Petersburg Nights: A messy, loud, and very human tragedy

If you have ever felt like you were meant for bigger things but ended up stuck in a boring town, you might like Petersburg Nights. It is a movie for people who appreciate sad music and watching someone slowly realize they might not be the genius they thought they were.

If you hate old movies where everyone shouts their feelings, you will probably want to skip this one. It’s a 1934 Soviet film, so expect some heavy-handed drama and very loud violins.

The story follows Yegor Efimov. He’s a violinist who lives in the middle of nowhere but thinks he belongs in the capital.

He gets his freedom from a landowner named Valemirov. Valemirov is one of those guys who seems nice but you can tell he’s mostly just bored with his own life.

Yegor sets off for St. Petersburg, but he doesn’t quite make it. He gets stuck in this provincial county town that looks like it’s made entirely of mud and disappointment.

I really liked the way the town was shot. You can almost smell the damp wood and the stale air in the taverns.

There is a scene early on where Yegor is playing for the landowner. The way he holds the violin is so intense, like he’s trying to squeeze the life out of it.

His eyes get really wide and he looks kind of terrifying. Boris Dobronravov, who plays Yegor, has a face that was made for black and white film.

Every wrinkle and sweat drop stands out. It makes the whole thing feel very raw.

The movie is based on Dostoevsky stories, and you can definitely tell. Everyone is miserable but in a very poetic way.

It reminded me a little bit of the tragedy in The Dark Angel, though the style is completely different. One is Hollywood glossy, and this is... well, it's very Russian.

I noticed a small detail in the tavern scene that I loved. There is an old man in the background just eating soup while Yegor is having a total emotional breakdown.

The man doesn't care at all about the 'art' or the 'suffering.' He just wants his soup. It’s a nice little touch of reality in a movie that gets very theatrical.

The Struggle of the Artist

Yegor is a hard character to like sometimes. He’s arrogant and he treats the people around him like they are just obstacles.

But then he plays the violin and you see why he’s like that. He has this massive sound inside him that doesn't fit in a small room.

The music in this movie is practically a character itself. It’s loud and occassionally a bit distorted because of the old recording quality.

Sometimes the music stops suddenly, and the silence feels heavier than the noise. That’s when the movie is at its best.

I found myself thinking about Temporary Marriage for some reason while watching the party scenes. Maybe it’s just the way people in these old movies stand around in groups looking uncomfortable.

The extras in the town scenes look like they were pulled right off the street. They have these great, weathered faces.

One lady has a headscarf on that looks like it hasn't been washed in a decade. It’s these little things that make the world feel real.

There is a sequence where Yegor is walking down a long, dark road. The shadows are huge and they stretch out in front of him like monsters.

It’s very expressionistic. It made me feel the weight of his failure without him having to say a word.

The script is a bit clunky in spots. Sometimes characters explain things that we can already see happening on screen.

But then you get a moment of pure visual storytelling that makes up for it. Like when Yegor looks at his hands and they’re shaking too much to play.

It’s not quite as fast-paced as something like La foule hurle. It takes its time to let you feel the boredom of the province.

• The lighting in the attic scenes is incredible.
• The landowner’s hat is way too big for him and it kept distracting me.
• The sound of the wind is used really well to make the town feel lonely.
• I’m pretty sure one of the violin strings actually snaps during a performance but they kept filming.

The ending is... well, it’s a Dostoevsky story. Don't expect everyone to go out for ice cream and be happy.

It’s a bit of a downer, but it feels honest. It’s about the gap between who we want to be and who we actually are.

I think Lyubov Orlova is in this too, but her role didn't stand out as much to me as the main guy. She’s great, but this is really Yegor’s show.

I watched this on a rainy afternoon and it felt like the perfect vibe. It’s a movie that demands you pay attention to the small flickers of light in the darkness.

Is it a masterpiece? Maybe not. It’s a bit messy and the pacing is all over the place.

But I’d rather watch a messy movie with this much soul than a perfect one that feels empty. It feels like someone actually cared about telling this specific story.

If you can get past the old-school acting style, there is something very moving here. It’s a story about a man who wanted to be a star but got lost in the mud.

And honestly, who hasn't felt like that at least once?

The way the film handles the passage of time is also pretty interesting. It feels slow when he’s bored and then suddenly years have passed.

It’s like how life actually feels when you’re waiting for something big to happen. You wait and wait, and then you realize you’ve been waiting in the same spot for a long time.

I’ll probably remember the image of Yegor’s violin case more than the actual plot. It looked so worn out and tired, just like him. 🎻