Russian Films

My wife and I are going to Russia (Moscow and St. Petersburg) next month. To prepare ourselves, we've been reading histories and novels about the Soviet Union/Russia. We've also been watching a number of Russian films, and we've enjoyed this window into Russian life. These are some of what we've seen so far.

"Burnt By the Sun" (Utomlynnye solntsem) 1994. This film won the 1994 Oscar for best foreign film. Directed by and starring Nikita Mikhalkov. About Stalin's reign of terror and purge of Soviet military officers in the 1930s. Wonderful cinematography. The film centers around the family life of revolutionary hero Colonel Kotov at his summer dacha. Highly recommended.

"Little Vera" (Malenkaya Vera) 1988. This metaphorical film, made in the waning years of the Soviet Union, is about the rebellious daughter in a dysfunctional family set against the backdrop of a society coming apart. If even only 10% of the grimness of Soviet Life is captured here, it's easy to see why Gorbachev was trying to reform his country, and why the Soviet Union came to an unceremonious end several years later.

"Andrei Rublev" (1966). By the great Soviet director Andrei Tarkovsky. This is a very powerful epic about the life and often brutal times of the 15th century Russian artist Andrei Rublev. Tarkovsky's vision of spirituality and art. Highly recommended. Cannes Grand Prize Winner.

"Solaris" 1972. The classic science fiction film from Andrei Tarkovsky (and another Cannes Grand Prize Winner). This film probes man's thoughts and conscience, as it follows a psychologist who is sent to a space station situated over the mysterious Solaris Ocean. The scientists on that space station are able to materialize people from their memories and dreams. What an amazing film!

"Oligarch" (aka "Tycoon") 2002. Starring Vladmir Mashkov. A thriller about the rise of the "Oligarchs" in the aftermath of the Soviet breakup. It's got it all: money, wealth, assassination, corruption, history, politics, a suave leading man, and a surprise ending.

"Moscow Does Not Believe in Tears" (Moskva slezam ne verit) 1980. Won 1980 Oscar for best foreign film. Delightful story of three young women who move to Moscow in search of their destinies. Part comedy, part love story, part battle of the sexes, and part tale of grit and persistence. I liked this film a lot.

"Papa" (2004). Directed by and starring Vladimir Mashkov. Story of a 1930s small town Jewish father who dreams of the success of his violinist son—only to be spurned by him when he achieves success at the Moscow Conservatory.

"The Rider Named Death" (Vsadnik po imeni Smert) 2004. Well concocted production about a terrorist faction in pre-Soviet Russia (in Czar Nicholas II's final decade).

"Russian Ark" (Russkiy kovcheg) 2002. Directed by Aleksandr Sokurov. Its tagline is: "2,000 cast members, 33 rooms, 300 years, ALL IN ONE TAKE!" This film treats St. Petersburg Hermitage Museum as the Ark of Russian Culture. Remember the big deal about the six minute opening tracking shot in Robert Altman's "The Player"? Well, this 90 minute film is ONE BIG CONTINUOUS tracking shot. This film won many awards and is well worth seeing.

"Idiot" 2003. This is a well-produced drama in 10 episodes of Dostoevsky's masterpiece about the half-sane Prince Myshkin (Yevgeni Mironiv) and his return to St. Petersburg society and its world of vice, money, intrigue, scandal, and murder. We've got the Sopranos; the Russians have Dostoevsky. 

QUESTION: What Russian films would you recommend for me (and others) to see?

Comments

[Emily]

Hi Roger

Wow, you're about to have a great adventure! Lucky you and your wife.

I used to live in Moscow and have visited St Petersburg (and Leningrad!) many times. I don't have a film recommendation for you as such. I have two museums and a book (though the book has doubtless been turned into a film at some point so might be worth searching for).

The book is Bulgakov's 'Master and Margarita', an incredibly rich satirical take on Soviet life. I also recommend visiting the museum at Bulgakov's flat in Moscow. The website appears to be only in Russian, but Wikipedia's entry on Bulgakov offers much info on him & the museum (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mikhail_Bulgakov)

The other museum I recommend is in St Petersburg. The Kunstkamera (http://www.kunstkamera.ru/en/) is an amazing place. Allow a day to do it justice!! And - if you can stomach it - the most memorable section is the pickled babies. I won't go into too much detail so you can discover it for yourself...

I wish you well on your journey!
Emily

[Pavel Sokolov]

Hello Roger,

All listed films are more or less concidered classic in Russia.

I would recommend, from the top of my head, "Stalker" http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stalker_%28film%29 and "Dead Man's Letters" http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dead_Man%27s_Letters. The latter is quite tricky to find.

Do you plan to visit Moscow and StPete only or some smaller towns, say, from so called "Golden Ring of Russia"?

Here is a collection of facts each visitor of Russia should know http://www.wowrussia.com/ ;)

Pavel

[David Warner]

Hi Roger,

I'll throw in some good classics for you, even though there's a good chance you've already seen them:

Battleship Potemkin – a 1925 silent piece of Soviet revolutionary propaganda. Its approach towards film editing was very influential; the climactic scene has been referenced in many movies since (De Palma's The Untouchables being the most obvious example).

Solaris – Russia's 2001. Steven Soderbergh made an American version of this a couple years ago, but the original is, of course, better.

Enjoy the trip!

David.

[pavel]

Roger!

I am from Moscow and I am a big fun of your books and ideas/
Is this possible to meet yoy in Moscow?

I am a screenwriter working for Russian TV and movie/

Just recently I was interwiewd by TV channel on the subject of creative tools and I was mentioning your work.

[Katie Konrath]

Hi Roger, It sounds like you have a very exciting trip planned!

Although it's not a movie, I recommend reading a little about TRIZ. It's a Russian innovation system created by Heinrich Altshuller. He examined thousands of patents for patterns and created a system for predicting a product's next stages of invention.

It's incredibly fascinating! I had a course about it in St Petersburg several years ago, and it was an amazing experience.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TRIZ

[Katie Konrath]

* TRIZ was created by Genrich Altshuller .

Sorry for the typo.

[Wendy]

Thanks to you Roger for your synopsis of these movies and the invitation for suggestions. Thanks also to those who have commented, as I am the one going with Roger on this trip.

I would also solicit more ideas for books, especially fiction. (Thanks Emily for the Bulgakov book). I am aware of the classics (Roger and I are listening to the Teaching Company lectures on Russian Literature) and have read the following novels by non-Russian authors: Madonnas of Leningrad by Debra Dean (life in the Hermitage during WWII seige of Leningrad), The People's Act of Love (Siberia at the end of the Russian Revolution) by James Meek, and The White Russian (January 1917 murder mystery) by Tom Bradby. Any ideas are welcome!

[Roger von Oech]

Emily: Thanks for your suggestions — especially the museums. Much appreciated.

Pavel: Thanks for the film recommendation. Thanks also for the kind words.

David: Thanks for your recommendations. I've seen Soderberg's liveless version of "Solaris." If I have time, I'll take a look at the original.

Katie: Thanks for the headsup about TRIZ. I have a number of clients who have spoken highly about its effectiveness.

[sihirli]

Hi Roger,

i recommend two movies "Night Watch (Nochnoy Dozor - 2004)" and "Day Watch (Drevnoy Dozor - 2006)" as addition to the others'.. Most people regard this serie as "Russian Matrix".. i hope you love sci-fi..
Have a good time in your trip.. Best wishes.. Paka!

[Lilia]

Hi Roger,
here are a couple of russian movies to see.
- Nebo. Samolet. Devushka (Sky. Plane. Girl)
- Boginya (Godess)
- Nokonchennaja pjesa dlja mekhanicheskogo pianino (Unfinished music for an meсhanical Piano)
- Ironija sud'by ili S legkim parom! (Irony of Destiny)
- Sluzhebnyj roman (Office lovestory)
AND DON'T FORGET ABOUT CARTOONS!!!! Sometimes so called RUSSIAN SOUL is shown here better than in movies!
Highly recomended:
- Ezhik v tumane (The hitchhog in fog)
- Varezhka (The Mitten)
- Volshebnoe koltso (The Magic Ring)
- Nu pogodi! (could be translated as I WILL GET YOU!) - the russian "answer" to Tom and Jerry. In the russian version that's an endless story about Wolf and Hare.
I wish you and your wife all the best! Please take care about your luggage and don't use unoficial taxi in Russia.

[Pavel Sokolov]

Second take on films.
I second "Office romance" by Ryzanov (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sluzhebnyi_Roman , http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0076727/, 1977) -- a lovestory in a very Soviet-style surroundings: State Statistics ministry with tiny details of work environment of that time.

Same director, Ryazanov. "Garage" (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0079193/, 1979) - a comedy where a garage committee tries to distribute a very scarce resource - parking boxes. All members provided funding equally, but not everyone will get one. All film shot just in one room.

"That Munchhausen" (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0080037/, 1979, by Zakharov) -- quite inspiring film. A comedy with tragic end.

Zakharov and Ryazanov produced many other notable fims, just look up at IMDB.

Note that Soderberg did not redo Solaris by Tarkovskiy, rather did another cinema version of Solyaris by Stanislav Lem - a very notable Polish writer.

Wendy,

Perhaps you could enjoy satirical novels by Ilf and Petrov (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ilf_and_Petrov). They depict life in early USSR, 30s, but still appear up-to-date.

Pavel

PS there are two Pavels here...

[Lewis Green]

Roger,

Have a great trip! I have been fascinated by Russia for most of my adult life, and took two classes in Russian History at the University of Florida. It's a magnificent culture with which, I believe, we have much in common.

[Vitaly Kolesnik]

A list of notable 2006/2007 Russian movies from my friend cinema critic:

Boris Khlebnikov's "Svobodnoe plavanie" (Free Sailing), Alexander Velidinsky's "Zhivoy" (Alive), Kirill Serebrennikov's "Izobrazhaya zhertvu" (Posing as a Victim), Pavel Lungin's "Ostrov" (The Island), Timur Bekmambetov's "Dnevnoy Dozor" (Day Watch), Alexey Balabanov's "Gruz 200" (Load 200), Oxana Bychkova's "Piter FM", Ivan Vyrypayev's "Euphoria", Alexey Mizgirev's "Kremen" (Flint).

[Robert Egorov]

Hi Roger,

Pavel Lungin's "Ostrov" (The Island).

This film was changed my life.
Try to watch it.

[Roger von Oech]

Sihirli: Thanks for your suggestions!

Lilia: Thanks the recommendations, and advice.

Pavel: Thanks again!

Lewis: Perhaps next spring for you.

Vitaly: Thanks a bunch. Great list. Thanks also for the link!

Robert: I'll try to get a hold of it!

[Anastasia]

Hi Roger,

"The Meeting Place Cannot Be Changed" was a cult movie in the USSR. Here's some info about it: http://www.answers.com/topic/the-meeting-place-cannot-be-changed;

IMDb: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0078655/

I second "The Irony of Fate" http://www.amazon.com/Irony-Fate-Enjoy-Your-Bath/dp/B0000714AW/ref=pd_sxp_grid_pt_2_2/002-7767375-9175212
and "Business Romance" (Sluzhebnyi Roman)

As for the reading, maybe Bulgakov's "The Heart of a Dog".
Also, Ludmila Ulitskaya "Kukotsky's Case":
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lyudmila_Ulitskaya

Have a great trip!

[Juan Antonio Pizarro]

Roger:
We met today at the lunch offered by Portafolio in Bogota, in which I failed to mention that I had travelled recently with my wife and kids to Moscow and Saint Petersburg. I was fascinated with both cities but specially with Moscow, a city that I felt is in the process of re-making itself. I do not have films to recommend but a must go are the two Tetryakov Galleries. Hopefully in the original museum you will find open the room dedicated to Mikail Vrubel, unfortunately closed to the public when I visited with my son.
If you have time and the willingness to deal with the caotic traffic of Moscow I recommend that you visit the Trinity Monastery of St. Sergius. It´s about an hour drive from Moscow but well worth the effort.
I'm positive you'll have a blast as we did.

[Tanja Damjanovic]

Dear Sirs, I would like to see again russian movie I do not name in russian, but maybe the Irony of destiny, maybe 30 years old, about some mixup with towns and flats aroun New year. Please, help me to find it !?!
Thanks in advance, Tanja

[Tanja Damjanovic]

Dear Sirs, I would like to see again russian movie I do not name in russian, but maybe the Irony of destiny, maybe 30 years old, about some mixup with towns and flats aroun New year. Please, help me to find it !?!
Thanks in advance, Tanja

[Alex]

Tanja, yes, you're right the movie name is Irony of Destiny. This year a new version of this movie was showed on the screens. And it's brilliant!