AllMovie

Musical Story was the first Russian talking picture to be set in the world of Grand Opera -- surprising, considering the country's rich operatic tradition. The wisp of a plotline concerns the efforts made by the friends of aspiring singer Petya Govorkov (Sergei Lemeshev) to finance the boy's musical training under the watchful eye of State Conservatory instructor Makedonsky (H. Konvalov). As Govorkov's talents blossom, he also begins a stormy romance with another student, Klava Belkina (Zoya Fyodorva). The climax of the film takes place at the Leningrad State Opera, where the stars perform choice snippets from the works of Bizet, Tschaikovsky, Rimsy-Korsakov, Borodin and other composers. Musical Story was a welcome relief from the general run of grim Soviet war films.