Pushkin's simple story of a loving father, a pretty daughter, and an unscrupulous hussar officer “has often tempted film producers and directors, but despite the care and intelligence that they may all put into the screen adaptation of this work (a beautiful example of Slavic soul and literature) the best of these films is unquestionably the first one made by Zheliabuzhsky. His film is both harmonious and strong, picturesque and unimpeachably sincere, heavily laden with a kind of motion and humanity that few cinematographic works possess. If one adds to this certain scenes, such as the snowstorm, one has a film which reaches a rare level of grandeur and lyricism.... That The Station Master is a masterpiece can be said without exaggeration, but it is a classic... because of the perfect use it makes of all of its parts, and not because of its boldness or its innovative techniques....”