Bed and Sofa
Encyclopedia
Bed and Sofa is the English name of a 1927 Soviet
silent film
originally released as Tretya meshchanskaya. It is also sometimes referred to as The Third Meschanskaya. The film was directed by Abram Room
and written by Room and Viktor Shklovsky
. It starred Nikolai Batalov as the husband, Kolia, Lyudmila Semyonova as the wife, Liuda, and Vladimir Fogel as the friend, Volodia. While movies made in the USSR would soon be regulated to the ideals of Soviet realism, some films at this time were able to present starker themes. Billed as a satire and comedy, Bed and Sofa nonetheless portrayed the realities of the Moscow
working poor
, while also dealing with starkly sexual situations such as polygamy and abortion.
, criticized the title (which roughly translates as ménage à trois
) and the personalities of the male characters, while still praising the acting. Rural Soviet audiences were upset by the film's themes, while in England, the film was refused exhibition, save for a showing at the Film Society on April 7, 1929.
of the film was released in 2004 by Image Entertainment
, as a package with the 1925 silent film Chess Fever. The DVD also features audio commentary by Julian Graffy, professor of Russian Literature and Cinema at the School of Slavonic and East European Studies, University College, London
. He had previously written a book about the movie, Bed and Sofa: The Film Companion, in 2001.
), premiering "Off Broadway" on February 1, 1996. The European Premier was produced by Neil Franklin and Claire Evans on March 29th 2011 at London's leading Off-West End, Finbrough Theatre, starring Alastair Brookshaw, Alastair Parker and Kaisa Hammarlund and directed by Luke Sheppard.
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
silent film
Silent film
A silent film is a film with no synchronized recorded sound, especially with no spoken dialogue. In silent films for entertainment the dialogue is transmitted through muted gestures, pantomime and title cards...
originally released as Tretya meshchanskaya. It is also sometimes referred to as The Third Meschanskaya. The film was directed by Abram Room
Abram Room
Abram Room was aRussian film director.Room's best known film is Bed and Sofa . In the film, a woman who is married to a construction worker has an affair with their lodger. The film tracks the evolution of a housewife into a strong liberated woman, which was very unusual for its time...
and written by Room and Viktor Shklovsky
Viktor Shklovsky
Viktor Borisovich Shklovsky was a Russian and Soviet critic, writer, and pamphleteer.-Life:...
. It starred Nikolai Batalov as the husband, Kolia, Lyudmila Semyonova as the wife, Liuda, and Vladimir Fogel as the friend, Volodia. While movies made in the USSR would soon be regulated to the ideals of Soviet realism, some films at this time were able to present starker themes. Billed as a satire and comedy, Bed and Sofa nonetheless portrayed the realities of the Moscow
Moscow
Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...
working poor
Working poor
- Definition in the United States :There are several popular definitions of "working poor" in the United States. According to the US Department of Labor, the working poor "are persons who spent at least 27 weeks [in the past year] in the labor force , but whose incomes fell below the official...
, while also dealing with starkly sexual situations such as polygamy and abortion.
Plot
The story centers around the relationship of the three main characters. Volodia, out of work and in need of a place to live, comes to stay with his friend Kolia and wife Liudmila, sleeping on the sofa. However, when Kolia is away on business, the other two begin an affair. Although Kolia is initially outraged, the three settle into a polygamous state, though with Kolia now relegated to the sofa. Liudmila eventually becomes pregnant and the men argue over how to solve the situation, as they are unsure of who the father is. Unable to resolve things, Liudmila leaves both men and strikes out on her own.Reception
Soviet critics were divided on the film. Some, such as A. Zuev, the reviewer for PravdaPravda
Pravda was a leading newspaper of the Soviet Union and an official organ of the Central Committee of the Communist Party between 1912 and 1991....
, criticized the title (which roughly translates as ménage à trois
Ménage à trois
Ménage à trois is a French term which originally described a domestic arrangement in which three people having sexual relations occupy the same household – the phrase literally translates as "household of three"...
) and the personalities of the male characters, while still praising the acting. Rural Soviet audiences were upset by the film's themes, while in England, the film was refused exhibition, save for a showing at the Film Society on April 7, 1929.
DVD
A DVDDVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
of the film was released in 2004 by Image Entertainment
Image Entertainment
Image Entertainment, Inc. is an independent licensee, producer and distributor of home entertainment programming and film & television productions in North America, with approximately 3,000 exclusive DVD titles and approximately 250 exclusive CD titles in domestic release, and approximately 450...
, as a package with the 1925 silent film Chess Fever. The DVD also features audio commentary by Julian Graffy, professor of Russian Literature and Cinema at the School of Slavonic and East European Studies, University College, London
University College London
University College London is a public research university located in London, United Kingdom and the oldest and largest constituent college of the federal University of London...
. He had previously written a book about the movie, Bed and Sofa: The Film Companion, in 2001.
Other versions
In 1979, feminist Canadian director Kay Armatage released a 12-minute long version of the film; the story was more directly seen from the woman's point of view. A stage musical adaptation of the same name was written by Polly Pen (composer) and Laurence Klavan (librettistLibretto
A libretto is the text used in an extended musical work such as an opera, operetta, masque, oratorio, cantata, or musical. The term "libretto" is also sometimes used to refer to the text of major liturgical works, such as mass, requiem, and sacred cantata, or even the story line of a...
), premiering "Off Broadway" on February 1, 1996. The European Premier was produced by Neil Franklin and Claire Evans on March 29th 2011 at London's leading Off-West End, Finbrough Theatre, starring Alastair Brookshaw, Alastair Parker and Kaisa Hammarlund and directed by Luke Sheppard.