Russian Literature in Films

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To culminate the rich programme of the First Russian Literature and Language Week, Academia Rossica will be screening some of the best film adaptations of great Russian literary oeuvres at Apollo West End cinema.

 

 

Saturday, 19.04.08

Crime and Punishment (PG); part 1&2 Part 1 - 13:00, Part 2 - 15.30 Director: Lev Kulidzhanov; Cast: Georgi Taratorkin, Innokentii Smoktunovskii, Yevgenii Lebedev; 1970; Running time: 221 min

An excellent adaptation of the great Dostoyevsky novel. Raskolnikov, an impoverished ex-law student, kills an old pawnbroker and her sister, perhaps for money, perhaps to prove a theory about being above the law. This atmospheric psychological drama brilliantly conveys the complexity of the great literary work through outstanding acting, set design and direction. It is undoubtedly the most successful adaptation of the novel to date.

 

 

Cruel Romance (PG); Part 1 - 18:00; Part 2 - 20:30; Director: Eldar Ryazanov; Cast: Nikita Mikhalkov, Larisa Guzeeva, Alisa Friendlich, Alexei Petrenko, Andrei Miagkov 1984; Running time: 145 min

Based on Ostrovsky's play Bespridannitsa, the film tells a tragic love story between a young beautiful, yet poor, Larissa, and a seductive ruthless aristocrat, Sergei Paratov. This truly exquisite cinematic work creates a chilling atmosphere of a small provincial world, devoured by sordidness. The film features some outstanding performances by Nikita Mikhalkov, Alexei Petrenko, Alisa Freindlich, and, of course, Larisa Guzeeva in her very first leading role.

 

Made available for screening specifically for this project by the BFI, these two great classics will be showcased in Apollo West End for the first time.

 

Sunday, 20.04.08

War and Peace (PG) Part 1 - 13:00; Part 2 - 15:30; Part 3 - 18:30; Director: Sergei Bondarchuk; Cast: Ludmila Savelieva, Vyacheslav Tikhonov, Sergei Bondarchuk, Irina Skobtseva; 1968; Running time: 400 min

A stunning , Oscar-winning epic. Directed by one of the greatest Russian filmmakers, Sergei Bondarchuk, this screen adaptation is worthy of its ingenious literary original. This eight-hour long creation, like its eponymous book original contains two narratives: a love story of young Countess Natasha Rostova and Prince Andrei Bolkonsy is intertwined with a depiction of the 1812 War against Napoleon's Armies. The most expensive Soviet productions, the film took 7 years to produce and cost over $100 million.

 

All films are in Russian with English subtitles

For bookings: www.apollocinemas.co.uk ; 0871 220 6000      

For more information please contact Academia Rossica: films@academia-rossica.org

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