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Balalaika (film)

Balalaika
Balalaika poster.jpg
Film poster
Directed by Reinhold Schunzel
Produced by Lawrence Weingarten
Written by Leo Gordon
Charles Bennett
Jacques Deval
Starring Nelson Eddy
Ilona Massey
Music by George Posford
Bernard Grun
Herbert Stothart
Cinematography Ernst Matray
Joseph Ruttenberg
Karl Freund
Edited by George Boemler
Distributed by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Release date
  • December 29, 1939 (1939-12-29) (United States)
Running time
102 minutes
Country United States
Language English

Balalaika is a 1939 American musical romance film based on the 1936 London stage musical of the same name. Produced by Lawrence Weingarten and directed by Reinhold Schunzel, it starred Nelson Eddy and Ilona Massey.

The film follows the romance of Prince Peter Karagin and Lydia Pavlovna Marakova, a singer and secret revolutionary, in Imperial Russia on the eve of World War I.

In 1914 Tsarist Russia, Prince Peter Karagin (Nelson Eddy) is a captain of the Cossack Guards, riding home from manoeuvres to an evening of wine, women and song at St. Petersburg's Cafe Balalaika. The Balalaika's new star, Lydia Pavlovna Marakova (Ilona Massey), is blackmailed into attending the officers' party and is expected to choose a "favoured one." She intrigues Karagin when she makes good her escape instead.

Masquerading as a poor music student, Karagin insinuating himself into Lydia's family and circle of musician friends, unaware that they are dedicated revolutionaries. He discovers his larcenous orderly, Nikki Poppov (Charles Ruggles), courting the Marakovs' maid, Masha (Joyce Compton). Karagin then bullies Ivan Danchenoff (Frank Morgan), Director of the Imperial Opera, into giving Lydia an audition; Danchenoff is pleasantly surprised to find that (unlike the 60 other women foisted on him by other aristocrats) she has real talent. Later, Karagin orders his usual arrangements for seduction, but falls in love instead and tries to cancel them. She understands both his former and current motives, and admits she loves him too.

Their happiness ends when Lydia's brother Dimitri (Dalies Frantz) is killed after giving a seditious speech on the street by Cossacks led by Peter, whom Lydia recognizes. When she learns that her opera debut will be used as an opportunity to assassinate Peter and his father the general (C. Aubrey Smith), she makes Peter promise not to come or let his father come to the performance, pretending she would be too nervous with them watching. The two men attend anyway. Fortunately, General Karagin receives a message that Germany has declared war on Russia and announces it to the crowd. Professor Makarov (Lionel Atwill), Lydia's father, decides not to shoot because the general will be needed to defend Mother Russia. However, Leo Proplinski (Abner Biberman) feels otherwise, grabs the pistol and shoots the general, though not fatally. Peter finally learns of Lydia's political beliefs when she is arrested. Later, he has her released.


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