On Nov. 1 the Pobeda (Victory) movie theater, built back in 1957 and now reopened after reconstruction, gathered an unprecedented number of famous Victors and Victorias of modern Russia. They included scriptwriter and TV host Victor Merezhko, actress Victoria Lepko, actor Victor Rakov, singer Victor Saltykov and many others.

The movie theater's reopening day was primarily the occasion for the opening of the "Victor and Victoria" museum, displaying a unique collection of ‘victorious' exhibits contributed by the country's most famous Victors and Victorias. The 17 items currently on display include cups, statuettes, personal effects, costumes and stage props from the pictures and shows connected with the museum's stars.

"This is going to be a unique museum, a kind of Russian Planet Hollywood," Pobeda Manager Natalia Sashchenko said. "You could even say it's a victory for Russian cinema art. Everybody complains about the dominance of Hollywood but nobody does anything about the situation. Therefore, we decided to make a move. At the moment, our museum displays quite a small number of exhibits, but I hope it will quickly expand and we will have something to be proud of in the near future. In fact, we are proud of our exhibits at this moment. Just look at the ones we already have!"

Every item in itself is unique. There is a tweed costume made by fashion designer Victoria Andreyanova from the "Traveling Aristocrat" collection, which won the "Dress of the Year" title in 1997. One of the museum's most interesting exhibits is the example of embroidery done by St. Petersburg actor Victor Sukhorukov who starred in the Russian blockbusters "Brat" and "Brat-2." While fighting his nicotine addiction, Sukhorukov chose embroidery as a distraction to help him break free from cigarette dependency.

Scriptwriter and television host Victor Merezhko pointed out the kerosene stove he contributed to the museum. "It was never used for its primary purpose in our household," he said. "Nevertheless, it occupied an honorable place on our kitchen cupboard. It was a gift from the famous movie director Georgy Yumatov, who's now dead, so it's a memory of my friendship with him."

VICTOR AND VICTORIA MUSEUM
17a Abelmanovskaya (Pobeda movie theater)
Metro: Proletarskaya
Tel: 270-2865
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