How Russians Play (1946)

you [Music] so dear michael what a surprise it was yesterday when the postman brought your letter and it's so full of questions suppose i begin by telling you about last sunday when my brother peter and i visited moscow moscow's historic buildings like the kremlin and lenin's tomb made us think of the long history of our peoples but what we did in the afternoon had nothing at all to do with history the park of colton's rest was a busy place that day all sorts of people were there milling about watching or walking leisurely on the broad avenues or along the path under the trees the big ferris wheel was moving almost all the time right nearby the flying man carried people high into the air and down again first you climbed on then they strapped you in very securely [Music] and then they started you off you saw it slowly up then faster and you almost touched the ground at the other end you felt dizzy and your hair flew the man in the middle kept you going [Music] i not only watched the front i tried it too i still remember the strange feeling there was another flying ride a swing that sailed right across the pond for fencing and the wooden horses you had to be pretty quick as you tried to hit the lever on your rival's horse when you did he slid down backwards all afternoon we wandered played and watched volleyball is very popular borrowed from the usa there were mostly boys around the boxing ring [Music] then we heard music just one accordion player for what a crowd he gathered in my country it seems people can't help dancing whenever they hear music you always find boys and girls and a tall parachute tower [Music] i sailed down many times under the big white umbrella [Music] the first theater i ever visited was a big modern building where i saw performance by an experimental group connected with the leningrad ballet first we went backstage and watched the actors and actresses making up and putting on false eyeglasses [Music] and helping each other fix their wigs [Music] then we watched him on the stage they were so wonderfully silly as they danced the comic ballet so [Music] in the motion picture theatres of a big city there are always films to be seen but it isn't so often that you can watch a film being made my friends in kiev sometimes visit the huge motion picture studio built by the ukrainian government they told me about a comedy they had seen being recorded in the ukrainian language why didn't i write of this before the great stadium in moscow where big games are played like the moscow turkey game [Music] you can be sure there will always be a crowd of people pouring through the entrance pushing its way to the seats and making a great deal of noise [Music] [Applause] the teams line up on the field and the crowd waits then the excitement begins no true sports lover would miss a championship game if you could help it [Applause] [Music] korotki is another of our favorite games each formation has a name the airplane the star the house with chimney once in a place called nalchik in the caucasus mountains i saw a championship match of gorotki measuring distances was a very serious matter involving much argument barotke isn't as easy as you might think you're very good if you can score a hit almost every time in winter it's very cold where many of us live so when summer comes if we can we go to the beaches and take advantage of the sunshine and warm sand often you can buy good things to eat like eskimo pie you'll always find people relaxing in the sun and children digging in the sand if you prefer more active sport they're boats to be paddled sometimes on lakes reserved for boys and girls in the south is the black sea and the crimean peninsula a favorite playground of my countrymen citizens come from very far places every year to vacation in the crimea that makes me realize how big my country really is with every kind of climate with frozen land and nearly tropical sea coast many nationalities gather here and learn to know each other better further east are the highest mountains in europe the caucasus another wonderful place to spend a vacation in the summertime in school we read about the great rocky mountains of america and i imagine they must be somewhat like the caucasus from camps up in the mountains friends of mine have gone on hiking trips with knapsacks on their backs and long sticks in their hands to help them up this deep path up and up they climbed in the cool air through trees and mountain flowers higher and higher in the great mountains [Music] ah [Music] there's one place especially i've always wanted to see it is the ancient and remote section of the high caucuses called dagestan which means land of the mountains where almost each mountain valley has its own national group language and custom i've heard of their festivals with their famous knife exhibitions their woolly hats and ancient buildings their drums and dances are centuries old [Music] uh [Music] my me [Music] please write to me soon again michael and tell me about yourself and the things you do i'll be looking forward to your letter your friend nathalie my you