A Sinful Angel

Fourteen-year-old Vera Telegina sees the sea, which she had dreamed of since childhood. She is here only because her parents were repressed and she is left alone. The police chief Stavridi, having learned about the girl's misfortune, places her in a boarding school. Vera has to go through a lot. But with the concernment of new friends and sympathy of adults Vera survives until the spring of 1953, when the long-awaited telegram from her parents arrives.

Directed by Gennadi Kazansky, A Sinful Angel leans on a strong ensemble — Olga Krasina, Nikolai Volkov St., Nina Veselovskaya — 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 1963.