Andrei Popov Movies
Two bands of warriors, one good and one evil, battle to keep the peace in Moscow in this cat's cradle thriller from Russia. In 1342, the Warriors of Light (led by Gesser, Lord of Light) and the Warriors of Darkness (led by Zavulon, General of Darkness) declare a truce under which each side will form a law enforcement team to monitor the other side's activities. The Warriors of Light, who enforce the powers of good, patrol the Night Watch, while the Warriors of Darkness, who openly embrace evil, staff the Day Watch. Each watch group also contains "Others," mortals with supernatural powers from both sides that include vampires, shapeshifters, witches, and the like. Prophecy suggests that one day, a Great One will surface and permanently extinguish the threat of an apocalyptic war between the two sides by upsetting the balance, lending greater power to either good or evil (depending on his or her choice) and thus determining the future of mankind forever.
In 1992, Night Watch member and Warrior of Light Anton Gordesky (Konstantin Khabensky) discovers he's an "other" amid a sting on a witch. Cut to twelve years later. In 2004, Anton still works the Night Watch, but now he's a vampiric warrior who drinks blood. One night, while on patrol, he rescues a young boy named Egor (Dima Martinov) from a handful of Dark Warriors, but in the process, he encounters Svetlana (Maria Poroshina), a woman who acts as a "funnel" -- a conduit for the powers of evil. Anton reflects on the prophecy regarding "The Great One," and begins to suspect that Svetlana and Egor may be harbingers of this fateful event. As the first installment in a Russian trilogy, Night Watch (aka Nochnoj Dozor) was a massive box-office success in its native Russia, and is followed by the second installment, Day Watch; it was released in the U.S. with a heavy prologue and epilogue, and animated subtitles that alternately scuttle across the screen, dissolve, shudder, and explode.
20th Century Fox not only purchased United States distribution rights for the film, but also announced plans for a Westernized remake. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Konstantin Khabensky, Vladimir Menshov, (more)
Russian director Nikita Mikhalkov takes a break from emulating his beloved Chekhov to film the classic Ivan Goncharov novel Oblomov. The title character (played by Oleg Tabakov) is a 19th century Russian civil servant and landlord who chooses to go to bed one day--and never get up. Preferring to sleep his way through life rather than confront it, Oblomov is shaken from his slumbers by the arrival of a childhood friend Shtoltz. A series of flashbacks show why it is that this friend's presence gets Oblomov out of his 'jammies and back on his feet. Also known as A Few Days in the Life of I. I. Oblomov, this sprightly film is an excellent early example of the work of the director who would win a 1994 Oscar for his Burnt by the Sun. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Oleg Tabakov, Andryusha Razumovsky, (more)
- 1972
This film showcases Soviet science in the story of Andrei, a Russian scientist at the forefront of jet airplane and rocket development in his country. Andrei was responsible for the development of rockets used against Nazi tanks and worked on the development of the Soviet atom bomb. His dedication to his work is such that his treasured personal relationships, even with the mother of his child, are sacrificed to it. Later, during the space effort, he and the other Soviets developed their own unique launch vehicles. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Kirill Lavrov, Ada Rogovtseva, (more)
- 1969
After receiving an award, Russian poet Olga Bergholtz (Alla Demidora) recalls the struggle of the siege of Leningrad. She flashes back to her idyllic childhood, heartened by the new changes in government after the Russian Revolution. Olga inspires the people of Leningrad with words of encouragement on radio broadcasts during the terrible ordeal of the Nazi invasion. She recalls the inexorable ties between the human spirit, the religion and the history of a country plagued throughout antiquity by invasions. ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Alla Demidova, Andrei Popov, (more)
- 1967
Yevegeny Adamov (Andrei Popov) is a former general in the Czar's Army who is now a history professor at a military academy. He is arrested after the revolution along with many others and is accused of treason. Adamov is amazed when he is found innocent. He has no place to go as his property is seized and divided into apartments, but his intellectual friends refuse to help him in fear of reprisals. Adamov's trials and tribulations finally make him decide he should go to work for the new power. He is soon sent on a mission after years of teaching in this political drama. ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Andrei Popov, Alexandr Anisimov, (more)
- 1957
Stylistically and perhaps ethnically beyond the pale of ordinary movie fare, this Russian drama set in 1904 in a remote military garrison is a specialized tale of a particular period. Most of its story is told through narration. On the eve of the downfall of Czarist Russia, the soldiers in this military garrison are leading a dull and useless existence -- there is nothing meaningful for them to do. In order to combat boredom, they engage in dubious remedies, one of which is found in a bottle and another in beating each other up. When not drunk or maiming each other, the soldiers also fight "duels of honor." In the midst of this debased environment, a young officer has fallen in love with another man's wife. As sure as the sun rises in the east, he will be forced to defend himself in a duel. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Kalyu Komissarov, Andrei Popov, (more)
- 1955
Famed Russian director Serge Bondarchuk steps before the cameras in this Soviet adaptation of Shakespeare's Othello. The Russian landscape provides a surprisingly effective backdrop for this tale of love, hate and jealousy in 16th century Venice. Andrei Popov is a suitably cunning Iago, while Irina Skobtseva is an ethereally beautiful Desdemona. Filmed in 1955, this adaptation of Othello was released in the US five years later. The rather crude English-language dubbing seriously detracts from both the compelling imagery of director Serge Yutkevitch (who'd spent some twenty years seeing this project to fruition) and composer Aram Khachaturian. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Sergei Bondarchuk, Irina Skobtseva, (more)
- 1952
The Man of Music in this Russian biopic is composer Mikhail Glinka. As portrayed by Boris Smirnov, Glinka was not only the favorite tunesmith of the Russian military, but also a tireless crusader against the excesses of the corrupt Romanov regime. The composer's best-known operas--Ivan Susanin, Rusian and Ludmila--are tributes to the indomitable spirit of the Russian peasant. For those uninterested in the propaganda elements of Man of Music, the film offers elaborately staged highlights from Glinka's most famous compositions. In its own way, the film can be regarded as the Soviet equivalent to Hollywood's Yankee Doodle Dandy. Directed by Grigori Alexandrov, Man of Music (aka Glinka) features Alexandrov's wife Lyubov Orlova as Glinka's chief inspiration, his sister Ludmilla. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Boris Smirnov, Lyubov Orlova, (more)
