I just watched Goncharov (1973) for the first time and like. I heard a lot about Goncharov and Andrey but I NEED to hear more discourse on Katya and Sofia. That one scene in the alley where Katya's silk dress reflects the light from the window and Sofia seems to blend into the shadows??? It feels symbolic of how Katya is trapped in the spotlight of making a choice whereas Sofia just wants Katya, any way she can, even if it's just nights climbing through windows and cigarettes on rooftops. Speaking of which, it was so short and no one ever talks about it but the rooftop/cupola scene absolutely shattered my heart, when Katya says "and you know how my husband is, but you-" and then the bell rolls, it's almost heavy handed in the symbolism of "you're out of time" and it plays into the recurring clock theme in a different way than the rest of the movie.
AND let's not forget that the revolver could hold five bullets but she only loaded four before she spun the barrel and you cannot convince me that they didn't represent Goncharov, Andrey, Ice Pick Joe, and Katya and the empty one represented Sofia. I think if it had landed on the empty housing that the boat house scene would have ended in kisses and probably cigarettes and burning down the boat house and leaving together for somewhere far away where the echos of the mob couldn't follow.
