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Come and See Elem Klimov This towering, cathartic experience won the Grand Prize at the Moscow Film Festival. The story is based on writer Ales Adamovich's WWII memoirs of SS reprisals against partisans. Set in occupied Byelorussia in 1943, the film follows a raw teenager into the swamps and forests of the border provinces, where he undergoes a hell of atrocities, becoming a middle-aged wreck as he tries to survive the carnage. Remarkable acting, camera work, crowd scenes and direction raise the film far beyond anything comparable, as director Elem Klimov manages both a savage beauty and an impassioned elegy in this anti-war film. "It's a masterpiece not only of filmmaking, but of humanity itself" (Sean Penn). Two DVD-set includes subtitle options in 13 different languages, interviews with cast and crew, production stills gallery, and two archival segments: "Partisans in Belarus" and "Nazi Brutalities." In Russian with English subtitles; USSR, 1985, 142 mins. DVD | $44.95
100 Days Before the Command Hussein Erkenov Made the year before the dissolution of the Soviet Union, this "visually astonishing, erotically charged and emotionally jarring" (The New York Times) film captures the battle-weary attitude of the Russian people as well as a sexual ambiguity among soldiers that had never been portrayed in prior Russian cinema. The film's subtle use of homoerotic imagery and subtext caused it to be banned by Soviet censors when first released. Five young Red Army recruits struggle to preserve their humanity and compassion as each day seems to bring another act of senseless violence. Russian with English subtitles. USSR, 1990, 71 mins. DVD | $44.95
The Anna Akhmatova File Semyon Aranovich A moving portrait of the extraordinary Soviet poet, Anna Akhmatova. Although her work was banned and went unpublished for 17 years, her poem "Requiem" became the underground anthem for the millions who suffered under Stalin. This unique film, which uses Akhmatova's diaries for text, also includes portraits of Akhmatova's friends and contemporaries--Boris Pasternak, Vladimir Mayakovsky, and Mikhail Sostchenko. An Official Selection at Sundance and the Seattle International Film Festival. In Russian with English subtitles. USSR, 1989, 65 mins. DVD | $44.95
Anna Karenina Alexander Zarkhi Based on Tolstoy's beloved 1870 novel, this Russian production of the classic tale of tragic passion and human morality traces the path of a woman who pays a very high price for following her heart. Tatiana Samoilova (The Cranes Are Flying) plays the title role. Also starring Nikolai Gritsenko and Vassily Lanovoi. "...comes closer to Tolstoy's romance than previous versions" (Faber Companion to Foreign Films). The DVD is a two-disc set, and is letterboxed, 16x9 widescreen. In Russian with English subtitles. USSR, 1967, 103 mins. DVD | $44.95
Ballad of a Soldier Grigori Chukhrai Grigori Chukhrai's poetic and elegiac war story is one of the major works of post-war Russian cinema, detailing the odd, bemused moments of a soldier's earnest seduction of a country girl while visiting his mother. The film is also devastating at capturing the dread, pain and humiliation of war, and its effects on the people. "The picture flows in such a swift, poetic way that the tragedy of it is concealed by a gentle lyric quality" (New York Times). With Vladimir Ivashov and Zhanna Prokhorenko. Russian with English subtitles. The DVD is a Criterion Collection edition and includes an interview with Grigori Chukhrai, Vladimir Ivashov and Zhanna Prokhorenko; new and improved subtitle translation. USSR, 1959, 89 mins. DVD | $44.95
Beshkempir, The Adopted Son Aktan Abdykalykov The first independent feature ever made in Kyrgyzstan and a wonderful debut for its director, Aktan Abdykalykov. A beautifully composed tale of growing up, the film follows a boy who is living through a typical childhood until he discovers one day that he is adopted. "...an understated, idealized, and fastidiously crafted movie" (J. Hoberman, The Village Voice). In Kyrgyzstani with English subtitles. Kyrgyzstan/France, 1998, 81 mins. Videocassette | $37.95 DVD | $44.95
Brother Alexei Balabanov A simple man returns from his army service, coming home to St. Petersburg, where he finds his brother is now a contract killer for the Russian mob. Soon, both brothers are in the service of organized crime and they team up to kill a Chechen mafia boss. This riveting crime film addresses the social breakdown and accepted grimness of city life in the former Soviet Union. Lead actor Sergei Bodrov Jr.'s superb performance won him well-deserved honors around the world, including the award for Best Actor at the 1997 Chicago International Film Festival. "A wonderfully mordant excursion through the new Russian thugocracy...the best Russian movie I've seen in years" (J. Hoberman, The Village Voice). The DVD includes multilingual subtitle options, interview with the director, and more. In Russian with English subtitles. Russia, 1997, 96 mins. DVD | $44.95
The Childhood of Maxim Gorky Mark Donskoi The first film in Mark Donskoi's classic Gorky Trilogy follows the early years of the great Russian writer. Placed into his grandparent's custody, the boy is treated poorly by his brutal grandfather but with kindness and generosity by his grandmother. His experiences help shape his feelings for the dignity of the lower class and his compassion for the underdog. "...charged with a lyric, revolutionary romanticism...This first film has a wonderful spaciousness; the landscapes are vast and serene" (Pauline Kael, The New Yorker). A.k.a. My Childhood. Includes the historic early short film, Moscow: Clad in Snow (1908). In Russian with English subtitles. USSR, 1938, 98 mins. DVD | $44.95
Commissar Alexander Askoldov In 1967, a Soviet filmmaker told a tale of Jewish life, suffering, bravery and fatalism in a movie about a Red Army commissar who finds herself living with a small-town Jewish family while civil war rages around them. The film, an indictment of anti-Semitism, was Askoldov's first and last feature. Shortly after its completion, Askoldov was fired and the film locked away until 1987. "A brave, humane and powerful work...image after stunning image" (New York Times). 2-DVD set. includes a video interview with actress Raisa Nedashkovskaya, film press announcement, three photo galleries, filmographies, biography of Vasili Grossman, and Director Aleksandr Askoldov and the Controversy over Commissar Archival Interviews, Askoldov Biography, Documents, Letters. In Russian with optional English, Russian, French, German, Spanish, and Italian subtitles and English and French audio. USSR, 1967, 105 mins. DVD | $44.95
The Cranes Are Flying Mikhail Kalatozov A film that marked a radical opening for Soviet cinema. The romantic, lyrical story concerns a beautiful young girl (Tatiana Samoilova) caught up in the horrors of war. When her fiance (Alexei Batalov) goes off to war, she marries a man whom she does not love and who raped her, is evacuated to Siberia and, after the war, learns of her fiance's death. But she refuses to believe it and waits for his return. A great international success, which won the Palme d'Or and Best Director and Best Actress honors at Cannes. Russian with English subtitles. The DVD is a Criterion Collection edition, with new and improved subtitle translation. USSR, 1957, 94 mins. DVD | $44.95
Dead Man's Bluff Alexei Balabanov This incendiary and subversively comic action thriller from Russian director Aleksei Balabanov (Brother) follows a pair of sibling assassins employed by sadistic mafia boss Mikhailovich (Burnt by the Sun director Nikita Mikhalkov in one of the film's many cameos). After the brothers bungle a drug deal, they find themselves on the run from their employer, who's not above using brutish torture methods to drive home his point. Weaving through a post-communist world of cops and robbers, the heroes discover that in New Russia, allegiances can get tangled. "A giddy mixture of bonhomie and bloodthirstiness" (Variety). In Russian with English subtitles. Russia, 2005, 105 mins. DVD | $37.95
Eclipse Series 11: Two Masterpieces by Larisa Shepitko Larisa Shepitko Ukrainian-born Larisa Shepitko studied under Dovzhenko at VGIK, the state film institute, before going on to direct the controversial post-war drama Wings (Krillia, 1966, 90 mins.). The film offended hardliners with its depiction of a heroic fighter pilot (Maya Bulgakova) who struggles with adjusting to her disappointing life after the war. Shepitko's conflicts with the censors continued through her final completed film, The Ascent (Voskhozhdeniye, 1977, 105 mins.), an uncompromising portrayal of war and betrayal. Using expressive religious symbolism, the director boldly reverses stereotypical Soviet attitudes towards heroism, religion, and philosophy in her examination of two Russian soldiers who are captured in German-occupied Byelorussia during WWII. Ascent won the Golden Bear at the Berlin International Film Festival in 1978, the year before Shepitko's death. Both films are included here. In Russian with English subtitles. USSR, 1966/1977, 195 mins. DVD | $44.95
The Elusive Avengers Edmond Keosayan Adapted from Pavel Blyakhin's novel Red Little Devils, this Soviet smash hit follows a team of spies--student Valerka, Yashka the Gypsy, orphan Danka and his sister Ksanka--as they seek revenge on the men responsible for the death of Danka and Ksanka's father. Brimming with intrigue, plot twists, and narrow escapes, Edmond Keosayan's film proved wildly popular at the box office and went on to become a successful franchise, spawning a pair of sequels. The DVD is letterboxed and includes interview with the widow of director Edmond Keosayan, filmographies, photo album, 5.1 sound and English dubbed version. In Russian with English subtitles. Soviet Union, 1966, 78 mins. DVD | $44.95
End of Saint Petersburg/Deserter Vsevolod Pudovkin Two cinematic milestones from Vsevolod I. Pudovkin, who, along with Eisenstein and Dovzhenko, established Soviet cinema as one of the most important centers of international film art. The End of Saint Petersburg (1927, 75 mins.) was commissioned, like Eisenstein's Ten Days That Shook the World to celebrate the tenth anniversary of the Russian Revolution. It concentrates on a peasant who comes to St. Petersburg for a visit and becomes "politicized," believing in strike and revolution. Pudovkin focuses on the individual, with the emotional power of the film emerging from seeing the effects of the Revolution on common people. The film is presented with English titles. Deserter (1933, 105 mins.) daringly violated the freshly established law of natural sound with a powerful barrage of aural effects that mirror the film's dynamic style of montage. The story concerns a German dockworker who is led by labor unrest to the Soviet Union, where he is inspired to take up the cause of his fellow man. In Russian with English subtitles. Both features mastered from the best available film elements. USSR, 1927/1933, 180 mins. DVD | $44.95
Grigori Kozintsev's Hamlet Grigori Kozintsev Stunning locations and music highlight Grigori Kozintsev's spare, haunting adaptation of the Bard's classic, based on a translation by novelist Boris Pasternak. Stars Innokenti Smoktunovsky as Hamlet. In Russian with English subtitles. USSR, 1964, 140 mins. DVD | $44.95
Grigori Kozintsev's King Lear Grigori Kozintsev One of the truly great Soviet films, and possibly the greatest translation of Shakespeare to the screen, Grigori Kozintsev's epic adaptation, shot in Lithuania, is a visually stunning tour-de-force. Screenplay by Boris Pasternak. Music by Dimitri Shostakovich. "It will stand as one of the unshakable edifices of Shakespearean imagination" (New Yorker). In Russian with English subtitles. USSR, 1971, 140 mins. DVD | $44.95
Harvest Time Marina Razbezhkina Marina Razbezhkina's gorgeous debut film tells the story of Antonina, a Russian woman living on a collective farm in the aftermath of WWII. While working as a tractor operator to support her young son and combat-crippled husband, her hardships are surprisingly recognized by the Kremlin. The first woman to receive the honor of the Red Flag, Antonina's relationship to her loving family and her proud village become the main focus of this sometimes brutal, sometimes nostalgic portrait of the USSR. Winner of Best Film at the Moscow International Film Festival and the Golden Plaque award at the Chicago International Film Festival. Stars Lyudmila Motornaya, Vyacheslav Batrakov, and Dmitri Yakovlev. In Russian with English subtitles. Russia, 2004, 67 mins. DVD | $44.95
Hunting Drama Emil Lotenau This beautifully photographed drama is an adaptation of a classic Chekhov story about a beautiful young woman whose marriage to an older estate manager causes reprecussions of passion and violence from her jealous suitors. Emil Lotyanu captures the tragic intensity of Chekhov's tale with the magical atmosphere of the setting and bravura performances from his cast. DVD includes Provincial Doctor, Reminiscences of the Writer's Wife: Actress O. Knipper-Chekhova, and Reminiscences of Writer N. Teleshov featurettes, interviews with actress Svetlana Toma and composer Yevgeny Doga, filmographies, photo gallery, and trailer. Russian with English subtitles. Soviet Union, 1975, 109 mins. DVD | $44.95
I Am Cuba (Ultimate Edition) Mikhail Kalatozov The Cuban revolution is at the center of Mikhail Kalatazov's strange, poetic film from 1964 which unites four stories. Originally controversial because of a uniquely Russian view of Cuba, it was not widely seen. In the years since its original release, the film, which features a poem by Yevgeni Yevtushenko, has achieved international critical acclaim. It offers a uniquely earthy view of Cuba in the early 1960s. 3-DVD Ultimate Edition. New hi-def master from original Russian 35mm interpositive. Includes video interview with Martin Scorsese, Spanish and Russian language tracks, Cuban version of opening credits, original trailer, stills gallery, making-of documentary titled The Siberian Mammoth (Vicente Ferraz, 2005, 91 mins., Portuguese, Spanish and Russian with English subtitles), City Cinematheque interview with screenwriter Yevgeny Yevtushenko, A Film about Mikhail Kalatozov (2006, 120 mins.), and a booklet on the making of the film and its history. Spanish with English subtitles. Cuba/USSR, 1964, 141 mins. DVD | $64
I Worked for Stalin Semyon Aranovich Semyon Aranovich's documentary is a brilliant assembly of eyewitness testimony and rare archival photographs and materials. The film records the Machiavellian power plays between Zhdanov, Andreyev, Khrushchev, Malenkov, Suslov and Molotov as they maneuvered for power and prestige to gain the inside track to becoming Stalin's successor. The film is a chilling record of the inner workings of an authoritarian state. In Russian with English subtitles. USSR, 1990, 67 mins. DVD | $44.95
The Idiot Vladimir Bortko Produced for Russian television, this exquisite period miniseries was drawn from arguably the most comprehensive script based on Dostoevsky's novel. This version of The Idiot stars Yevgeni Mironov as Count Myshkin, Vladimir Mashkov as Rogozhin, Lidiya Velezheva as Nastassya Filippovna, Vladimir Ilyin as Lebedev, and Aleksandr ml. Lazarev as Ganya Ivolgin. Region Free. Will play on any player in any region. 4-DVD set. In Russian with English subtitles. Russia, 2003, 550 mins. DVD | $99
The Italian (Italianetz) Andrei Kravchuk A deserted Russian child (Kolya Spiridonov) must learn how to read in order to locate his mother and escape the viciousness of orphanage life in post-Soviet Russia. When a wealthy Italian family comes to claim him, his dreams of finding his mother might be lost. "Beautifully photographed by Alexander Burov, who also shot several films by the Russian master Alexander Sokurov, The Italian achingly evokes both the physical depredations of the orphanage...and the nexus of rough kindness and malign neglect" (The Village Voice). Winner of the Grand Prix Best Feature Film Award at the 2005 Berlin International Film Festival. In Russian with English subtitles. Russia, 2005, 99 mins. DVD | $44.95
Little Vera Vassili Pitchul The film that took Russia by storm and then sent a second shock wave when its young star, Natalya Negoda, posed nude for Playboy. Negoda plays Vera, the sullen, sultry teenager who's torn between her brooding husband and her bitter parents in a dead-end town. With its simmering sensuality and brutal candor, Little Vera is a seductive Russian film that gave the Russians (and Americans) something which they never expected - a truly fresh film about sexual relationships. Russian with English subtitles; USSR, 1988, 135 mins. DVD | $44.95
Moscow Does Not Believe in Tears Vladimir Menshov Vladimir Menshov's melodrama about the cruel anonymity of city life is structured in two parts. The first half is set in 1958, as Menshov charts the interlocking romantic fates of three Russian girls shunned to a workers' dormitory. Tonya (Raisa Ryazanova) finds grace and happiness; Ludmila (Irina Muraveva) is trapped in an unhealthy and oppressive marriage; Katerina (Vera Alentova) is cruelly abandoned when her lover discovers she's pregnant. The second half resumes their stories and lives 20 years later. Winner of the 1980 Academy Award for Best Foreign Film. With Alexei Batalov, Alexander Fatiushin and Boris Smorchkov. Russian with English subtitles. DVD includes 3 language options, 13 subtitle options, cast & crew interviews, Russian history and culture short subjects, photo galleries and more. In Russian, USSR, 1979, 150 mins. DVD | $44.95
The New Adventures of the Elusive Avengers Edmond Keosayan The flashy sequel to Edmond Keosayan's Soviet box office hit finds teenage superspies The Elusive Avengers returning for another dangerous assignment. This time the group is asked to retrieve the blueprint of a top-secret fortress that's being held in a heavily guarded safe. An instant hit with audiences, Keosayan's franchise was in many ways the Soviet-equivalent of James Bond. The DVD is letterboxed and includes interview with actor Victor Kosykh, filmographies, photo album, 5.1 sound and English dubbed version. In Russian with English subtitles. USSR, 1968, 82 mins. DVD | $44.95
Oblomov Nikita Mikhalkov A beautiful adaptation of the famous Ivan Goncharov novel by Nikita (Dark Eyes, Slave of Love) Mikhalkov. Oblomov owns 350 serfs he's never met, and just lies on his back in a St. Petersburg apartment, sleeping, eating, sleeping some more, watching his finances dwindle and whining at his servant for not being sensitive enough. A detailed, beautifully photographed film. In Russian with English subtitles. USSR, 1980, 120 mins. DVD | $44.95
The Outskirts Peter Lutsik In this extraordinary epic--a political thriller in the tradition of Z and Weekend, mixed with acid-sharp humor--Peter Lutsik creates an astounding chronicle of a country in violent transformation. A group of men fight injustice as they try to discover who stole their land. Their hunt for the offenders takes them from the gentle countryside to the halls of power. Hailed at film festivals worldwide as a modern classic, The Outskirts vividly reveals Russia as alternately corrupt, melancholy, dogmatic, romantic, and spiritual. Winner of the FIPRESCI critics' prize at the Chicago International Film Festival. Russian with English subtitles. Russia, 1998, 95 mins. DVD | $44.95
Outskirts/The Girl with the Hatbox Boris Barnet Two classics of Soviet-era cinema from legendary director Boris Barnet. Long unavailable in the United States, The Outskirts (1933) looks at the relationships and loyalties between a German prisoner of war and his captors in a remote village during WWI. In Russian with English subtitles. The fast-paced silent film, The Girl with the Hatbox (1927), features Anna Sten as a working girl who is given a seemingly worthless lottery ticket instead of her wages by her unscrupulous employer. The ticket wins her a fortune, and a madcap chase ensues to possess the ticket--and Anna's love. USSR, 1933/1927, 164 mins. DVD | $44.95
Pirates of the XXth Century Boris Durov Russian cinema isn't well known for its action pictures, but this box office hit is more exciting than many Hollywood blockbusters and includes some thrilling martial arts combat to go along with the gunplay. Modern day pirates hijack a ship to steal its cargo of pharmaceutical opium, but when some brave members of the crew fight back, it leads to a deadly battle to the finish. Based loosely on a true story. The DVD is letterboxed, 16x9 widescreen, and includes interviews with the director and select cast and crew members, photo album, and filmographies, with English, French and Spanish dubbed audio options; multilingual subtitle options. In Russian with English subtitles. USSR, 1979, 83 mins. DVD | $44.95
Prisoner of the Mountains Sergei Bodrov A tightly executed moral drama of love and war, Sergei Bodrov's Academy Award-nominated film is based on Tolstoy's classic tale and set in the remote, austerely beautiful Caucasus mountains. A dashing soldier (Russian heartthrob Oleg Menshikov, Burnt by the Sun), and a young recruit (Sergei Bodrov, Jr.) are captured by a Chechen father who holds them hostage in his village home. The father attempts a prisoner exchange for his son, who is held by the Russian army, but is defeated by lackadaisical and inept bureaucracy of the military. As the two Russians await their fate, a love gradually develops between Vania and their captor's daughter. Russian with English subtitles. Russia/Kazakhstan, 1996, 99 mins. DVD | $37.95
The Red Tent Mikhail Kalatozov A virtually unknown but first-rate film by Soviet filmmaker Mikhail Kalatozov, The Red Tent was an international production funded in Italy, and is the tragic story of General Nobile, the heroic Italian who tried to cross the North Pole on a dirigible in the early years of this century. When the dirigible crashed, no one responded to their desperate SOS calls, and the survivors huddled within their makeshift red canvas dwelling and continued to hope. Peter Finch stars as General Nobile, Sean Connery portrays the renowned Arctic explorer Roald Amundsen. In English. Italy/USSR, 1969, 121 mins. DVD | $44.95
The Return Andrey Zvyagintsev Elegant cinematography highlights Andrey Zvyagintsev's gripping psychological thriller that looks at two young brothers who are forced to deal with the return of their father who had abandoned them years prior. Upon his return, the father orders the boys to accompany him on a fishing trip, which tests the boys endurance and, eventually, their sanity. A powerful, perfectly realized film, The Return won the Golden Lion for Best Film at the Venice International Film Festival and the Discovery of the Year Award at the European Film Awards. "Brilliant...One of those unnerving films that lingers in the mind long after the lights come up" (Lisa Schwarzbaum, Entertainment Weekly). In Russian with English subtitles. Russia, 2003, 106 mins. DVD | $44.95
The Rider Named Death Karen Shakhnazarov Set in pre-revolutionary Russia, this vibrant and opulent historical epic follows an anti-tsarist assassin (Andrei Panin) determined to topple the monarchy and bring socialism to the people. Working alongside a motley band of revolutionaries, the icy protagonist struggles to maintain the camaraderie necessary to pull off his daring feat. "A rough-hewn Russian epic... Contemplates the chilling seductions of 20th century violence" (Michael Atkinson, Village Voice). In Russian with English subtitles. Russia, 2004, 106 mins. DVD | $44.95
Roads to Koktebel Boris Khlebnikov/Aleksei Popogrebsky In this moving Russian drama, a recently-widowed aerodynamics engineer loses his job and decides to head to his sister's house in Koktebel by the Black Sea with his 11 year-old son. Though the journey exposes them to the beauty of the Russian countryside, their poverty and lack of transportation leaves them meandering as the father tries to regain his self-respect. Along the way, they meet a beautiful young doctor, who becomes the love interest for the father, but a source of conflict for the boy, whose dreams of a freer life along the coastline spur him to make momentous decisions. Bonus features include The Box Man (Nirvan Mullick, USA, 2002, 6 mins.), director Nirvan Mullick's animated short film about a man's increased paranoia over a pair of eyes viewing him from inside a box. In Russian with English subtitles. Russia, 2003, 105 mins. DVD | $37.95
A Small Favor Boris Konunov Russian music and film star Nikolai Karachentosov and Liya Akhedzhakova (Moscow Does Not Believe in Tears) star in this witty tale of a disillusioned pop star attempting to deliver a package entrusted to him by a stranger on a train. Along the way, various incidents of mistaken identity lead him to a woman whose life strangely mirrors his own. In Russian with English subtitles. USSR, 1984, 80 mins. Videocassette | $44.95
The Soloist Oleg Nikolayevsky An amateur folk singer facing middle age decides to follow her dream and become a professional musician. Leaving the city and her job behind, she joins a variety show and travels the Russian countryside where she learns new insights about life, love and music. Stars Natalya Yegorova, Alexander Pankratov-Chyorny, Vladimir Khotinenko, and Yuri Lakhin. In Russian with English subtitles. Russia, 1988, 82 mins. Videocassette | $44.95
Tchaikovsky Igor Talankin An opulent biography of the 19th century composer. The film is centered around his antagonistic relationship with his mentor, the pianist Rubenstein, and his long-term benefactor, the Baroness von Meck. The film downplays the composer's homosexuality to develop the tenets of his unhappy marriage. Music arranged and conducted by Dimitri Tiomkin, who also produced the film. With Innokenti Smoktunovsky, Antonina Shuranova and Evgeni Leonov. Videocassette and DVD in Russian with English subtitles. DVD is letterboxed, with 5.1 Surround Sound, and includes three language options, 13 subtitle options, interviews with Innokenti Smoktunovsky and actress/dancer Maya Plisetskaya, Tchaikovsky mini-biography, photo galleries and more. USSR, 1971, 153 mins. DVD | $44.95
The Town of Rosi Igor Dobrolyubov A sophisticated blend of comedy and drama chronicling one man's reaction to the suffocations of modernization. After seeing his neighborhood turn into a wasteland of high-rise apartments and contemporary conveniences, an old man, realizing that he and his modest home will succumb to the modern age, calls his children together to help them sort out their personal lives before he "moves on." In Russian with English subtitles. Russia, 1983, 89 mins. Videocassette | $44.95
Tycoon: A New Russian Pavel Lounguine A Russian mobster at the brink of death looks back on his life of crime in this "breathlessly paced thriller" (Jan Stuart, Newsday), loosely based on the life of corrupt Russian businessman Boris Berezovsky. Jumping backwards and forwards in time, Tycoon follows the suave and self-assured Platon (Vladimir Mashkov) as he uses his charm and government connections to rise through the Russian mob, which has taken full advantage of Russia's new capitalist system. Simultaneously, a police detective investigates Platon's murder. In Russian with English subtitles. Russia/France/Germany, 2002, 128 mins. DVD | $44.95
Vasya Andrei Zagdansky Vasiliy Sitnikov was officially declared insane, and he spent his life in and out of mental institutions. Yet, he is the key figure of the non-conformist art movement in the former Soviet Union. "Vasya" left behind astonishing works of art, some of which found their way into the Museum of Modern Art in New York and numerous private collections, yet he remains a compelling, controversial mystery. Who was this incredible artist? Why does his legend still confound those who knew him? In this award-winning film, Andrei Zagdansky combines documentary and dramatic footage to create a riveting portrait of a man, an artist and the society around him. In English, Russian, and German with English subtitles. Russia, 2002, 60 mins. DVD | $44.95
Viy (Spirit of Evil) Georgi Kropachyov/Konstantin Yershov This very eerie and stylish Russian horror film went largely unseen for decades. With this video release it should earn a loyal following. Based on a story by Nikolai Gogol, the movie follows a young theology student whose faith is tested when he meets the devil's emissary, "...stunning, with a rich color palette worthy of Mario Bava...Moments of pure cinema here raise the hairs on the back of your neck" (R.L. Strong, Cornucopia of Film). Alexander Ptushko was responsible for the eye-catching visual effects and art direction and some sources list him as a co-director. DVD includes optional English and French soundtracks and multilingual subtitle options; trailers; production stills; cast/crew biographies; Gogol documentary; and excerpts from the early Russian horror films Satan Exultant (1917), The Queen of Spades (1916), and The Portrait (1916). In Russian with English subtitles, USSR, 1967, 78 mins. DVD | $44.95
War and Peace Sergei Bondarchuk The definitive film version of Tolstoy's epic novel about how Napoleon's 1812 Russian invasion affects two upper class families. Winner of the 1968 Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film, it was shot over five years, with over 120,000 extras for battle scenes, nearly 300 sets, 2,000 costumes and production design and art direction culled from more than 40 Russian museums. With its budget adjusted for inflation, it remains one of the most expensive productions of all time. The film is notable for its gritty authenticity and its panoramic social and political portraits, especially the battle of Borodino. Originally released as four theatrical features in the U.S.S.R., it was cut and shown in two parts in the U.S. USSR, 1967, 431 mins. DVD - in Russian with English subtitles. Movie-only edition. Three-disc set (403 mins.). $59.95
You I Love Olga Stolpovskaya/Dmitry Troitsky In the immediate wake of Russia's conversion from Communism to free-market capitalism, a pair of young yuppies indulge in excessive behavior that would put 80's Wall Street types to shame. Vera and Timofey live a hip, fast-paced existence while managing to maintain the spark of romance. But when Vera comes home one night to find her boyfriend in bed with a younger man, she's drawn into an erratic, zany love triangle of Almodovar-esque proportions. "A vivacious comedy. Vital and fresh" (Ella Taylor, L.A. Weekly). The DVD is letterboxed, and includes cast and filmmaker interviews, deleted scenes, behind-the-scenes featurette, 5.1 sound, trailers, and English and French subtitle options. In Russian with English subtitles. Russia 2004 83 mins. DVD | $44.95
Winter Evening in Gagry Karen Shakhnazarov This inspiring musical travels back in time with an unlucky Russian dance coach who happens to see a newsreel clip of his younger self dancing on TV...during a newscast announcing his death! This shocking mistake revives his spirit, compelling him to lend his tap expertise in a dance fan, and to make amends with his daughter. Equally delightful and nostalgic, this musical gem is not to be missed. Includes interviews with director and cast, filmographies, photo gallery, Russian, English and French language options, and Russian, English and French subtitles. In Russian with English subtitles. USSR, 1985, 85 mins. DVD | $44.95
