''Without Witness'' (, translit. Bez svideteley) also known as Private Conversation is a 1983 Soviet

drama film In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. The drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular ...

directed by

Nikita Mikhalkov Nikita Sergeyevich Mikhalkov (; born 21 October 1945) is a Russian filmmaker and actor. He made his directorial debut with the Red Western film ''At Home Among Strangers'' (1974) after appearing in a series of films, including the romantic com ...

. It won the Prix

FIPRESCI The International Federation of Film Critics (FIPRESCI, short for ''Fédération Internationale de la Presse Cinématographique'') is an association of national organizations of professional film critics and film journalists from around the wor ...

at the

13th Moscow International Film Festival The 13th Moscow International Film Festival was held from 7 to 21 July 1983. The Golden Prizes were awarded to the Moroccan-Guinea-Senegalese film ''Amok (1983 film), Amok'' directed by Souheil Ben-Barka, the Nicaraguan-Cuban-Mexican-Costa Rican ...

Plot

The film is staged in chamber style— throughout the film characters do not leave the apartment. The names of the main characters are unknown. Coming one day to his former wife he finds out that she is going to marry his former friend Valentin Shlyakhov, a great scientist. The problem is that in his youth he once wrote an anonymous indictment which caused great harm to Valentin. He begins to realize that if they begin to live together then they will talk about the letter and his successful career will come to an end. Out of fear of exposure he demands that she changes her mind. His main bargaining chip becomes their son Dima, who does not know that his mother is not related to him biologically. For the sake of her son's love and tranquility she is forced to sacrifice personal happiness.

Cast

* Irina Kupchenko as She * Mikhail Ulyanov as Him *

Eduard Artemyev Eduard Nikolayevich Artemyev (; rus, Эдуа́рд Никола́евич Арте́мьев, p=ɨdʊˈart ɐrˈtʲemʲjɪf; 30 November 1937 – 29 December 2022) was a Soviet and Russian composer of electronic music and film scores. Outside ...

(uncredited)

References

External links

* 1983 films 1983 drama films Soviet films based on plays Soviet drama films Mosfilm films 1980s Russian-language films Films set in Russia Films shot in Russia Films directed by Nikita Mikhalkov Films scored by Eduard Artemyev Films with screenplays by Nikita Mikhalkov 1980s Soviet films {{1980s-drama-film-stub