Russian Symphony
| Russian Symphony | |
|---|---|
 Film poster | |
| Directed by | Konstantin Lopushansky |
| Written by | Konstantin Lopushansky |
| Produced by | Aleksandr Golutva |
| Starring | Viktor Mikhaylov Aleksandr Ilyin Kira Kreylis-Petrova Valery Garkalin |
| Cinematography | Nikolai Pokoptsev |
| Music by | Andrey Sigle |
Production companies | Lenfilm Orient Express |
Release date |
|
Running time | 108 min |
| Country | Russia |
| Language | Russian |
Russian Symphony (Russian: Русская симфония, romanized: Russkaya simfoniya) is a 1994 Russian psychological drama film directed by Konstantin Lopushansky and starring Viktor Mikhaylov. The narrative is set in a dark version of contemporary Russia, where the world appears to be coming to an end through a flood. A man is desperate to do something good with his life before it ends, but is mostly met with suspicion.
The film ties in thematically with Lopushansky's other apocalyptic films—Dead Man's Letters (1986), A Visitor to a Museum (1989), and The Ugly Swans (2006)—and is the most overtly religious of them.[1]
It played in the Forum section of the 45th Berlin International Film Festival and received the Prize of the Ecumenical Jury.[2][3]
Plot
[edit]The film is a parable about the Last Judgment, set in contemporary Russia.
The protagonist, a Russian intellectual, sets out on a journey to save orphaned children who are drowning in a boarding school. The action unfolds in a phantasmagorical reality, in which events from the past—such as the re-enactment of ancient Russian battles—are interwoven with the realities of 1990s Russia. The protagonist gathers all the Russian armies from all centuries for the Final Battle, in the name of the triumph of Orthodoxy. Upon arriving at the battlefield, however, he discovers that this very army is the army of the Antichrist.
Cast
[edit]- Viktor Mikhaylov as Ivan Sergeyevich Mazayev
- Aleksandr Ilyin as Sanya
- Kira Kreylis-Petrova as Valentina Ivanovna Mazdukhina
- Valentina Kovel as Semyonovna
- Mikhail Khrabrov as General
- Valentin Golubenko as Giliuli
- Natalya Akimova as Teacher
- Nora Gryakalova as Teacher
- Aleksey Ingelevich
- Nikolai Levykin as Mikhail Gorbachev
- Valery Garkalin as Borisych
- Andrey Krasko as Cossack
References
[edit]- ↑ Birzache, Alina G. (2016). The Holy Fool in European Cinema. New York: Routledge. ISBN 978-1-315-65163-7.
- ↑ "Russkaja simfinoija". Berlin International Film Festival. Archived from the original on 2018-01-28. Retrieved 2016-05-30.
- ↑ "Russian Symphony". FilmAffinity. Retrieved 2016-05-30.
External links
[edit]- 1994 films
- 1994 drama films
- 1990s psychological drama films
- 1990s fantasy drama films
- Christian apocalyptic films
- Cultural depictions of Mikhail Gorbachev
- Films directed by Konstantin Lopushansky
- Russian fantasy drama films
- Russian dystopian films
- 1994 Russian films
- 1994 Russian-language films
- Russian-language fantasy drama films
- Lenfilm films