The Tango of Our Childhood
The Tango of Our Childhood (Armenian: Mer mankutyan tangon, Russian: Танго нашего детства) is a 1985 Soviet-Armenian tragicomedy film written and directed by Albert Mkrtchyan and starring Frunzik Mkrtchyan (his brother) and Galya Novents. Novents' performance as a mother who struggles to raise her children during post-World War II Armenia was awarded Special Mention at the Venice Film Festival. Mkrtchyan dedicated the autobiographical story to his hometown of Gyumri.[1][2] The filming locations highlighted the historic buildings of Gyumri which were marked for preservation as the Kumayri Reserve in 1980.[3]
The Tango of Our Childhood | |
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Mer mankutyan tangon | |
Directed by | Albert Mkrtchyan |
Written by | Albert Mkrtchyan |
Starring | Frunzik Mkrtchyan Galya Novents |
Music by | Tigran Mansuryan |
Cinematography | Rudolf Vatinyan |
Distributed by | Armenfilm |
Release date | October 1986 |
Running time | 89 min |
Country | Soviet UnionSoviet Armenia |
Language | Armenian Russian |
The film is set in Leninakan (now Gyumri) in the aftermath of World War II.[4] Novents portrays a wife whose husband has left her and their three children for his wife's best friend. The New York Times described Novents' performance as that of "a kind of Anna Magnani earth mother who acts at the top of her lungs."[5]
Cast
- Galya Novents - Siranush
- Frunzik Mkrtchyan - Ruben
- Elina Agamyan - Vardush
- Azat Gasparyan - Mesrop
- Narine Bagdasaryan - Ruzan
- Samvel Sarkisyan - Armen
- Ashot Gevorkyan - Gagik
- Artashes Nalbandyan - Ashot
- Artashes Gedikyan - Serob
- Margarita Karapetyan - Arpenik
- Nona Petrosyan - Knar
- Ruben Mkrtchyan - Yeghish
- V. Movsisyan - Svasyan
- Aleksandr Oganesyan - Zarzand
- Vrezh Hakobyan - Melkonyan
- Kadzhik Barsegyan - Investigator
References
- Galstyan, Siranush (August 2016). "Armenian Cinema in the Post-Soviet Era". KinoKultura: New Russian Cinema (Special Issue 17).
- Mirzoyan, Gayane. "Albert Mkrtchyan". Aurora Prize for Awakening Humanity. auroraprize.com. Retrieved 23 August 2017.
- Mkhoyan, Armenuhi (October 20, 2016). ""The tango of our childhood" or the fate of buildings is endangered". Armenia Sputnik (in Armenian). Retrieved 23 August 2017.
- "Giumri 21", Armenian Heritage, accessed 6 September 2017.
- Nan Robertson, "Film Series Salutes the Soviet Republics", The New York Times, October 10, 1986.