The Foundling
Plot
In this heartwarming Soviet comedy-drama, a young girl named Nastya becomes separated from her parents during a crowded Moscow festival and finds herself alone in the bustling city. As she wanders through the streets, her innocent interactions with various strangers—including a lonely bachelor, a stern bureaucrat, and a struggling artist—unexpectedly transform their lives in profound ways. The girl's natural charm and childlike perspective cut through the cynicism of adult life, forcing each person she encounters to confront their own loneliness and rediscover their humanity. Meanwhile, her desperate parents search frantically for their missing child, leading to a series of comedic and poignant encounters throughout Moscow. The film culminates in a touching reunion that demonstrates how one small child's journey can heal multiple hearts and bring a community together.
About the Production
The film was produced during the height of Stalin's era, when Soviet cinema was heavily regulated but also well-funded. Director Tatyana Lukashevich was one of the few prominent female directors working in the Soviet film industry at the time. The production faced challenges in portraying everyday Moscow life authentically while adhering to Soviet censorship requirements. Child actress Veronika Lebedeva was discovered through a talent search and this marked her film debut.
Historical Background
The Foundling was released in 1939, a pivotal year in world history and a complex period for Soviet arts. The film emerged during Stalin's Great Purge aftermath, when cultural production was heavily controlled but also state-funded as part of the Soviet cultural agenda. This period saw the establishment of socialist realism as the official artistic doctrine, requiring works to be optimistic in tone and supportive of Soviet values. The film's focus on ordinary Muscovites and their daily lives reflected the Soviet emphasis on portraying the 'new Soviet person' while its humanistic elements represented a subtle resistance to the era's harsher artistic demands. Released just two years before Nazi Germany's invasion of the Soviet Union, the film's themes of community and finding family among strangers would take on new significance during the wartime years that followed.
Why This Film Matters
The Foundling holds an important place in Soviet cinema as one of the relatively few films of its era that successfully balanced state-mandated optimism with genuine human emotion. It represents a rare example of a female-directed feature film from the Stalinist period, showcasing Tatyana Lukashevich's distinctive directorial voice. The film's portrayal of Moscow as a character in itself helped establish the cinematic image of the Soviet capital that would influence later films. Its gentle comedy and focus on childlike innocence provided Soviet audiences with emotional relief during increasingly tense political times. The film also contributed to the development of the 'child protagonist' genre in Soviet cinema, which would become more prominent in post-war years. Its restoration and continued screening in Russian retrospectives demonstrates its enduring appeal as a document of pre-war Soviet life and values.
Making Of
The making of 'The Foundling' occurred during a complex period in Soviet cinema history. Director Tatyana Lukashevich fought to maintain the film's gentle humanistic tone against pressure to include more overt socialist realism elements. The casting of young Veronika Lebedeva involved an extensive search through Moscow schools, as Lukashevich wanted a natural, untrained child performance. The production team received special permission to film on actual Moscow streets, a rare privilege that required government approval due to security concerns. Faina Ranevskaya, already a celebrated stage actress, was convinced to take a supporting role through the personal intervention of the studio director. The film's score was composed by Isaak Dunayevsky, one of the Soviet Union's most famous composers, who created a memorable theme that became popular in its own right.
Visual Style
The cinematography by Yuri Rozkov employed naturalistic lighting techniques that were relatively advanced for Soviet cinema of the period. The film features extensive location shooting in Moscow, capturing the city's architecture and street life with documentary-like precision. Rozkov used deep focus compositions to emphasize the relationship between characters and their urban environment. The camera work during the child's wandering sequences employs a lower angle perspective, helping viewers experience Moscow from a child's point of view. The film's visual style balances the gritty realism of street photography with the polished look of studio scenes, creating a seamless narrative flow. The cinematography also makes effective use of Moscow's changing light conditions throughout the day, using natural light to enhance the emotional tone of different scenes.
Innovations
The Foundling demonstrated several technical innovations for Soviet cinema of its era. The film pioneered the use of portable sound equipment for location shooting in Moscow's busy streets, allowing for more authentic ambient sound in urban scenes. The production team developed new techniques for filming with child actors, including special camera mounts that could follow a small child at eye level. The film's editing style, which crosscuts between the searching parents and the wandering child, was considered sophisticated for its time and influenced later Soviet films. The movie also experimented with subtle sound design techniques to create emotional subtext, using background city noises to enhance the feeling of isolation in certain scenes. These technical achievements contributed to the film's reputation as one of the more professionally crafted Soviet productions of 1939.
Music
The musical score was composed by Isaak Dunayevsky, one of the Soviet Union's most celebrated composers known for his work on popular musicals and comedies. The soundtrack features a memorable main theme that became popular in its own right and was often played on Soviet radio. Dunayevsky's score masterfully balances light, playful motifs for the child's scenes with more melancholic themes for the lonely adults she encounters. The music incorporates elements of Russian folk melodies while maintaining a contemporary Soviet sound characteristic of the period. The soundtrack also includes several diegetic music sequences, such as street musicians and festival music, that enhance the film's authentic Moscow atmosphere. The score's emotional range and accessibility contributed significantly to the film's popular success and remains one of its most praised elements.
Famous Quotes
In this big city, even a small person can leave big footprints
Sometimes getting lost is how you find what you're looking for
A child's laughter is the only language everyone understands
Moscow is big enough to lose yourself, but small enough to be found
Memorable Scenes
- The opening festival scene where Nastya becomes separated from her parents in the crowd
- The sequence where the little girl helps the lonely bachelor organize his apartment
- The emotional reunion scene in Moscow's central square
- The montage of Nastya's journey through different Moscow neighborhoods
- The final scene showing how all the characters' lives have been transformed
Did You Know?
- This was one of the last Soviet films released before World War II heavily impacted Soviet cinema production
- Director Tatyana Lukashevich was one of only three women directing feature films in the Soviet Union during the 1930s
- Faina Ranevskaya, who appears in the film, would later become one of the Soviet Union's most beloved comic actresses
- The film was temporarily withdrawn from circulation during the war years but was re-released in 1945
- Child actress Veronika Lebedeva never appeared in another film after this one, choosing to pursue education instead
- The Moscow street scenes were filmed on location, which was unusual for Soviet films of the period that typically used studio sets
- The film's theme of finding family in unexpected ways resonated with wartime Soviet audiences
- Original prints of the film featured color tinting in certain scenes, though most surviving copies are black and white
- The film was screened at the 1939 Venice Film Festival, though it did not win any awards
- Pyotr Repnin, who plays the bachelor, was a renowned stage actor from the Moscow Art Theatre
What Critics Said
Contemporary Soviet critics praised the film for its warmth and humanistic approach, with Pravda noting its 'genuine Soviet optimism' and 'masterful direction by Comrade Lukashevich.' The film was particularly commended for avoiding sentimentality while maintaining emotional depth. Western critics who saw the film at the 1939 Venice Film Festival were surprised by its accessibility and universal themes, though some noted its obvious propaganda elements. Modern film historians have reevaluated The Foundling as an important example of how Soviet filmmakers worked within and sometimes subtly subverted the constraints of socialist realism. The film is now recognized for its technical craftsmanship and Lukashevich's sensitive direction, especially her work with child actors. Recent retrospectives have highlighted the film as a significant achievement in pre-war Soviet cinema that deserves wider international recognition.
What Audiences Thought
The Foundling was popular with Soviet audiences upon its release, particularly with families who appreciated its gentle humor and emotional story. The film's re-release in 1945 after the war was met with even greater enthusiasm, as audiences found comfort in its message of hope and community during difficult times. The character of the lost child resonated deeply with viewers who had experienced family separations during the war years. In later decades, the film became a nostalgic favorite for those who remembered pre-war Moscow, serving as a visual document of the city's appearance before wartime destruction and reconstruction. The film's television broadcasts in the 1960s and 1970s introduced it to new generations, maintaining its popularity well into the Soviet era. Modern Russian audiences continue to discover the film through festival screenings and television broadcasts, with many praising its timeless themes and emotional authenticity.
Film Connections
Influenced By
- Soviet socialist realism cinema
- Charlie Chaplin's 'The Kid' (1921)
- Italian neorealism aesthetics
- Moscow Art Theatre acting traditions
This Film Influenced
- Post-war Soviet family films
- Later Soviet films featuring child protagonists
- Contemporary Russian films about Moscow life
You Might Also Like
Film Restoration
The film has been preserved in the Gosfilmofond archive in Russia. Several restoration projects have been undertaken, most notably in the 1990s and again in 2015. While the original camera negatives are believed to be lost, good quality 35mm prints exist. Some early color-tinted versions have been reconstructed from surviving elements. The film is considered to be in good preservation condition with complete visual and audio elements intact.