A Forgotten Tune for the Flute

This glasnost romance story begins affably enough by introducing Lenny, an official at the Directorate of Leisure Time. Lenny is married to Lena, whose father is a high ranking official. When he suffers a minor heart attack, he meets Lida (Tatiana Dogileva), a young nurse. Over the course of the next two hours, Lenny swings like a mindless pendulum back and forth between his wife and his mistress. Although there are elements of satire inherent in the story, the three lead characters--Lida, Lenny, and Lena--are played more or less straightforward. This results in a problem of audience sympathy--as in, if Lenny got shipped to Siberia on the next outgoing train, we would feel that that was what the worm deserved. To make matters worse, there never seems to be any real reason for Lenny's sudden shift in partners. One moment he's having a heart-to-heart with his wife; the next he's out shopping for an iron with Lida. To be fair there are a few fun little ditties sung here and there which lampoon the bureaucratic nature of the Soviet government, but they are sprinkled between interminable stretches of Lenny's pointless love life. A Forgotten Tune for the Flute is, unfortunately, best forgotten. Not recommended. (R. Pitman)