Vladimir Steklov Movies

Murad Ibragimbekov's Istinnye Proissestvija (True Stories) is an adaptation of Mikhail Zoschenko's short stories. Myakisev (Vladimir Steklov) lives in an overpopulated apartment that has stoves that he believes are poisoning his neighbors. He goes on a disastrous date with his dream woman, which results in his death. True Stories was screened at the In Freedom Film Festival. ~ Perry Seibert, Rovi

This fast-paced, convoluted bit of European escapist fare is set in crumbling contemporary Moscow, where a French composer finds himself seduced into a fantastic adventure after his flight to Paris is delayed and he finds himself broke and stranded in the Moscow airport. His temptress is the mischievous Oksana, who convinces him to sneak out of the airport to sample the Moscow nightlife. He doesn't realize that she is actually the daughter of Papa, a powerful local Mafia don. Papa looks weak and helpless, but he is anything but and secretly drugs the composer Phillipe's drink and then kidnaps him. When Phillipe awakens, Papa forces him to impersonate the commercial director of a huge French textile mill so the Mafioso can continue to con the leader of a recently liberated Central Asian country into investing in a non-existent mill. The plot works until the bilked gets his own revenge. Meanwhile, Phillipe and Oksana fall in love even though they realize that one of them must be sacrificed to save face. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi

Andrei Konchalovsky's examination of totalitarianism, and the self-deluded mind-set that allows it to happen, is based on Konchalovsky's meeting with a bureaucratic flunky of Stalin's -- his personal projectionist -- during his early days as a filmmaker. Set during the height of Stalin's rule (1939 through 1953), the story concerns Ivan Sanchin (Tom Hulce), a motion picture projectionist who worships the Soviet leader like a god. He lives in a tiny apartment, sharing his space with a Jewish family. One day, the KGB bursts into the apartment of his Jewish neighbors and carts them away. Later that night, there is a loud banging on his door and standing before him are two KGB agents, who drag him off into the night. While at first Ivan can't understand what he did wrong, it seems the news is good -- Stalin wants Ivan to take over as his official motion picture projectionist. But since his job is high security, he can't tell his wife Anastasia (Lolita Davidovich) what he does for a living. When Anastasia takes an interest in the orphaned child of his former Jewish neighbors, Ivan begins to worry that Anastasia's visits to the state orphanage might have political repercussions against him. When he gets his wife a job serving Stalin's cabinet, he thinks he's solved his political worries. Unfortunately, Anastasia catches the amorous eye of KGB chief Beria (Bob Hoskins), and Ivan's unquestioning faith in the Soviet leaders is sorely tested. ~ Paul Brenner, Rovi

The book this film was based on was banned in the U.S.S.R. for several decades, and its author Boris Pilnyak "disappeared." This alone makes this film an important statement. The book was saved from oblivion during the Gorbachev era. The book and film together represent yet another stage in the ongoing reappraisal of Stalin's legacy. Mikhail Frunze was an important military figure during the Russian Civil War. He was appointed a minister of defense after the removal of Trotsky, because Stalin thought that Frunze would be loyal to him. Frunze failed to live up to Stalin's expectations and died suddenly -- or so everyone was told. The story is set in 1925 and concerns the sudden "resignation" due to sickness (poisoning) of Mikhail Frunze (Vladimir Steklov), whose appointment as U.S.S.R. defense minister happened when Stalin was taking the reins of power into his hands and was implementing his lifelong practice of killing or imprisoning anyone he felt threatened by. As he dies, the popular veteran reflects on the consequences of his excessive loyalty to Stalin (Viktor Proskurin). ~ Clarke Fountain, Rovi