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.
Attack on Leningrad (2009)
Director: Aleksandr Buravsky
Starring: Armin Mueller-Stahl, Gabriel Byrne, Mira Sorvino, Olga Sutulova
Aka 'Leningrad'. A soaring, action-packed journey of heroism and sacrifice as one crusading journalist desperately fights to uncover the horrors burie... Read more
Hard to Be a God (2013)
6.7/10
Director: Aleksei German
Starring: Leonid Yarmolnik, Yuriy Tsurilo, Natalia Moteva, Aleksandr Chutko
Aleksey German directs this Russian-language sci-fi drama following the journey of a group of scientists who have been selected to travel to another p... 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
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
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
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
In the Fog (2012)
6.8/10
Director: Sergei Loznitsa
In 1942, Belarus is in the hands of Nazis and the local militia. Sushenya is taken from his house in the middle of the night by Burov and his sidekick... 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
The Banishment (2007)
7.7/10
Director: Andrey Zvyagintsev
Starring: Maria Bonnevie, Konstantin Lavronenko, Aleksandr Baluev
Set in an unnamed location and time, Andrei Zvyagintsevs truly compelling, mesmerisingly photographed drama follows Alex (Konstantin Lavronenko), Ver... Read more
Mother and Son (1998)
7.6/10
Director: Alexander Sokurov
Starring: Gudren Geyer, Alexei Ananishnov
This emotionally and visually stunning offering from Russian director Alexander Sokurov awakens the senses to the world of nature, human relationships... Read more