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The House of the Sun is a kind of anthem of the era of the first Soviet hippies. The director is the rock musician Garik Sukachov. The film takes place in the USSR in the early ’70s. Sasha, daughter of a CPSU dignitary, after graduating high school passes her exams at a medical institute and accidentally meets a girl called Gerda and her hippie friends. She soon falls in love with the leader of their community, nicknamed Sun. Comments for * in subtitles: 03:22 Polytech, Pedagogical, MSU, Oil’n’Gas, VGIK are names of Moscow universities. 05:18 СС is an abbreviation for the Central Committee (of the Communistic Party of the Soviet Union - ЦК КПСС) 15:51 Vocal and instrumental ensemble - it’s the general name used for pop and rock bands that were formally recognized by the Soviet government from the 1960s to the 1980s. 28:52 Vladimir Semyonovich Vysotsky is a famous Soviet singer/songwriter, poet, and actor who had an immense and enduring effect on Soviet culture. 33:59 Demonstration - in Soviet times official demonstrations (often participation was required) were a kind of tribute to the historical past, a memory of the revolution, when demonstrations were a form of protest. Over time, the meaning of the word changed from “protest“ to “peaceful procession“ and even “celebration.“ 52:44 Order a fight - a reference to the tradition of arranging fights at weddings. “What’s a wedding without a fight“ says folk wisdom. 54:56 Gran Disaster (Baba Beda) sounds a lot like Baba Yaga, a character from Russian mythology. 1:10:27 Movie-wine-dominos, dances-shmances-hookups (вино, кино и домино; танцы, шмансы, обжимансы) - funny slang rhyme, included in the standard “program“ for a date. 1:11:46 sponsored me (to leave the country) 1:20:00 Songs about a Pioneer tie: examples
