Sergei Shakurov Movies

Directed by Dimi Meskhiyev, this hallucinatory film follows cynical businessman Max (Sergei Shakurov) as he investigates the murder of his childhood best friend. The trail leads him in several unexpected directions, including into the path of several beautiful (and sometimes deadly) women. Eventually, Max runs into a gangster who shows Max the diary of his murdered friend. The Diary of a Kamikaze also features Nikolai Chindyaykin, Natalia Kolyakanova, and Yevgenia Dobrovolskaya, and was viewed at the Cannes Film Festival. ~ Tracie Cooper, Rovi

In this Polish anti-war drama, set during the 1863 peasant uprising, a young Russian officer faces the confusing realities of war. Fydor, the eager young officer, has been sent to vanquish the revolt. He is anxious to do his work well, but as he is faced by the horror and brutality of his troops against the Polish peasants who only make reasonable demands, he becomes confused. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi

This biographical film -- a bit long for most viewers, even in its cut version -- is made especially for ballet aficionados. Focusing on the short life of the remarkable Russian ballerina Anna Pavlova (1882?-1931), it features several dance sequences and provides a backdrop of the historical events in the Soviet Union and Europe during her life. Pavlova (Galina Belyayeva, better as a dancer than an actress) was born in Saint Petersburg and her interest in the ballet began early. As a little girl (Lina Boultakova), Pavlova would watch the ballet students in training, and she eventually entered the Imperial Ballet company, quickly rising to the position of prima ballerina. Before long, she perfected a style especially evident in her dancing of Giselle and Swan Lake. In her brief tenure at the Ballets Russes established in Paris in 1909 by the famed Russian expatriate impresario Sergei Diaghilev, Pavlova was inspired by dancers like Vaslav Nijinsky and obtained further training under a master, traveling extensively with the company. But the famous ballerina was not without personal problems, and at one point had to take a two-year advance on her salary in order to pay off her husband's debts so he would not go to jail. There are several intriguing aspects of this biography that would recommend it to general viewers: varied locations from Mexico to Cuba to Europe and the USA, good ballet performances, some noted bit players (Martin Scorcese as Gatti Cassaza) and a critically recognized Michael Powell, the director of Red Shoes in his last professional role, as an editor. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, Rovi