Volga-Volga

Volga-Volga was said to be Stalin’s favorite film; he logged more than 100 viewings and even introduced it to FDR. The movie concerns a small town that bands together and—in the funniest number—proves its musical talent to a self-serving bureaucrat; soon, they all travel by riverboat to Moscow for a competition, allowing for some of Aleksandrov’s most resourceful staging (e.g., beer bottles as a xylophone). The film celebrates not only the glories of teamwork but also the pluck of a letter carrier (Orlova) who’s shown to have untapped talent as a composer.