History Film / HussarBallad

* GreenEyedMonster: Shura grows mad with jealousy when Rzhevsky starts flirting with Louise, and she doesn't do a good job of hiding it.

* CoolOldGuy: Kutuzov. Old and fat, he is also wise and witty, supposedly a great leader, treated with respect by everybody in the army, including Shura.

* OneSizeFitsAll: Shura is several inches shorter than [[spoiler:Salgari]] and has a different build, but somehow, [[spoiler:when she infiltrates the French camp in his uniform]], it fits her perfectly.

* NoCelebritiesWereHarmed: Played mostly straight; unlike the most movies set in this time period, neither Emperor Napoleon, nor Russian Tsar appear on-screen. Kutuzov is the only real historical figure featured here, and he is not shown making any history-making moves.

* ArtisticLicense:
** ArtisticLicenseHistory: Field Marshal Kutuzov was only appointed as the head of the army two months after the start of war; yet in the movie it's indicated that he leads the army from the very beginning.
** ArtisticLicenseMilitary: Rzhevsky, first meeting Shura, comments that her uniform makes her a Pavlograd hussar, while in reality she is dressed as Sumy hussar; and Rzhevsky is the guy who would know.

* AdaptationDistillation: The film is based on a play "A long time ago" (Давным-давно) by Alexander Gladkov, and remains a mostly faithful adaptation, despite being much shorter. A few episodes were changed to better use the medium without affecting the story-line in general.

** French marauder's ambush of general Balmashov. He has only a few guards, who, while giving a decent fight, are quickly disposed of.

''Hussar Ballad'' (''Гусарская баллада'') is a Soviet musical comedy from 1962. It was directed by Creator/EldarRyazanov and starred Larisa Golubkina, Yuri Yakovlev, and Igor Ilyinsky. You can watch the film on [[https://russianfilmhub.com/movies/hussar-ballad-1962/ Russian Film Hub]].

''Hussar Ballad'' (''Гусарская баллада'') is a Soviet musical comedy from 1962. It was directed by Creator/EldarRyazanov and starred Larisa Golubkina, Yuri Yakovlev, and Igor Ilyinsky.

"Hussar Ballad" (Гусарская баллада) is a Soviet musical comedy from 1962. It was directed by Creator/EldarRyazanov and starred Larisa Golubkina, Yuri Yakovlev, and Igor Ilyinsky.

* BookBurning: Shura sneaks into the French lines as a spy, wearing a French uniform. She finds a French regiment bivouacked in her family's mansion, with French officers chucking her father's books into the fire for warmth.

"Hussar Ballad" (Гусарская баллада) is a Soviet musical comedy from 1962. It was directed by Eldar Ryazanov and starred Larisa Golubkina, Yuri Yakovlev, and Igor Ilyinsky.

** ArtisticLicenseMilitary: while uniforms are mostly correct, they were originally intended for parades only; day-to-day uniforms were much less chic. Also, Rzhevsky, first meeting Shura, comments that her uniform makes her a Pavlograd hussar, while in reality she is dressed as Sumy hussar; and Rzhevsky is the guy who would know.

* {{Badass}}: Not just Shura, who kicks some serious ass, but also Rzhevsky, who, once he gets into his zone of comfort (the army) proves to be a fierce fighter. His fellow officers are quite a fighters as well.

However, this game ends quickly as the local governor arrives at the ball announcing that the war with France started. Rzhevsky, after saying a few ardent words about protecting one's motherland, leaves for the army, still not knowing he was played with. Shura, inspired by his words and wanting to prove herself on a battlefield, leaves shortly after. She successfully gets into the army, although not as a front line fighter, as she wanted, but as a messenger. Only much later she meets Rzhevsky again, purely by chance. She also meets Field Marshal Kutuzov (Ilyinsky)[[spoiler:, who, accidentally, uncovers her secret, but the situation forces him to keep his mouth shut]]. Finally, she [[spoiler:joins the colonel Vasiljev's guerrilla squadron and gets some real action]].

* WholesomeCrossdresser: Shura. Her uniform starts as a costume for a masked ball, and later serves as a mean to get into army.

* ExecutiveMeddling: Soviet higher-ups weren't happy that Ilyinsky, who mostly played in comedies, would portray such an iconic figure as Field Marshal Kutuzov, and tried to force the director to replace him.

* NumberTwo: Rzhevsky is this to colonel Vasiljev. He is Vasiljev's second in command, and, while not much of a strategist, successfully leads the squadron in a fight.

* TheDragon: Rzhevsky is this to colonel Vasiljev. He is Vasiljev's second in command, and, while not much of a strategist, successfully leads the squadron in a fight.

However, this game ends quickly as the local governor arrives at the ball announcing that the war with France started. Rzhevsky, after saying a few ardent words about protecting one's motherland, leaves for the army, still not knowing he was played with. Shura, inspired by his words and wanting to prove herself on a battlefield, leaves shortly after. She successfully gets into the army, although not as a front line fighter, as she wanted, but as a messenger. Only much later she meets Rzhevsky again, purely by chance. She also meets Field Marshal Kutuzov (Ilyinsky), who, accidentally, uncovers her secret. Finally, she joins the colonel Vasiljev's guerrilla squadron and gets some real action.

* TheBet: Shura and Rzhevsky make a bet on whether he would eventually save his bride (who is Shura herself, although he doesn't know that), or not. Amusingly, Rzhevsky is the one who claims it won't happen ever, as he despises the girl, and claims he would never come at her aid.

** Inverted at the end of the movie, when Rzhevsky wears a black cloak over his usual blue uniform, making his appearance a bit of a surprise.

* DefeatMeansFriendship: Salgari, captured by Shura, but simultaneously saved by her from freezing to death, considers her his friend forever.

* DudeWheresMyRespect: Averted. After guerrillas find out about Shura's true identity, they have no problem with continuing to treat her as their friend. Granted, it would be very different if they didn't see her fighting alongside them before.
* EarnYourHappyEnding: Shura gets through a lot of trouble, risking her life on numerous occasions, but finally earns genuine respect from Vasiljev's guerrillas.
* ExecutiveMeddling: Soviet higher-ups weren't happy with Ilyinsky, who mostly played in comedies, would portray such an iconic figure as Field Marshal Kutuzov, and tried to force the director to replace him.
* ImpersonationGambit: Shura, dressed as a French lieutenant, infiltrates the Dusier's headquarters, giving the name of a real lieutenant, Vincento Salgari, earlier captured by her. It gets complicated when the real Salgari escapes and shows up at headquarters as well.
* IOweYouMyLife: Twice, both time with Shura as a saviour and with the saved not knowing of her gender:
** General Balmashov, saved from French marauders' ambush, later pulls rank on Kutuzov himself, forcing him to recognize Shura's heroism.
** Vincento Salgari, to whom she gave her short coat to keep him warm; later he commits treason, convincing other French officers that she is his brother, carrying the same name because of an ancient family tradition.

* PapaWolf: Ivan, Shura's batman and previously that of her uncle, cares about her deeply and looks after her in the fights.
* PaperThinDisguise: Completely averted. Golubkina really does look like a young man when in uniform — to the point when even first-time viewers might not realize at first that it's the same character. Director tested lots of actresses before finding one capable of pulling it off.
* PoliticallyCorrectHistory: Mostly averted; the setting is definitely sexist and Kutuzov initially sees Shura's presence in the army as a dishonor. However, everybody who knows her as a fighter, is OK with accepting her as a soldier.

* ScrewTheRulesIHaveConnections: An edge case. Kutuzov is initially reluctant to give Shura an award for saving Balmashov's life; the latter, being technically on a lower level than Kutuzov, still successfully pulls rank on him, due to the fact that he is a personal messenger for the Russian Tsar. Justified, as the only reason for Kutuzov's reluctance is that Shura is a girl, which Balmashov is unaware of.

* SweetOnPollyOliver: Played with. Rzhevsky considers Shura, in her uniform, as a friend. After learning the truth, however, he quickly realizes he is in love with her.

* TranslationConvention: When Shura infiltrates the French headquarters, she poses as a French lieutenant. The dialog on screen is in Russian, although we are supposed to assume she is speaking French while talking to enemy officers. Justified, as French was indeed very popular among Russian nobles at the time, so it's very probable that she had a good command of French; also, she poses as not a Frenchman, but a Spanish, which might explain away any imperfections.

* TrueCompanions: Guerrillas. After learning that Shura's captured, they rush at her aid, despite being outnumbered. It works.

* VodkaDrunkenski: Guerrillas of Vasiljev's squadron celebrate the victory in a battle by consuming a lot of wine; Shura, trying to blend in, becomes quite drunk, makes a fool of herself, barely avoids exposure and faints.

* TrappedByGamblingDebts: in the beginning of the film, Rzhevsky is not at all eager to marry, but loses a lot of money in card games, and is saved by his uncle, who demands in return that Rzhevsky marries.

* CoolOldGuy: Kutuzov. Old and fat, he is also wise and witty, supposedly a great leader, treated with respect by everybody in the army.

** Guerilla squadron's attack on the French supply unit. Guerrillas clearly outnumber the French guards, and have generally better fighters.

* TrueCompanions: Guerillas. After learning that Shura's captured, they rush at her aid, despite being outnumbered. It works.
* VodkaDrunkenski: Guerillas of Vasiljev's squadron celebrate the victory in a battle by consuming a lot of wine; Shura, trying to blend in, becomes quite drunk, makes a fool of herself, barely avoids exposure and faints.

However, this game ends quickly as the local governor arrives at the ball announcing that the war with France started. Rzhevsky, after saying a few ardent words about protecting one's motherland, leaves for the army, still not knowing he was played with. Shura, inspired by his words and wanting to prove herself on a battlefield, leaves shortly after. She successfully gets into the army, although not as a front line fighter, as she wanted, but as a messenger. Only much later she meets Rzhevsky again, purely by chance. She also meets Field Marshal Kutuzov (Ilyinsky), who, accidentally, uncovers her secret.