Russian Cinema
Early films from the then Soviet Union had a shaky start due to the First World War and the October Revolution in 1917, but Lenin himself and later Stalin recognised the propaganda uses of the medium. At first, with the infrastructure in tatters and virtually no cinemas in which to screen films, shorts expounding communism were carried from place to place often accompanying live speakers. Once Moscow's first cinema was opened at the end of 1921, newsreels became common. But in 1924 Sergei Eisenstein's 'Strike' became the first true Soviet feature. The following year his 'Battleship Potemkin' was launched to great acclaim, highly propagandistic and towing the party line.
Tight restrictions on content continued up until Stalin's death in 1953 and it wasn't until the '60s and '70s that seminal Russian film makers like Andrei Tarkovsky, Sergo Paradjanov and Nikita Mikhalkov began to find their own voice.
With the collapse of the Soviet Union, the largely state-funded film industry all but disappeared and is only now beginning to find its feet once more. A few gems found their way to Alice's shelves from this period, such as 'Burnt By The Sun' (1994), 'Prisoner of the Mountains' (1996), and our one and only Estonian film is to be found in this section, for want of a better home, the darkly humourous 'Darkness in Tallinn' (1993). 2002 saw the release of 'Russian Ark' (pictured), shot in one take, it is the longest unedited film ever made.
Beginning (2020)
6.6/10
Director: Dea Kulumbegashvili
In a sleepy provincial town, a Jehovah's Witness community is attacked by an extremist group. In the midst of this conflict, the familiar world of Yan... Read more
Burnt by the Sun (1994)
8/10
Director: Nikita Mikhalkov
Starring: Oleg Menshikov, Nikita Mikhalkov, Ingeborga Dapkunaite
One of the first Russian films to deal openly with the Stalin purges, and a mesmerisingly beautiful chronicle of love, family, and the intrusion of po... Read more
Come and See (1985)
8.2/10
Director: Elem Klimov
Starring: Alexei Kravchenko, Olga Mironova, Vladas Bagdonas
The thoroughly mesmerising chronicle of the initiation of a young teen (impressively played by Alexei Kravchenko) into the horror and insanity of war,... Read more
Cosmoball (2020)
4/10
An enormous spaceship hovers over Earth-this is a stadium, which hosts sports events that resemble soccer but at mind-boggling speeds. The name of the... Read more
Day Watch (2006)
6.5/10
Director: Timur Bekmambetov
Starring: Konstantin Khabensky, Mariya Poroshin, Vladimir Menshov, Dmitry Martynov, Alekse...
The long-awaited sequel to Russian fantasy flick, 'Night Watch', this bombastic goth-horror is equally entertaining and illuminates many of the myster... Read more
Day Watch ( Blu-ray ) (2006)
6.5/10
Director: Timur Bekmambetov
Starring: Konstantin Khabensky, Mariya Poroshin, Vladimir Menshov, Dmitry Martynov, Alekse...
The long-awaited sequel to Russian fantasy flick, 'Night Watch', this bombastic goth-horror is equally entertaining and illuminates many of the myster... Read more
Destiny of a Man ( Fate of a Man ) (1959)
8.1/10
Director: Sergei Bondarchuk
Starring: Sergei Bondarchuk, Pavel Boriskin, Zinaida Kirienko, Pavel Volkov
The story of a man (Andrey Sokolov) whose life was ruthlessly crippled by World War II. Sergei Bondarchuk directs and acts in this screen adaptation o... Read more
Elena (2011)
7.3/10
Director: Andrey Zvyagintsev
Starring: Nadezhda Markina, Andrey Smirnov, Elena Lyadova, Aleksey Rozin
Elena (Nadezhda Markina) and Vladimir (Andrey Smirnov) come from very different backgrounds. Vladimir is a wealthy, cold man, while his submissive wif... Read more
Father and Son (2003)
6.7/10
Director: Alexander Sokurov
Starring: Andrei Shchetinin, Aleksei Nejmyshev, Aleksandr Razbash
Alexander Sokurov, the visionary director of "Russian Ark", presents another powerful work of intense beauty and emotion. Following the critically acc... Read more
Gagarin: First in Space (2013)
7.1/10
Director: Pavel Parkhomenko
Starring: Yaroslav Zhalnin
On April 12 1961, Soviet fighter pilot and cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin blasted off into space not knowing what fate awaited him. He was one of the legendar... Read more