera and I Married An Angel and at least he is more convincing as a Russian than he was as an Austrian in Bittersweet. But he is very stiff and wooden here, he has charming moments but he never looks comfortable. The story is also very predictable, cumbersome and even silly(at times), and the pacing can be rather dull. The script fares little better, often awkward sounding and lifeless- the film was strongly censored at the risk of offending so that could be why- while the humour is mild and unfortunately not very funny. Charles Ruggles fares the best in the supporting cast, but excepting the last fifteen minutes where he's affecting Frank Morgan's comic talents are not really put to good use and his performance is somewhat indifferent. The costumes and sets are beautiful, and the crisp black and white photography is especially striking in the Ride Cossack Ride and Stille Nacht (Silent Night) sequences, ones that is stirring for the former and poignant for the latter. The score and songs are a treat to listen to, At the Balalika, Ride Cossack Ride, Song of the Volga Boatmen and Toreador Song are particularly great. Frank Morgan's song in the last fifteen minutes is also very moving, as is the ending itself. Even if his acting is not up to snuff, Eddy still produces some magnificent singing in Balalaika(the best thing about the film), always robust and beautiful and at its best in Ride Cossack Ride and Song of the Volga Boatmen. And extra credit for singing in four languages in one film, you don't hear that very often. Ilona Massey looks absolutely stunning- even that doesn't do justice to her beauty actually- and a worthy leading lady for Eddy. They work well together and blend nicely(if not quite as much as Eddy and Jeanette MacDonald). In conclusion, a nice decent film but a long way from one of Nelson Eddy's finest hours. 6/10 Bethany Cox

OK Minor MGM Musical

[GManfred · 24 March 2016]

"Balalaika" is strictly for fans of Hollywood's Golden Age. If you are one, it's got a great cast of character actors you will recognize pretty quickly and you will appreciate the singing of Nelson Eddy and Ilona Massey. If you appreciate good acting, Eddy is passable and Massey, not so. He is his usual limited self but she comes across as cold and humorless, which is the polar opposite of Jeanette MacDonald.

The storyline is thin and unconvincing, sort of like "The Student Prince"; he is royalty, she is not, so he passes himself off as a peasant to win her hand. An interesting aspect of the picture is that it treats the aftermath of the Russian Revolution and the dissolution of the upper class. Here, many of Russian royalty end up in Paris after WWI in menial jobs, much to their sadness and chagrin. Can't recall the subject having been broached on film before.

In short, the plot is forgettable, the cast is interesting and the music carries the day. Not for younger audiences but for those of us who appreciate Hollywood's past.

not great, not awful

[blanche-2 · 6/10 · 4 June 2015]

In "Balalaika," Nelson Eddy plays Prince Peter Karagin, an officer in the Cossack army. One night he sees the beautiful Lydia Marakova, who sings in a St. Petersburg café.

Lydia is truly of the people, not one to like royalty, so he poses as a voice student in order to meet her. He wins her over.

In fact, Lydia, her father, and her brother are part of a revolutionary movement. When Peter and his Cossacks break up a rally and her brother is killed, both learn the truth about one another. However, Lydia is still in love with him. When she learned that the rebels were going to assassinate Peter and his uncle at the opera house on her opening night, she tells him not to come, that she will be too nervous with him and his uncle there.

On stage, just as she feels she can relax because they're not there, they show up in their opera box. In the middle of the opera, war with Germany is announced.

Not much of a movie - Massey is lovely, kind of a cross between the young, stunning Zsa Zsa Gabor and Scarlett Johansson -- but in order to play opposite the wooden and unexciting Eddy, you need Jeannette McDonald's fire and sparkle. What Eddy had going for him, besides good looks, was one of the greatest voices in film, and he sings here like an absolute dream. Massey had a pretty voice, but her top was screechy, and in the first number she sings, she's flat.

The rest of the cast is good - Lionel Atwill, Frank Morgan, Charles Ruggles, and C. Aubrey Smith, all top pros.

Mildly entertaining, notable for Eddy's vocals.

Uneven, uninspired musical with Eddy at least singing magnificently...

[Doylenf · 5/10 · 11 July 2006]

MGM gave NELSON EDDY a chance to co-star with someone other than JEANETTE MacDONALD, but they gave him a lumbering musical about a Russian prince who disguises himself as a commoner in order to woo a princess. It's the kind of story done countless times before and the only distinction here is the music.

Nelson sings some rousing Russian numbers and is joined in song by the beautiful ILONA MASSEY, who looks like a younger, blonder edition of Marlene Dietrich, sunken cheekbones and all. Given the complete glamor treatment with glossy MGM close-ups complimenting her vivacious good looks, Massey has what seems a contralto singing voice and not quite the soprano the songs want her to be. Neverthelss, she makes a striking picture opposite the robust baritone who is in excellent voice here.

As usual, there are comedy moments to lighten the rather dark story set against the Russian revolution, and these are handled rather indifferently by Frank Morgan, Charlie Ruggles and George Tobias. Sharp-eyed movie fans can catch a glimpse of actor Phillip Terry who is kept mostly in the background during the cabaret sequences.

Overall, it's a cumbersome story, with a predictable outcome, that takes too many long stretches between songs to tell a rather tedious story of lovers separated by their politics.

Nelson Eddy proves he can carry a film

[kinder-1 · 10/10 · 17 June 2003]

Nelson Eddy and Ilona Massey Make a handsome couple in a gorgeous setting. Ilona portrays an anarchist in pre WW1 Russia who falls in love with a Russian prince, played with strength and humor by Nelson Eddy. Their duets are pleasing, and Nelson sings magnificently in Russian, German, French and English. The black and white photography captures the period and costumes well, and the two stars are so strikingly similar in looks, they could easily be siblings. Nelson demonstrates once again, what a loss he was to opera, but how fortunate to have him on film and hear that magnificent baritone.

A superb Eddy and Massey song fest

[SimonJack · 9/10 · 5 April 2018]

A balalaika is a three-string instrument played like a guitar. Its body is triangular and the pitch is a higher range. It's one of the principal instruments in Russian folk music. In this film, Balalaika also is the name of a restaurant or nightclub in St. Petersburg during the last years of imperial Russia. Some of the early scenes take place in the restaurant that offers up a good menu of singing and Russian music.

"Balalaika" is a very good musical romance with a tinge of drama and look at a period in history. The music, performers and the costumes make this film. Ilona Massey appeared two years earlier in "Rosalie" that starred Nelson Eddy and Eleanor Powell. This film was the only pairing of Eddy and Massey as leads. Massey is excellent in her role as Lydia Marakova. She has a beautiful voice and appearance, and she can act. Others have commented on her fine voice and relatively short Hollywood career. She had only a few more minor singing roles in later films, along with roles in several films of other genres.

Massey sings five songs solo or with chorus backing, and she sings several other numbers with Eddy and others. She gives a wonderful rendition of the Russian favorite, "Otchi Chornia" (Dark Eyes).

Nelson Eddy plays a double role as Prince Peter Karagin and as Peter Teranda. He has six solo or chorus backed songs. Among these is his marvelous "Song of the Volga Boatmen" (El Ukhnem), which he sings in Russian. Another standout number is from a scene where the Russians are entrenched against the Austrians during the First World War. It's Christmas, and the Russians first hear the Austrians singing "Silent Night" in Russian. Eddy, a prince and general of the Russian army, responds and sings "Stille Nacht" in German to the Austrians.

A fine supporting cast contributes mostly to the music and light comedy of the film. Charles Ruggles is superb as Nicki Popoff. Frank Morgan is Ivan Danchenoff, Lionel Atwill is Prof. Marakov and C. Aubrey Smith plays Gen. Karagin, the prince's father.

The musical romance of the film overlays a drama with historical aspects. The latter are very awkward. The plot runs from the end days of czarist Russia to the start of World War I. It then jumps past World War I and the Bolshevik Revolution to Paris of the early 1920s. No doubt, Hollywood's attempts in 1939 not to rankle the feathers of the Soviet Union have something to do with the weak historical aspects. The historical is interesting, but that part of the story is very choppy. The film ends in Paris in the early 1920s, with the displaced Russian royalty.

This movie is based on a 1933 musical play, "The Great Hussar," that opened in London in October 1933. It was quite successful, enjoying a run of 569 performances through the end of 1936. The movie was well received by critics. In the year that produced the highest number of great films, "Balalaika" made a little more than its budget at the box office.

The music, performances, sets and costumes contribute to a very good and enjoyable film. "Balalaika" is especially a look at a fine female singer whom many would like to have enjoyed in more musicals.

Here are some favorite lines from this film. For more humorous dialog, see the Quotes section under this IMDb Web page of the movie.

Peter Teranda, "Don't they put numbers on these houses?" Policeman, "The new numbers are on brass plates. That's progress. The janitors sell the brass plates for vodka. That's Russia."

Ivan Danchenoff, after the opera cast applauds following Lydia's audition, "Silence! I don't hire you to applaud but to be applauded."

Lydia, to Peter while they are racing in a horse-drawn carriage, "Oh, careful. You're going too fast." Peter Teranda, "Who? Me or the horses?"

A soldier in the trenches, "Calvary stew." Another soldier, "We used to ride 'em and now we eat 'em."

Jeanette Sibirsky, "What exquisite jewelry." Madam Danchenoff, "I'm afraid they're just copies, my child." Ivan Danchenoff, "Yes, yes. We ate the originals... indirectly."

Michael Sibirsky, speaking of his wife, "Once I commanded the czar's own guard. Now she commands me."

The elderly Princess Natalya Petrovna asks Nicki Popoff to dance with her in Nicki's Parisian cafe. Nicki, "Oh, your highness. Well, and to think it took a revolution to bring us together."

Massey was a star

[rparker-14 · 9/10 · 16 July 2013]

Why this wasn't more successful is a mystery. It had good tunes great sets, marvellous supporting cast so what was the problem. Nelson Eddy was in fine voice and wore the Russian costumes well, so we come to Illona Massey .It beggars belief that Massey didn't become a bigger star. It shows what glut of talent there was at Metro at the time.Also she wasn't Jeanete Macdonald the public wanted her and Eddy together his liasons with Massey seemed like adultery to the fans. However lets examine here case ,she was lot sexier that Macdonald- Hollywood has never been good at handling real sexiness ,it was falsified and made safe by Lana turner etc, Massey was womanly in its best sense she also looked like a man-eater and that alienated women and frightened men .To describe her as an opulent blonde is an understatement. Not only was she stunning to look at but could sing as well as Macdonald and was streets ahead of the over sweet shrillness of Kathryn Grayson and Jane Powell. MGM kept Massey on long leash in case Macdonald became troublesome. Massey resurfaced gloriously in holiday in Mexico making Walter Pidgeon smoulder in way he he never did with Greer.Massey finally achieved some sort of immortality in Love Happy as the uber voluptuous madam Engelich delivering the first recorded whammy to an overwhelmed Harpo Marx .Something she was also delivering to the men in the audience who wisely didn't let their wives find out.Massey was as delicious as a box of glacé fruits shame on Hollywood for being stingy with such a mouth watering treat