Jazzmen (1983)

Мы из джаза

In 1920s Odessa, a young music student is thrown out of school for loving jazz and starts a band.

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Year
1983
Director
Karen Shakhnazarov
Starring
Igor Sklyar, Alexander Pankratov-Chyorny, Nikolai Averyushkin, Yelena Tsyplakova, Pyotr Shcherbakov
Genre
Comedy, Music
Running time
1 h 29 min
Language
Russian, English subtitles
Studio
Mosfilm

About the film

Konstantin is expelled from the conservatory because jazz is 'bourgeois' music. He finds two street musicians, recruits a saxophone player, and the Jazz Band is born.

To get their first concert they must deal with gangsters, sceptical officials and a famous singer they hope to impress. The film is packed with 1920s jazz and swing standards.

Jazzmen was Karen Shakhnazarov's first big hit and is a joyful film about music and youth.

Did you know?

  • Karen Shakhnazarov later became the head of Mosfilm.
  • The soundtrack mixes 1920s jazz standards with old Russian romances.
  • Igor Sklyar became a star after this role.

If you liked Jazzmen