Big School-Break (or Big Break translit. Bolshaya Peremena, Russian: Большая перемена) is a Soviet 1972 TV miniseries in 4 episodes. It was known in the US as The Long Recess, and it is loosely based on Georgy Sadovnikov's novel Walk towards people (Иду к людям).
Sadovnikov was offered to write a script for a film about the life of evening school students using his novel, with the condition that the film's director would be the co-author.
Contents
Plot
Nestor Petrovich Severov, a student preparing to begin his PhD in Russian history, has his ego bruised when his girlfriend, Polina, beats him on their entrance exam, taking the spot he had hoped to secure. Frustrated, he breaks up with her and decides to teach at a night school, where he soon discovers that educating adults, especially those reluctant to learn, is far from easy. He’s assigned as the homeroom teacher of 9th "A"—a diverse group of working-class adults, many of whom are older than he is. His students include the rebellious Grigory Ganja, who consistently disrupts classes, showing little respect for academic effort, and Nelli Ledneva, a student with a crush on Nestor, who awkwardly shares the class with her father, Stepan Lednev. Despite the challenges, Nestor becomes deeply invested in the lives of his students, attempting to navigate their issues with patience and persistence.
The classroom dynamics unfold further as Nestor works to help struggling students find their own paths. Grigory’s misbehavior strains his marriage to his wife Svetlana, a literature teacher at the school, and she eventually leaves him. However, with Nestor’s support, Grigory takes responsibility for his actions, leading to their reconciliation. Another challenging student, Gennady Lyapishev, continuously skips lessons to go dancing, but with the influence of Alexander Petrykin—a strict yet dedicated colleague—Nestor steers Gennady toward self-improvement. Meanwhile, Stepan’s daughter, Nelli, grows embarrassed by her father’s earnestness, even trying to bar him from attending class, though he finds his own way to participate. Eventually, Nestor’s sincere commitment to his students is rewarded not only by their growth but also by Polina’s return, recognizing the maturity and resilience he has gained through his transformative journey as an educator.
Cast
Mikhail Kononov as Nestor Petrovich Severov, the history teacher
Yevgeny Leonov as Stepan Lednyov
Rolan Bykov as Alexander Petrykin
Aleksandr Zbruyev as Grigory Ganzha
Svetlana Kryuchkova as Nelli Lednyova
Yanis Yakobson as Nelli’s school-desk neighbour
Yuriy Kuzmenkov as Ivan Fedoskin
Natalya Bogunova as Svetlana Afanasyevna, literature teacher
Natalya Gvozdikova as Polina
Savely Kramarov as Timokhin
Viktor Proskurin as Gena Lyapishev
Valery Nosik as Otto Fukin
Nina Maslova as Vika Korovyanskaya
Iren Azer as Lyus’ka, Lyapishev’s girlfriend
Valeri Khlevinsky as Avdotyin
Lyudmila Kasatkina as The School Headmaster
Mikhail Yanshin as Professor Volosyuk
Valentina Sperantova as Auntie Glasha, the School Janitor
Lev Durov as Militiaman, comrade st. sargeant
Lyusyena Ovchinnikova as Valya, Petrykin's bride/wife
Production
Film locations
The film was shot in Yaroslavl (Central Park, Kotoroslnaya embankment, Damansky Island etc.) and Moscow (Moscow State Pedagogical University).
Music
The main song of the film is Black and White (Russian: Чёрное и белое, lit. 'Chyornoe i beloe'), sang by Svetlana Kryuchkova, written by Eduard Kolmanovsky and Mikhail Tanich specifically for her.
In the wake of the huge film success, this song became associated with Kryuchkova for many years.
Reviews
Despite critical reviews, the film is considered a classic and is often shown on Russian TV channels.
Mikhail Kononov was skeptical about the film. In his memoirs, he wrote: "In the multi-series "Big School-Break", the full spectre of four generations of actors was collected, ranging from popular folk to those who had just graduated from theater schools. I had to justify phantasmagoric situations and an absurd script. A lot has been written about the "Big School-Break", and it was successfully held abroad. Such was the strength of talents in Russia at that time. Any nonsense in their performance looked cute and charming, and most importantly — sincere".