Hipsters: Russia in the 50s

We went last night to see Hipsters (Stilyagi) a film about stylin’ Russian teens in the 50s. It was a terrific musical and a fascinating window into Russian culture.

Talk about peer pressure.

I learned from a Russian friend that this song was a new wave hit in the 80s, originally performed and recorded by Nautilus Pompilius. There’s a thematic montage video of their original recording here and a live performance from 1989 here. Seeing the song performed by rockers from the Perestroika era gives a whole new layer of meaning to the film.

~ by lolarusa on December 7, 2011.