Yuri Lyubimov

The young composer Mikhail Glinka performs his new work at a soiree at earl Vielgorsky's house. However, the public is accustomed to Western music, and reacts coldly to the creation of the composer. This makes him very sad, but soon he decides to go learn the art of music in Italy. After returning from Italy, he is full of desire to write national Russian opera. Vasily Zhukovsky proposes a subject: a feat of Ivan Susanin. Tsar Nicholas I change the name of the opera to A Life for the Tsar and assigns a librettist - Baron Rosen. Acquaintance with the future co-author shocked Glinka: Rosen speaks Russian with a noticeable German accent. The premiere was successful, but Glinka was still not entirely happy with the libretto: "False words were written by Rosen". When Nicholas I learned that Ruslan and Lyudmila was written on Pushkin's subject, he sees it as sedition. The bitter experience of the composer brighten his supporters.

The composition includes two short stories: "The Swineherd" (based on the fairy tale by H.C. Andersen) and "Heaven and Hell" (based on the short story by P. Merime).

In the steppes of the Kuban love is born on two collective farms while wheat is (enthusiastically) gathered. Galina, the energetic chairwoman of one of the two kolkhozes, vies with her male counterpart for the best harvest. At the same time Gordey, her rival, a former soldier, is (and has been for ages) in love with her. On her part, Dasha a collective farm worker, has heartbeat for a young technician of the competing kolkhoz...

A traveling musician falls in love with a princess who is betrothed to a dictator planning to defeat his enemies with the help of an exploding mutant mosquito.

A story about a creation of a new Soviet Jet during WWII.

Captain Ratanov is working on de-mining the port of Odessa after WWII.

Episodes from the life of Molière with scenes from his play, revealing the tragic picture of the confrontation between the great playwright and the authorities.

About the life of the Russian biologist Ivan Michurin. 1912 year. Having rejected American offers to work abroad, Michurin continues his research in the Russian Empire, despite the fact that his ideas are not perceived by the tsarist government, the church and idealistic science. Michurin is supported by prominent scientists of the country and he continues to work hard. After the October Revolution, a small Michurin garden in the city of Kozlov (the biologist's homeland) becomes a large state nursery.