Andrey Pavlovich Buzykin, who makes a living by teaching at an institute and translating English literature, is cheating on his wife. Buzykin's main problem is that he's a kind man with a weak character. The lies he is telling his wife all the time are inconvincing, but he never has the courage to tell her the truth. His lover, Alla, is aware of his family life, but gets offended when, for example, he cannot meet her so that he doesn't come home late, or when he doesn't want to go home in a new jacket she gives him to avoid having to explain to his wife. Alla and Nina, Andrei's wife, both leave him, forgive him, and return to him at the same time, and Andrei continues with this kind of life, full of suffering and deceit. Finally, both women are so fed up with his lies that they don't believe him even when he is telling the truth...
Reviews
Autumn Marathon is a comedy that depicts the life of Andrey Buzykin, who belongs to the Soviet intelligentsia. He works as an instructor at the university and a translator; he also lives in a nice apartment. Moreover, Andrey has a wife, a daughter, a mistress, and friends. His life seems perfect; however, he does not enjoy it. He tries to please everyone by devoting his time to them and by agreeing to satisfy their requests. People, realizing that he is a conformist, manipulate him to achieve their goals. Buzykin, in his attempt to keep up with everything, does not have time to stop and think about his desires, nor can he figure out whether his wife or mistress is more important for him. It is humorous to watch how he is in a hurry and constantly lying, which makes his relationship with surrounding people more tangled; moreover, he is not able to resolve the situation. Despite the fact that is it a comedy, this movie brings up vital issues about values in an individual's life. It makes one stop and think about the things that are significant for him/her. What is more, Autumn Marathon, through its satirical presentation, critiques conformity, for it makes life more complicated.In addition, this film is interesting from a historical point of view as it represents life in USSR. It shows single-family and communal apartments, the metro, and the streets of Leningrad. It also depicts popular activities in the Soviet county: the culture of drinking vodka and mushroom picking.
This movie is very slow to get going, so slow I could compare it to a turtle stuck in molasses. If there was an American movie I would compare it to, it would be "The Vow". I enjoyed neither. Both are about menial life issues. Everyone has these issues in their life. I don't watch movies to get more of my life's problems. I watch to escape reality and partake in an adventure. The main character aggravates me with his inability to stand for anything. It bothers me that he can not tell the truth. The back drops and scenes were designed very well. At times in the movie I would find myself not paying attention to the story and characters, but watching the back drop of the city, imagining if I lived there.
As a subjective concept 'goodness' is interpreted in various forms. However, it can be easily assessed if it is seen through the prism of 'actions' performed by people. Russian film Osenniy Marafon (Autumn Marathon) is a tragicomic tale wherein the concept of 'goodness' abounds through the portrayal of an English-Russian translator who would help anybody in need. His weakness is that he doesn't know how to refuse anybody who has come to seek help. However, there is more trouble in store for him due to his tendency to intentionally utter numerous false statements to both family members and colleagues. Russian director Georgi Danelia put himself in a creative quandary by making a film about a man who has too many negative qualities despite having a charming outer appearance. This is one reason why authorities who worked for the promotion of Russian cinema were reluctant to promote this film as it chose to depict a philandering liar who would cause immense grief to both his mistress as well as wife. Although the film's theme might appear a little outdated to contemporary viewers but it was an immense success during its release in late 1970s. This brings us to question why there was tremendous opposition to this film in official circles as adultery has always remained a recurring theme in Russian literature. It is not a secret that many duels were fought with loss of lives over extra marital affairs. Lastly Russian actors namely Oleg Bassilashvili, Natalya Gundareva and Marina Neyolova are credible in their respective roles as husband, wife and mistress who suffer immensely as a web of lies is woven around their erratic lives.
Andrei is an irresponsible man, who cannot be counted on. He is constantly late, and doesn't inform others. He is not focused on his work nor his personal life. I don't judge him for cheating on his 4-5 women (if you can get away with it, it's not a crime), but he ends up hurting them. For not keeping promises nor knowing when to say "No" to boring next- door neighbors, he deserves everything that's coming to him. Technically well made movie. Very good performances, the mood, music, cinematography are all there.However, the plot is slow and tiresome. By 50 minutes I couldn't bring myself to continue watching, hence the 1 star rating.