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By the Bluest of Seas (1936, USSR)
(aka У самого синего моря)
In director Boris Barnet's romantic comedy-drama about
friendship and love (with music, singing and dancing), set on a remote
fishing island off the coastal shores of Soviet Azerbaijan:
- the opening views of the beautiful but turbulent
waves, churning surf, reflected sunlight, and seascapes of the
translucent Caspian Sea
- the developing relationship (a love triangle) between
two shipwrecked fisherman friends, dark-haired and clownish Yussuf
(Lev Sverdlin) and light-haired handsome Aliosha (Nikolai Kruychkov),
who were both infatuated, captivated, and in love with the same woman:
blonde Misha/Maryia (Yelena Kuzmina), that they met in a commune
(or kolkhoz) - she was the chairwoman of the co-operative titled "Lights
of Communism"
- the scene of Aliosha feigning sickness and sneaking
off to present Misha with gifts, including flowers and a glass bead
necklace; and the spellbinding imagery of the translucent glass beads
falling (in slow-motion) to her feet as they broke off from her necklace
- the resurrection scene - when Misha (presumed drowned
in the waves when tossed overboard) returned alive from the sea (in
a life preserver ring) to be rescued by Yussuf and Aliosha; upon
arriving back at the commune together, mourners were holding a premature
wake for her; she asked: "Who died?", and they replied: "You
did"; and then the two sailors instantly began a quirky, celebratory,
rejoicing dance, and she was tossed into the air; she was brought
to the stage, kissed, and applauded: "To the number one female
brigade boss! To you, Misha!"
The
Resurrection of Misha From the Sea
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- in the conclusion, the revelation to the lovesick
suitors that Misha had been faithfully awaiting the return of her
fiancee all along, who was loyally serving in the military
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The Caspian Sea
(l to r): Aliosha and Yussuf
Misha/Maryia
Misha and Glass Bead Necklace
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