''Mournful Unconcern'' (, translit. ''Skorbnoye beschuvstviye'') is the third produced film by

Alexander Sokurov Alexander Nikolayevich Sokurov, PAR (; born 14 June 1951) is a Russian filmmaker. His most significant works include a feature film, ''Russian Ark'' (2002), filmed in a single unedited shot, and ''Faust'' (2011), which was honoured with the G ...

, completed in 1983, but the fourth released one, as it was banned by

Soviet The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...

authorities until

perestroika ''Perestroika'' ( ; rus, перестройка, r=perestrojka, p=pʲɪrʲɪˈstrojkə, a=ru-perestroika.ogg, links=no) was a political reform movement within the Communist Party of the Soviet Union (CPSU) during the late 1980s, widely associ ...

in 1987. The film, set during

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

, is inspired by Bernard Shaw's play ''

Heartbreak House ''Heartbreak House: A Fantasia in the Russian Manner on English Themes'' is a play written by Bernard Shaw during the First World War, published in 1919 and first performed in November 1920 at the Garrick Theatre, New York, followed by a West ...

''. Professional actors (Zamansky, Osipenko, Sokolova and others) were used alongside amateur actors, like in most early Sokurov films, and many of the

trademarks A trademark (also written trade mark or trade-mark) is a form of intellectual property that consists of a word, phrase, symbol, design, or a combination that identifies a product or service from a particular source and distinguishes it from ot ...

of his

cinematographic Cinematography () is the art of motion picture (and more recently, electronic video camera) photography. Cinematographers use a lens (optics), lens to focus reflected light from objects into a real image that is transferred to some image sen ...

style were already apparent.

Plot

Family and friends gather in a decadent house to party. Despite their delusive distinction a raw passion for sex and violence comes to light.

Background

The film sparked controversy and was halted by the Soviet film authorities by cutting state subsidy for the film's budget during the production process, so it took time to find money and complete the film. It was nominated for the

Golden Bear The Golden Bear () is the highest prize awarded for the best film at the Berlin International Film Festival and is, along with the Palme d'Or and the Golden Lion, the most important international film festival award. The bear is the heraldic an ...

at the 37th Berlin International Film Festival in 1987.

Cast

* Ramaz Chkhikvadze as Captain Shotover * Alla Osipenko as Ariadna * Irina Sokolova as Nanny Guinness * Tatyana Yegorova as Gessiona * Vladimir Zamansky as Madzini * Viktoria Amitova as Ellie (uncredited) * Dmitri Bryantsev as Hector (uncredited)

References

External links

Sokurov's website
* 1987 drama films 1987 films Soviet films based on plays Films directed by Alexander Sokurov Lenfilm films 1980s Russian-language films Soviet drama films Russian-language drama films 1980s Soviet films {{1980s-drama-film-stub