Watch The Cigarette Girl of Mosselprom

In the bustling city of Moscow during the 1920s, there existed a famous department store known as Mosselprom. It was a place of luxury and extravagance, with its grand halls and stunning architecture that attracted the wealthy and affluent citizens of the city. However, amidst the opulence and grandeur, there existed a world of poverty and desperation, of workers and laborers struggling to make ends meet. The Cigarette Girl of Mosselprom tells the story of one such worker, a young woman named Nadya (Yuliya Solntseva), who works as a cigarette girl in the department store.

Nadya is a fiercely independent and strong-willed young woman who dreams of a better life for herself. She is a skilled seamstress who longs to design her own clothes and make a name for herself in the fashion industry. However, her dreams seem out of reach as she struggles to make a living selling cigarettes to the wealthy customers of Mosselprom. Her life takes an unexpected turn when she catches the eye of Boris (Igor Ilyinsky), a wealthy and powerful man who is immediately drawn to her beauty and charm.

As Boris pursues Nadya, she finds herself torn between her desires and her principles. She refuses to be just another one of Boris's conquests, but she also knows that the only way to achieve her dreams is through his patronage. Nadya's journey is complicated further by the arrival of Anna (Anna Dmokhovskaya), a fellow cigarette girl and rival who also has eyes for Boris's affections. The three of them form a complex love triangle that threatens to consume them all.

The Cigarette Girl of Mosselprom is a film that explores class struggle and the clash between old and new values in Soviet Russia. It paints a vivid picture of the changing social landscape of Moscow in the post-revolutionary era, where the wealthy elite were slowly losing their grip on power and the workers were asserting their newfound rights and freedoms. The film also delves into themes of love, desire, and betrayal, as the characters navigate their complicated relationships with one another.

At its core, The Cigarette Girl of Mosselprom is a tale of a young woman's struggle to find her place in the world. Nadya is a character who is both admirable and relatable, and Solntseva's portrayal of her is both nuanced and heartfelt. The chemistry between the three leads is palpable, and their performances are all excellent.

The film's cinematography is also worth noting, as it captures the beauty and grandeur of Mosselprom's halls and the dreariness of the workers' cramped and dingy apartments. The camera work is particularly effective in conveying the stark contrast between the two worlds and the struggle that the characters face in bridging the gap between them.

Overall, The Cigarette Girl of Mosselprom is a classic film that deserves to be rediscovered by modern audiences. It is a well-crafted and emotionally resonant story that offers a fascinating glimpse into a bygone era of Soviet Russia. Whether you're a fan of silent films, historical dramas or romantic stories, this film has something for everyone.

The Cigarette Girl of Mosselprom is a 1924 romance movie with a runtime of 1 hour and 52 minutes. It has received mostly positive reviews from critics and viewers, who have given it an IMDb score of 6.6.