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.
Ivan the Terrible, Part One (1944)
Director: Sergei Eisenstein
Starring: Nikolai Cherkassov, Lyudmila Tselikovskaya, Serafima Birman
Before his birth in 1530, many omens were observed and many prophecies made about the child to be born to the second wife of Vasily III as he was to b... Read more
Ivan the Terrible, Part Two (1945)
Director: Sergei Eisenstein
Starring: Nikolai Cherkassov, Lyudmila Tselikovskaya, Serafima Birman
A.k.a. 'The Boyars' Plot'. The continuation of this complex story, full of intrigue, high level political in-fighting, family resentment and suspicion... Read more
Ivan's Childhood (1962)
8.1/10
Director: Andrei Tarkovsky
Starring: E Zharikov, Kolya Burlaev, Valentin Zubkov
AKA 'My Name is Ivan'. Tarkovsky's debut feature was awarded 15 international prizes and is the haunting tale of a young boy caught up in the horrors... Read more
Khrustalyov, My Car! (Blu-ray) (1988)
7.4/10
Director: Aleksei German
Military doctor General Klenski is arrested in Stalin's Russia in 1953 during an anti-Semitic political campaign accused of being a participant in so-... Read more
Koktebel (2003)
7/10
Director: Boris Khlebnikov, Alexei Popogrebsky
Starring: Agrippina Steklova, Igor Chernevich, Vladimir Kucherenko, Gleb Puskepalis
The feature debut from writing/directing team Boris Khlebnikov and Alexei Popogrebsky, this Russian road movie tells the story of a father and son mak... Read more
Leviathan ( Leviafan ) (2014)
7.6/10
Director: Andrey Zvyagintsev
Starring: Elena Lyadova, Roman Madyanov, Vladimir Vdovichenkov, Aleksey Serebryakov
Nominated for an Oscar and winner of the Golden Globe for Best Foreign Language Film, 'Leviathan' is a gripping parable of class, faith and corruption... Read more
Lilya 4-Ever (2002)
7.9/10
Director: Lukas Moodysson
Starring: Oksana Akinshina, Artiom Bogucharskij, Elina Benenson
Lukas Moodysson's third feature, following 'Show Me Love' and 'Together', is a touching and tender insight into the life of Lilya, a chirpy girl of si... Read more
Loveless (Nelyubov) (2017)
7.7/10
Director: Andrey Zvyagintsev
Starring: Aleksey Rozin, Maryana Spivak, Matvei Novikov
Still living under the same roof, the Moscow couple of Boris and Zhenya is in the terrible final stages of a bitter divorce. Under those circumstances... Read more
Mad Love: Twilight of a Woman's Soul (1913) / After Death (1915) / The Dying Swan (1916)
5.3/10
Director: Evgenii Bauer
The films of Russian cinema pioneer Evgenii Bauer were thought to be lost until the dying days of the Soviet regime when 20 of his 80 films were recov... Read more
Moloch (1999)
6.8/10
Director: Alexander Sokurov
Starring: Leonid Mozgovoy, Elena Rufanova
A 1942 weekend at Adolf Hitler's mountain retreat of Berchtesgaden is the setting for Russian director Alexander Sokurov's controversial character stu... Read more