When Nightingales Sing

Mariana Kudel, the best milkmaid at the Trud collective farm, actively criticizes the conservative chairman, and as a result, she now works with the worst cows. She is clearly opposed by Katya Kvitko, the record holder for milk production, who is strongly supported by the chairman. Busy with the fuss, Katya pays little attention to her work and quarrels with Vasily, a zootechnician who is in love with her, and her friend Maryana. As a result of her carelessness, the record-breaking cow Volshebnitsa dies. Maryanka works from morning till late at night and soon takes first place. Katya, however, only comes in fifth. Selfless Maryanka loves Vasily, but nevertheless helps him and Katya find each other again...

Directed by Yevgeni Bryunchugin, When Nightingales Sing leans on a strong ensemble — Nadezhda Cherednichenko, Ada Rohovtseva, Valentin Grudinin — to carry a story that balances spectacle with character.

The film landed with audiences for its craft and performances, and remains one of the most talked-about drama titles of 1957.