Cinema of Russia

The cinema of Russia began in the Russian Empire, widely developed in the Soviet Union and in the years following its dissolution, the Russian film industry would remain internationally recognized. In the 21st century, Russian cinema has become known internationally with films such as '' Hardcore Henry'' (2015), ''Leviathan'' (2014), ''Night Watch'' (2004) and ''Brother'' (1997). The Moscow International Film Festival began in Moscow in 1935. The Nika Award is the main annual national film award in Russia.

Cinema of the Russian Empire

The first films seen in the Russian Empire were brought in by the Lumière brothers, who exhibited films in Moscow and St. Petersburg in May 1896. That same month, Lumière cameraman Camille Cerf made the first film in Russia, recording the coronation of Nicholas II at the Kremlin.

Aleksandr Drankov produced the first Russian narrative film ''Stenka Razin'' (1908), based on events told in a folk song and directed by Vladimir Romashkov. Among the notable Russian filmmakers of the era were Aleksandr Khanzhonkov and Ivan Mozzhukhin, who made '' Defence of Sevastopol'' in 1912. Yakov Protazanov made '' Departure of a Grand Old Man'' (1912), a biographical film about Lev Tolstoy.

Animation pioneer Ladislas Starevich made the first Russian animated film (and the first stop motion puppet film with a story) in 1910 – ''Lucanus Cervus''. His other stop-motion shorts ''The Beautiful Leukanida'' (1912) and ''The Cameraman's Revenge'' (1912), produced for Aleksandr Khanzhonkov, are also among the first animated films. In the following years, Starevich made shorts based on fables such as ''The Grasshopper and the Ant'' (1913), as well as World War I propaganda films.

Olga Preobrazhenskaya was the first woman director of Russia. In 1916 she made her directorial debut ''Miss Peasant''. However, the film has been lost. In the Soviet era she directed '' Women of Ryazan'' (1927).

During World War I, imports dropped drastically, and Russian filmmakers turned out anti-German, nationalistic films. In 1916, 499 films were made in Russia, more than three times the number of three years earlier.

Before the October Revolution, Russia did not have a highly developed film industry due to the general populace being too poor to support a native industry. The Russian Revolution brought more change, with a number of films with anti-Tsarist themes. The last significant film of the era, made in 1917, was ''Father Sergius'' by Yakov Protazanov and Alexandre Volkoff. It would become the first new film release of the Soviet era.

File:Vasiliy Goncharov 001.jpg, Vasiliy Goncharov, a pioneer of the film industry
File:Vitold_Polonski_and_Vera_Karalli_in_Posle_smerti_1915.jpg, Vitold Polonsky and Vera Karalli in Yevgeni Bauer's '' After Death (1915 film)''
File:Moszhuserge.jpg, Ivan Mosjoukine as the title character in Volkoff/ Protazanov's 1917 film, ''Father Sergius''. It was the last film of the Russian Empire era

Cinema of the Soviet Union

Early Soviet cinema (1917–1953)

Vladimir Lenin was the first political leader of the twentieth century to recognize the importance of film. He saw film as a way to unite the nation over which the Bolsheviks, then a minority party of some 200,000 members, had assumed leadership. His government gave top priority to the rapid development of the Soviet film industry, which was nationalized in August 1919 and put under the direct authority of Lenin's wife, Nadezhda Krupskaya.

One of the first acts of the Cinema Committee was to create a professional film school in Moscow to train directors, technicians, and actors for the cinema. The All Union State Institute of Cinematography was the first such school in the world. Lev Kuleshov, who taught at the school, formulated the groundbreaking editing process called montage, which he conceived of as an expressive process whereby dissimilar images could be linked together to create non-literal or symbolic meaning. His work has been referred to as the Kuleshov effect. Two of Kuleshov's most famous students were Sergey Eisenstein and Vsevolod Pudovkin.

Although Russian was the dominant language in films during the Soviet era, the cinema of the Soviet Union encompassed films of the Armenian SSR, Georgian SSR, Ukrainian SSR, and, to a lesser degree, Lithuanian SSR, Belorussian SSR, and Moldavian SSR. For much of the Soviet Union's history, with notable exceptions in the 1920s and the late 1980s, film content was heavily circumscribed and subject to censorship and bureaucratic state control.

The development of the soviet film industry was innovative and linked with the Constructivist art movement. In 1922-3, Kino-Fot became the first Soviet cinema magazine and reflected the constructivist views of its editor, Aleksei Gan.

As with much Soviet art during the 1920s, films addressed major social and political events of the time. An important film of this period was Sergei Eisenstein's '' The Battleship Potemkin'', not only because of its depiction of events leading up to the 1905 Revolution, but also because of innovative cinematic techniques, such as the use of jump-cuts to achieve political ends. To this day, ''Battleship Potemkin'' is considered one of the greatest films of all time.

Vsevolod Pudovkin developed a new theory of montage based on cognitive linkage rather than dialectical collision. Pudovkin's ''Mother'' (1926) was internationally acclaimed for its montage, as well as for its emotional qualities. Later Pudovkin was publicly charged with formalism for his experimental sound film '' A Simple Case'' (1932), which he was forced to release without its sound track.

Two other key filmmakers of the Soviet silent era were Aleksandr Dovzhenko and Dziga Vertov. Dovzhenko's best known work is his ''Ukraine Trilogy'', and more specifically the film ''Earth'' (1930). Vertov is well-known for his film '' Man with a Movie Camera'' (1929) and the Kino-Eye theory - that the camera, like the human eye, is best used to explore real life, which had a huge impact on documentary filmmaking.

However, with the consolidation of Stalinist power in the Soviet Union, and the emergence of Socialist realism as state policy, which carried over from painting and sculpture into filmmaking, Soviet film became subject to almost total state control.

Films released in the 1930s include the popular musicals '' Jolly Fellows'' (1934), ''Circus'' (1936) and '' Volga-Volga'' (1938) directed by the longtime collaborator of Sergei Eisenstein, Grigori Aleksandrov. These films starred leading actress of the time Lyubov Orlova, who was also Aleksandrov's wife.

'' The New Gulliver'' (1935) by Aleksandr Ptushko is a landmark in stop-motion animation.

In the 1930s and the 1940s Eisenstein directed two historical epics – '' Aleksandr Nevsky'' (1938) and ''Ivan the Terrible'' (1944). Both films were scored by composer Sergei Prokofiev.

Immediately after the end of the Second World War, the Soviet color films such as ''The Stone Flower'' (1947) by Aleksandr Ptushko, ''Ballad of Siberia'' (1947), and ''Cossacks of the Kuban, were released.

Soviet cinema went into rapid decline after the World War II: film production fell from 19 features in 1945 to 5 in 1952. The situation did not improve until the late 1950s when Soviet films achieved critical success partly as a result, similar to the cinema of other Eastern Bloc countries, for reflecting the tension between independent creativity and state-directed outcomes.

Late Soviet cinema (1953–1990)

In the late 1950s and early 1960s Soviet film-makers were given a less constricted environment, and while censorship remained, films emerged which began to be recognised outside the Soviet bloc such as ''Ballad of a Soldier'' by Grigory Chukhray which won the 1961 BAFTA Award for Best Film and the 1958 Palme d'Or winning ''The Cranes Are Flying'' by Mikhail Kalatozov. ''The Height'' (1957) by Aleksander Zarkhi is considered to be one of the best films of the 1950s (it also became the foundation of the Bard movement). Yet, some films did not receive a wide release; '' The Story of Asya Klyachina'' (1966) by Andrei Konchalovsky, ''Commissar'' (1967) by Aleksandr Askoldov, ''Brief Encounters'' (1967) by Kira Muratova and ''Trial on the Road'' (1971) by Aleksei German.

The most critically acclaimed Russian director of the 1960s and 1970s was Andrei Tarkovsky, who directed the groundbreaking art-house films ''Ivan's Childhood'', ''Andrei Rublev'', '' Solaris'', ''Mirror'' and ''Stalker''. His films won awards at Cannes and Venice Film Festival. His debut film ''Ivan's Childhood'' won the Golden Lion award at the Venice Film Festival in 1962. Tarkovsky's film ''Andrei Rublev'' (1966) won the FIPRESCI prize at the 1969 Cannes Festival. For ''Stalker'' (1979), Tarkovsky won the Ecumenical Jury Prize in Cannes in 1980. He also won the Special Grand Prize for '' Solaris'' in 1972 and for ''Sacrifice'' at Cannes in 1986.

Other notable Soviet directors include Sergei Bondarchuk, Sergey Paradzhanov, Larisa Shepitko, Kira Muratova, Marlen Khutsiev, Mikhail Kalatozov, Nikita Mikhalkov, Vladimir Menshov and Gleb Panfilov.

''The Seventh Companion'' (1967) marked the debut of film director Aleksei German. Due to Soviet censorship, his film ''Trial on the Road'' (1971) was shelved for 15 years. His son Aleksei is also a director.

Sergei Bondarchuk initially came to prominence as an actor. His directorial debut was '' Fate of a Man'' which was released in 1959. Bondarchuk is best known for directing and starring in the Academy Award winning adaptation ''War and Peace'' (1967). His son Fyodor Bondarchuk is also a film director and producer.

Among other critically acclaimed literary adaptations from the 1960s was Grigory Kozintsev's ''Hamlet'' (1964), winner of the Special Jury Prize at the Venice Film Festival.

Russian actor Nikita Mikhalkov had his feature directorial debut in 1974 with '' At Home Among Strangers''. His brother, Andrey Konchalovsky, is also an award winning director. Konchalovsky had his directorial debut with '' The First Teacher'' in 1965, which won an award at the Venice Film Festival (Best Actress - Natalya Arinbasarova).

Film director Kira Muratova faced censorship during the Soviet era and only started to receive public recognition and first awards during Perestroyka. Her film ''Among Grey Stones'' (1983) was screened in the Un Certain Regard section at the 1988 Cannes Film Festival.

Comedy genre was always the most popular one in Russia and the Soviet union with the highest number of box-office successes. Most popular Soviet comedies of the era were directed by Leonid Gaidai, Eldar Ryazanov and Georgiy Daneliya, such as ''Carnival Night'' (1956), '' The Irony of Fate'' (1976), '' Kidnapping, Caucasian Style'' (1967), ''Operation Y and Shurik's Other Adventures'' (1965), '' The Twelve Chairs'' (1976), ''Walking the Streets of Moscow'' (1964), ''Gentlemen of Fortune'' (1971).

Soviet filmmakers also produced historical adventure films, such as '' D'Artagnan and Three Musketeers'' (1978) and ''Gardes-Marines, Ahead!'' (1988). Among those, "osterns", the Soviet take on the westerns, became also popular. Examples of the Ostern include '' White Sun of the Desert'' (1970), ''The Headless Horseman'' (1972), '' Armed and Dangerous'' (1977), '' A Man from the Boulevard des Capucines'' (1987). On TV, mystery and spy miniseries were prevalent, such as '' Seventeen Moments of Spring, The Meeting Place Cannot Be Changed, Investigation Held by ZnaToKi'' and a faithful adaptation of Sherlock Holmes stories starring Vasily Livanov as Holmes.

A respective amount of World War II dramas made in the 1970s and the 1980s were acclaimed internationally, some of which are ''Liberation'' (1971) by Yuri Ozerov, ''The Dawns Here Are Quiet'' (1972) by Stanislav Rostotsky, '' They Fought for Their Country'' (1975) by Sergei Bondarchuk, '' The Ascent'' (1977) by Larisa Shepitko and '' Come and See'' (1985) by Elem Klimov.

Co-production between Soviet Union and Japan, '' Dersu Uzala'', adapted from Vladimir Arsenyev’s book, directed by Akira Kurosawa and starring Maxim Munzuk and Yuri Solomin, won the Academy Award for Best Foreign Picture in 1976. The film was a box-office success and ended up reviving Kurosawa's career.

Yuri Norstein is perhaps the most famous Russian animator of the Soviet period; his animated shorts '' Hedgehog in the Fog'' and '' Tale of Tales'' gained worldwide recognition and have served as inspiration for many filmmakers.

Larisa Shepitko's film '' The Ascent'' was the first Soviet movie to win the Golden Bear at the Berlin Film Festival in 1977.

Romantic drama '' Moscow Does Not Believe in Tears'' by Vladimir Menshov won the Best Foreign Picture award at the 1981 Academy Awards and it was very popular at the Soviet box-office with over 93 million viewers.

'' Come and See'' by Elem Klimov received the FIPRESCI prize at the 1985 Moscow Film Festival.

Science fiction film '' Dead Man's Letters'' (1986), directorial debut of Konstantin Lopushansky, was screened at the International Critics' Week section of the Cannes Film Festival in 1987
and received the FIPRESCI prize at the 35th International Filmfestival Mannheim-Heidelberg. His follow-up film ''A Visitor to a Museum'' (1989) was entered into the Moscow Film Festival where it won the Silver St. George and the Prix of Ecumenical Jury.

In the 1980s Russian director Andrei Konchalovsky was the first filmmaker to find success in Hollywood. In America he directed '' Maria's Lovers'' (1984), '' Runaway Train'' (1985) and '' Tango & Cash'' (1989).

With the onset of Perestroika and Glasnost in the mid-1980s, Soviet films emerged which began to address formerly censored topics, such as drug addiction, '' The Needle'' (1988) by Rashid Nugmanov, which starred rock singer Viktor Tsoi, and sexuality and alienation in Soviet society, '' Little Vera'' (1988) by Vasili Pichul. However, the industry suffered from drastically reduced state subsidies and the state-controlled film distribution system also collapsed, leading to the dominance of western films in Russia's theatres.

Several Soviet films have received Oscars; ''War and Peace'', '' Dersu Uzala'', '' Moscow Does Not Believe in Tears''.

File:Sergei Gerasimov 1941.JPG, Sergei Gerasimov, whose the oldest film school in the world, the VGIK, bears his name
File:Lyubov Orlova in 1930s.jpg, Lyubov Orlova
File:Andrei Konchalovsky at a press conference in Vienna, Austria in 2016.jpg, Andrei Konchalovsky
Каневский Леонид Семёнович (2010).JPG, Leonid Kanevsky

New Russian cinema

1990s

In the 1990s there were much fewer films being made as the cinema industry was experiencing big changes and the economy was uncertain. From 300 in 1990 the number fell to 213 in 1991, 172 in 1992, 152 in 1993, to 68 in 1994, 46 in 1995 and 28 in 1996.

In 1990 censorship was abolished on an official level: the state could no longer interfere in the production and distribution of films, except in cases of war propaganda, disclosure of state secrets, and pornography. As part of the abolition of all central Soviet administrative units, the Cinema Committee of the USSR was dissolved in 1991.

Russian cinema of the 90s acquired new features and themes, with the Chechen war also affecting filmmakers. Many films of that time dealt with war and Stalinism.

Kinotavr was first held in 1990 in Podolsk, and then in 1991 in Sochi, where it has been held ever since. The Nika Award, which is distributed by the Russian Film Academy, was founded in 1998.

In 1990 Pavel Lungin won the Best Director award for ''Taxi Blues'', which starred rock musician Pyotr Mamonov in the lead role, at the Cannes Film Festival.

Nikita Mikhalkov won the Golden Lion at the Venice Film Festival for '' Close to Eden'' in 1991.

'' The Chekist'' directed by Aleksandr Rogozhkin was a drama set in the period of Red Terror and told the story of a Cheka leader who gradually becomes unhinged. It was screened in the Un Certain Regard section at the 1992 Cannes Film Festival.

The drama '' Burnt by the Sun'' (1994) by Nikita Mikhalkov is set in a small countryside community in the time when Stalinism starts to disrupt their idyllic retreat and alter their characters and fates. The film received an Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film and the Grand Prix du Jury at the 1994 Cannes Film Festival.

In the context of the Russian World War II history Pavel Chukhrai filmed '' The Thief'' (1997), a movie about a mother who becomes romantically involved with a criminal who impersonates an officer. The film was awarded with 6 national prizes Nika, got a special prize in Venice and became the Oscar nominee.

One of the first commercially successful post-Soviet films was the crime drama ''Brother'' directed by Aleksei Balabanov. It was screened as part of the Un Certain Regard section at the 1997 Cannes Film Festival. He also directed the sequel '' Brother 2'' in 2000.

Valery Todorovsky's '' The Country of the Deaf'' (1998), a comedy film based on the screenplay by Renata Litvinova parodied Russia of the 90s. It described the journey of two female friends caught in the fight of two clans – the deaf and the hearing. It was entered in the 48th Berlin International Film Festival.

In 1997 Aleksandr Sokurov had his international breakthrough with the arthouse drama ''Mother and Son''. It won the Special Silver St. George at the 20th Moscow International Film Festival in 1997.

1998 film ''Khrustalyov, My Car!'' directed by Aleksei German described the last days of Stalinist Russia. It was entered in the 1998 Cannes Film Festival.

Nikita Milhalkov's international co-production ''The Barber of Siberia'' was screened at the 1998 Cannes Film Festival. The film featured English and Russian actors. It was the first post-Soviet big budget feature film; the film cost 35 million dollars.

Internationally co-produced film '' East/West'' (1999) starring Sandrine Bonnaire and Catherine Deneuve told the story of an emigre family living in Stalinist USSR. The film was nominated as Best Foreign Film at the Academy Awards, Golden Globes, National Board of Review, and received four nominations at the César Awards.

The satiric melodrama of Dmitry Meskhiev, ''Women's Property'' (1999) describes a love affair between a young student and an older actress who is incurably ill. Her death leads the protagonist to face bitter loneliness. The film starred Yelena Safonova and featured actor Konstantin Khabensky in an early lead role.

Cult crime comedy ''8 ½ $'' (1999), directorial debut of Grigori Konstantinopolsky, starring Ivan Okhlobystin and Fyodor Bondarchuk was a satiric take on 1990s Russia. It told the story of a television advertisement director who becomes romantically involved with a gangster's girlfriend.

Svetlana Baskova directed the low-budget independently made exploitation shock-horror film '' The Green Elephant'' in 1999. Baskova noted that the film was conceived as a protest against the Chechen war. In 2022 the film has been banned in Russia.

2000s

The film ''His Wife's Diary'' (2000) by Aleksei Uchitel won awards at both Kinotavr and Nika. The biographical film was about the last love affair of writer Ivan Bunin. Uchitel's 2005 film ''Dreaming of Space'' won the Golden George at the Moscow Film Festival.

Roman Kachanov directed the absurdist comedies '' Demobbed'' (2000) and ''Down House'' (2001), which were both co-written with actor Ivan Okhlobystin who also starred in the films. Both are considered to be cult films in Russia. FIPRESCI awarded a special mention to the film ''Demobbed'' at the 2000 Kinotavr.

'' The Cuckoo'' by Aleksandr Rogozhkin won multiple awards at the Moscow Film Festival in 2002. The WWII set film starred Finnish actor Ville Haapasalo as a stranded Finnish sniper.

Egor Konchalovsky directed ''Antikiller'' (2002) starring Gosha Kutsenko as a police officer turned vigilante proved to be a success among Russian audiences.

In 2002 Pavel Lungin directed the film '' Tycoon'' about a Russian oligarch. Vladimir Mashkov played the Boris Berezovsky inspired lead character.

2002 comedy-drama film '' In Motion'' was the directorial debut of Filipp Yankovsky.

Feature film debut by Aleksei German Jr. ''The Last Train'' (2003) won the Best Picture and International Film Critics' Awards at Thessaloniki. For his film ''Paper Soldier'', Aleksei German Jr. received the Silver Lion Award from the Venice Film Festival in 2008.

Andrey Zvyagintsev's '' The Return'' (2003), a Golden Lion award recipient, shows two brothers' test of life when their father suddenly returns that reaches a deep almost-mystic pitch. The '' Russian Ark'' (2003) by Alexander Sokurov, was filmed in a single 96-minute shot in the Russian Hermitage Museum is a dream-like narration that tells about classic Russian culture sailing in the Ark. It was screened at the Cannes Film Festival.

''Night Watch'' (2004) by Timur Bekmambetov was one of the first blockbusters made after the collapse of the Soviet film industry. The supernatural thriller starred Konstantin Khabensky and was based on the eponymous book by Sergei Lukyanenko. It was followed by the sequel '' Day Watch'' (2006).

Russian actress Renata Litvinova debuted as director in 2004 with the film '' Goddess: How I fell in Love''.

The serialised novels by Boris Akunin set in pre-Revolutionary Russia evolve around fictional Erast Fandorin adventures in three popular movies: '' The Azazel'' (2002) by Aleksandr Adabashyan

HOME


Content is Copyleft
Website design, code, and AI is Copyrighted (c) 2014-2017 by Stephen Payne


Consider donating to Wikimedia



As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases