The Captivating Star of Happiness
(Zvezda plenitelnogo schastya)

Original Russian Poster

Country	USSR
Directed by	Vladimir Motyl
Release Date	1975
Language	Russian
Studio	Lenfilm

Main Cast
Character	Actor
Princess Ekaterina Ivanovna Trubetskaya	Irina Kupchenko
Prince Sergei Petrovich Trubetskoy	Aleksey Batalov
Princess Mariya Nikolaevna Volkonskaya	Natalya Bondarchuk
Prince Sergey Grigoryevich Volkonsky	Oleg Strizhenov
Pauline Geuble-Annenkova	Ewa Szykulska
Ivan Aleksandrovich Annenkov	Igor Kostolevsky
Emperor Nicholas I	Vasily Livanov
Governor Ivan Bogdanovich Zeidler	Innokenty Smoktunovsky

The Captivating Star of Happiness (Zvezda plenitelnogo schastya; more correct translation of the original title would be The Star of Captivating Happiness, as it is a quotation from a poem by Aleksandr Pushkin) is a 1975 Soviet two-part historical drama directed by Vladimir Motyl. The plot is set in the aftermath of the Decembrist Revolt in Russia in 1825. The conspirators, called the Decembrists, are sentenced to hard labor in Siberia. The plot center around the wives of the Decembrists, mostly belonging to the high nobility, who volunteer to follow their husbands.

The following weapons were used in the film The Captivating Star of Happiness (Zvezda plenitelnogo schastya):

Pistols

Percussion Dueling Pistol

During the Decembrist revolt, Pyotr Grigoryevich Kakhovsky (Viktor Kostetskiy) fires an anachronistic Percussion Dueling Pistol at General Mikhail Andreyevich Miloradovich (Dmitriy Shilko) who tried to talk the rebel soldiers into obedience.

Modern replica of Lepage percussion dueling pistol.

Kakhovsky with the pistol.

Kakhovsky fires at Miloradovich.

Flintlock Pistol

When Pauline Geuble (Ewa Szykulska) tries to get in the Peter and Paul Fortress where her beloved one Ivan Aleksandrovich Annenkov (Igor Kostolevsky) is held under arrest, the officer on duty (Oleg Dal) finds a Flintlock Pistol and a dagger in her belongings. The pistol is supposed to be a French Model An IX cavalry flintlock pistol, its barrel band and metal tip of the grip are removed.

French Model An IX Cavalry Flintlock Pistol - .69 cal

The pistol on the table.

The officer examines the pistol. The flintlock is seen.

A good view of the pistol.

Rifles

Mosin Nagant Rifle (visually modified)

Numerous Flintlock Muskets, seen in hands of Russian soldiers and prison guards, turn out to be visually modified Mosin Nagant Rifles. The rifles are fitted with barrel bands, sling swivels and prop bayonets stylised after Infantry Musket M1808. Most though not all of these rifles are also fitted with mockup flintlocks. The magazines and bolt handles are removed from most rifles.

Mosin Nagant M1891/30 - 7.62x54mm R

For reference: Charleville Musket Mle 1766 - .69 caliber. Russian Infantry Musket M1808 looks almost identical.

Rebel soldiers with their "muskets". The rifle at the far right is fitted with a fake flintlock.

Two rifles at the left retain the magazines and lack the fake flintlocks.

Soldiers with "muskets" stand in formation.

One of the soldiers aims his gun.

The intact bolt handle of the rifle is seen when the soldier lowers his gun.

A sentry in the Peter and Paul Fortress carries the fake musket.

The grasping groove with the crossbolt is seen on the rifle at the far left.

A soldier sleeps on the cart with the rifle on his knees. The bayonet is attached backwards.

The fake flintlock is mounted on the rifle while the bolt handle is intact.

A soldier on guard (Aleksandr Susnin) holds a "musket". The top barrel band is seen.

Shotguns

Double Barreled Flintlock Shotgun

In several scenes, Double Barreled Flintlock Shotguns are seen in hands of Aleksandr Nikolaevich Raevskiy (Boris Sokolov), the brother of Maria Nikolaevna Volkonskaya nee Raevskaya, and Charles Vaucher (Vadim Makarovsky), the secretary of Ekaterina Ivanovna Trubetskaya who accompanied her on her way to Siberia.