Oleg Tabakov Movies
- 2006
A virtuous man discovers just how deep corruption can run, and how easy one can succumb to it, in this satiric comedy-drama from Hungarian filmmaker Istvan Szabo. When a scandal brings down the attorney general of a small but prosperous community near Budapest, Istvan Kopjass (Sandor Csanyi), a man with a clear record and impeccable ethics, is invited to take over the position. While his wife Lina (Ildiko Toth) is wary of the appointment and wants to avoid uprooting their children, Istvan is convinced he can make positive change and he accepts. However, only a few days after taking his new position, Istvan becomes aware of how challenging his job can be when the town's mayor (Oleg Tabakov) persuades him to abandon plans for a new tax schedule that would lower assessments for the poor. Istvan also discovers nearly everyone he meets claims to be some sort of distant relative, and as a consequence wants some sort of special consideration that he often finds difficult to refuse. Istvan's downfall begins when a less than honest banker (Karoly Eperjes) arranges for him to get a special deal on a large house in exchange for some favors, and things get much worse when the banker's attractive wife (Erika Marozsan) uses her charms to lure Istvan into some serious white collar crime. Rokonok (aka Relatives) was adapted from the novel of the same name by Zsigmond Moricz. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Sándor Csányi, Ildiko Toth, (more)
Set in Germany in 1946, Taking Sides tells the story of the investigation of Wilhelm Furtwängler (Stellan Skarsgård), the renowned conductor of the Berlin Philharmonic and Vienna Philharmonic orchestras, by the American occupying army. Major Steve Arnold (Harvey Keitel) has been told by his superiors that they want Furtwängler convicted of being a willing participant in the crimes of the Hitler regime, by virtue of his supposed support for and support from the Hitler government. They haven't got the time or resources to go after every ex-Nazi, so they want Furtwängler, as the biggest cultural target they can hit. Arnold does his loud, boorish best to first humiliate and then attack the conductor over the supposed favoritism that he was shown by Hitler, Goering, Himmler, et al. and his conducting of a concert at the 1934 Nuremberg rally and at Hitler's 53rd birthday. Arnold finds, to his eventual distress but not dissuasion, that nothing is as simple as he would like to make it. His civilian secretary, Emmi Straube (Birgit Minichmayr), a concentration camp survivor whose father was part of the German Army plot to kill Hitler, and Lt. David Wills (Moritz Bleibtreu), a German-born Jew representing the War Crimes Tribunal, keep trying to remind Arnold that life and politics in Germany only deteriorated gradually after 1933, and in ways that couldn't always be anticipated by those who were there. Germans who chose not to leave weren't necessarily casting their lot with Hitler, but with protecting what was decent or even great about Germany, including her orchestras and music. Arnold knows nothing about music and even less about Germany and her people, and won't be deterred from his goal. Wills and Straube wish to resign from working with him, until they realize that they're facing the same choice that Furtwängler faced -- to leave a horrendous situation and have no way of affecting its conduct or outcome, or remain and do their best to stand up for decency and truth. In the process of doing that, they find out that Furtwängler is not only a great artist -- which they knew already -- but a great and brave man, who also has his flaws. The latter include an outsized ego that may have caused him to participate a little too willingly at times in the dangerous game he played of maintaining the excellence of Germany's musical institutions while protecting them (and also many musicians) from the worst ravages of the Nazi regime, at the same time also keeping lesser, more compliant figures from usurping his control. ~ Bruce Eder, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Harvey Keitel, Stellan Skarsgård, (more)
- 1997
Ukrainian filmmaker Kira Muratova offers a darkly comical look at everyday cruelty in these three savage tales. The first, "Boiler Room No. 6" is based on a story by Yevgeny Golubenko and takes place with in a blue-tinted boiler room where a panic-stricken resident of a communal apartment has dragged the body of his neighbor, a young woman he killed over an argument about a bar of soap. There he beseeches the talkative poet, who tends the massive furnace, to help him dispose of the body. The nearly surreal "Ophelia," the second story, centers on the vengeance of the title woman, a blonde beauty who works in a maternity hospital. One day she sneaks into a records room and learns the names of every mother in town who has given a baby up for adoption. Ophelia was one of these babies and she is still angry. She finds one of the mothers and strangles her. She then finds her own biological mother and pushes her off a dock. The third vignette, "The Maiden and Death" follows a winsome little girl who tires of being constantly admonished by her well-meaning, but wearisome, paralyzed grandfather. He says the word "no" once too often and she retaliates by slipping rat poison into his tea. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1995
The confusion inherit in contemporary Russian society provides the basis of this slapstick social satire that focuses on a case of mistaken identity. The trouble begins in a Siberian diamond field as miners bring to light the world's biggest diamond. So valuable is the giant gem, that it will not only pay off the enormous national debt, it will also allow every Russian citizen to move to the Canary Islands. Unfortunately, the Mafia plans to steal the massive stone. Their plans are foiled when a renowned thief, Vesja, exchanges stones at the airport. Now the chase is on as the Mafia begins its pursuit. Also chasing him is the inept police chief Igor Ugolnikov, who trails him to the home of his alcoholic auntie. But Vesja, a master of disguise, still eludes them all. He then learns that he is a triplet when his two brothers suddenly appear. One is a renowned Jewish conductor, and the other brother is a gypsy. The conductor, Imokenty, has come back to Russia to marry a fluff-headed American divorcee. Mayhem and a merry chase ensue as he continues to elude his pursuers. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Valery Garkalin, Vera Alentova, (more)
- 1992
The made-for-cable film Stalin relates the story of the ruthless Soviet dictator and his tyrannical rule. Robert Duvall gives an excellent performance as the dictator and the photography is beautiful, as are the sets, since much of the movie was shot on location in Russia. The screenplay also does a good job of detailing Stalin's aggression, not only on his citizens, but also his young wife (Julia Ormand). Nevertheless, the story is very detailed and viewers need to pay close attention in order to make the film a rewarding experience. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Robert Duvall, Julia Ormond, (more)
- 1991
- PG13
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, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Tom Hulce, Lolita Davidovich, (more)
- 1990
In 18th century Russia, Catherine is now the reigning Empress in a country which does not accept primogeniture (rule by the oldest born) but requires that the oldest born be male. It has taken quite a lot of almost supernatural scheming to remain on the throne which, by an accident of fate, is more or less legitimately hers. When she hears that a Polish princess is claiming to be a descendant of a Russian queen, she is quite naturally concerned for the future of her hold on the throne. The overweight, sexually insatiable monarch sends one of her loyal aides and lovers to seduce the foolish young woman and lure her into Russian territory, where the threat she represents can be eliminated in an efficient way. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Nikolai Yeremenko Jr., Svetlana Kryuchkova, (more)
- 1989
Fans of Russian history will particularly enjoy this satirical political analogy, by director Sergey Ovtcharov which has been compared to earlier film classics such as Repentance and Zelig. Those without the requisite background may be somewhat mystified by it. The story is based on an 1870 novel by Mikhail Saltykov-Schtchedrin, which uses a long and involved tale about the history of one town as an allegory for the Russian nation as a whole. The entire story of the novel is retained in this film, which updates it by including similarly meaningful events in the village from 1870 through to the present. One highlight of the film is the performance of Rolan Bykov as Piotr Ferdystchenko, one of the town's mayors, who undergoes three metamorphoses symbolizing respectively Lenin, Stalin and Khruschev. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Rolan Bykov, Natalya Gundareva, (more)
- 1987
- R
A small town is turned upside down when Mr. Fest (Andrei Mironov) arrives with a movie projector in this hilarious Georgian comedy western. In an homage to silent-era slapstick comedy, hard-drinking cowboys give up booze for milk when the saloon loses patrons to the picture show. The town bully joins the church choir along with a slew of sultry saloon sirens when they are drawn away from the evils of alcohol and moral depravity. Barroom brawls, Indian attacks, sight gags, and an all-star cast made this the second most popular Soviet film of 1988. Over 40 million people in the USSR paid to see the feature, the last for the popular Andei Mironov. ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Andrei Mironov, Alexandra Yakovleva, (more)
- 1985
This documentary on the Russian writer Anton Chekhov was released in honor of the 125th year since his birth and was written and directed by Vadim Glowna, whose wife Vera Tschechowa is a great-grandniece of Chekhov's. Both Glowna and Tschechowa traveled to the former USSR to film interviews with Chekhov's descendants there and to go through archival material, including film clips. Tschechowa's grandparents, Olga Tschechowa and Michael Chekhov were both actors, and after they were divorced, Michael went to Hollywood in 1944 where he landed roles in many films, working until his death in 1955. Olga Tschechowa also acted in over 100 films, and directed one movie. Although Olga and Michael may be the best-documented of Chekhov's living legacy to the theater and film, several other interviews testify to a broad range of influences deriving from the 19th-century author.
~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide
~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Vera Tschechowa
