The public did not even dream of seeing the tape in the cinema.
Kira Muratova is known as one of the most talented directors of the USSR. Many of her paintings were highly appreciated by critics and viewers, and she herself won many professional awards. However, the Soviet authorities did not appreciate all of her work.
So, in the early 70s, Muratova presented her black-and-white drama “Long Farewell”. The plot of the story revolves around a single mother, Evgenia Vasilievna, who is trying with all her might to convince her son Sasha not to leave the city, because in this case she will be left completely alone.
The life story of an ordinary Soviet family did not impress the censors at all. At first, the experts sent the director hundreds of edits, forcing the film to be redone. And then they put it on the shelf. However, no one has ever explained the true reasons for the ban.
“When they were asked: “Why?!”, And they said: “Yes, you yourself know why.” This is bourgeois, this is vicious… Nothing else!” – Muratova herself recalled.
As a result, the picture spent 15 years in the archives. The audience saw her only in 1987. And if some of the fans showered compliments on “Long farewell”, then others admitted that they expected more from the film, which they so diligently tried to ban.
