Just over 4 years ago now I watched my first ever musical in a foreign language. It was something I never thought I'd connect with because so much of the magic of a musical is getting the songs stuck in my head and often singing along as well. I was surprised to find that, despite the fact that I can't exactly join in the music, the tunes are still just as catchy with foreign lyrics. That proved true yet again as I watched Melodies of the Veriysky Quarter. This toe-tapping musical had me hooked early on as the entire town began to sing along with a catchy melody. Most of the music in here was enjoyable, and I was humming some of the tunes for hours after I was done watching. There are a few that don't have the same kind of hook to make them stick in your head, but enough of them work to make the musical element a big success.
The story in Melodies of the Veriysky Quarter is a charming little tale about a poor man who is raising two daughters who have big dreams. A secret benefactor tries to help make their dreams come true by stealing a few things for them, which is great until people start to notice certain items have gone missing. It is a cute story, and feels like it was thematically inspired by many musicals Hollywood made in the past. These Russian film-makers clearly felt inspired by other musicals and tried to emulate them in many ways. It's also the kind of film where the characters live in a slightly different version of reality where even the biggest threats aren't really that scary. The police in the film don't seem all that serious about cracking down on crime, they just want to keep everyone happy, which gives the entire movie a quaint small-town feel that I enjoyed.
I will say my biggest struggle with Melodies of the Veriysky Quarter was simply the subtitle work. To give translated lyrics to a song the same kind of rhythm as the music is probably near impossible, but here it often felt like they weren't even trying. Also, I was always annoyed when they simply wouldn't translate a phrase. I usually assumed that was a choice because they were repeating a line that had already been translated earlier in the song, but why not flash it on the screen again, instead of leaving me to wonder what they might be singing. The entire movie is in need of a quality re-release from a company like the Criterion Collection that would spend time making it look top-notch and also making the subtitles as effective as possible. Even without that kind of treatment, though, I found Melodies of the Veriysky Quarter to be an enjoyable treat. I hope to watch it again sometime in the future and will definitely recommend it to others.
The story in Melodies of the Veriysky Quarter is a charming little tale about a poor man who is raising two daughters who have big dreams. A secret benefactor tries to help make their dreams come true by stealing a few things for them, which is great until people start to notice certain items have gone missing. It is a cute story, and feels like it was thematically inspired by many musicals Hollywood made in the past. These Russian film-makers clearly felt inspired by other musicals and tried to emulate them in many ways. It's also the kind of film where the characters live in a slightly different version of reality where even the biggest threats aren't really that scary. The police in the film don't seem all that serious about cracking down on crime, they just want to keep everyone happy, which gives the entire movie a quaint small-town feel that I enjoyed.
I will say my biggest struggle with Melodies of the Veriysky Quarter was simply the subtitle work. To give translated lyrics to a song the same kind of rhythm as the music is probably near impossible, but here it often felt like they weren't even trying. Also, I was always annoyed when they simply wouldn't translate a phrase. I usually assumed that was a choice because they were repeating a line that had already been translated earlier in the song, but why not flash it on the screen again, instead of leaving me to wonder what they might be singing. The entire movie is in need of a quality re-release from a company like the Criterion Collection that would spend time making it look top-notch and also making the subtitles as effective as possible. Even without that kind of treatment, though, I found Melodies of the Veriysky Quarter to be an enjoyable treat. I hope to watch it again sometime in the future and will definitely recommend it to others.
