2. Battle of Russia. U.S. War Department, 1944. 80 min. (From the series Why We Fight.)
Created for viewing by Americans in the Armed Forces after the U.S. entered WWII. Directed by F. Frank Capra, with commentary by Walter Hudson. 2 videocassettes. [WWII] [Propaganda] [ARA]
3. A Day in School in Moscow. Harvard Medical School, 1986. 24 min.
Moscow students in classes; students, parents, and administrators are interviewed. (English and Russian with subtitles) [Youth] [Education]
4. East/West Columbia Tristar, 1999. 125 min.
A Russian doctor and his French wife return to the USSR in 1946 at Stalin’s invitation. (English subtitles) [Feature Films] [Stalin] [Academy Award]
5. Ivan the Terrible. Mosfilm, 1944, 1946. 94 min. Black & White. Directed by Sergei Eisenstein, music by Prokofiev. (English subtitles). 2 videocassettes. 2 copies. [Feature Films] [Eisenstein] [Pre-Petrine]
4(A) Ivan Grozny is proclaimed tsar of Russia, but faces treachery from within his own family.
4(B) Ivan the Terrible takes revenge on those who have renounced him.
6. The Jews of Moscow. PBS/Inside Story, 1980. 60 min.
Part of the PBS program “Inside Story”, this segment by is produced by Samuel Rachlin. (English, Russian with subtitles) 2 copies. [Religion]
7. Leningrad: the Hero City. Granada Television Ltd., 1968. (Series Cities at War.) 53 min.
Newsreel footage and interviews with survivors of 900 day siege of Leningrad. [St. Pete] [WWII]
8. St. Petersburg: Super Cities (Series Super Cities). 30 min.
Explore elegant St. Petersburg, built in the early 18th Century as Russia's proud new capital. The architecture of St. Petersburg reflects a range of European influences. Its beautiful palaces and quiet elegance belie its troubled history yet, as you explore the city, you'll find clues to the political turmoil that give St. Petersburg its haunting character. [Travel] [St. P]
9. Moscow Does Not Believe in Tears. Mosfilm Studios, 1979. 145 min.
In 1958, three young women from small towns move to Moscow to pursue their dreams. Twenty years later they compare lives. Academy Award for Best Foreign Film. (English subtitles). [Academy Award] [Women] [DVD] [ARA]
10. Nicholas and Alexandra. Columbia Pictures, 1971. 82 min.
Nicholas and Alexandra in public and private, their incomprehension of social change and devotion to the family. Based on the book by Robert Massie. [Tsars] [Revolution]
9(A) Prelude to Revolution: 1904-1905. 29 min.
9(B) War and the Fall of the Tsar: 1914-1917. 27 min.
9(C) The Bolshevik Victory: 1917. 26 min.
11. People of Influence (Politics and the People). Film Australia, 1980. (Series The Russians).
A profile of individuals in powerful roles in a Ukrainian coal mine, a Belarusian refrigerator factory, and a Siberian gravel-washing plant. Includes handout. [E. Europe] [Siberia]
12. People of the Cities Film Australia, 1980. 33 min.
Housing, shopping, and working conditions are examined from the point of view of three families living in Moscow, Odessa and Sochi. [Economics]
13. Pictures of Russia. S. Rachlin for Danmarks Radio, 1986. 75 min.
Documentary with history, culture, religion, and the arts in a colorful picture of the Russians and their country. [Religion] [Arts]
14. Portrait of the Soviet Union. Encyclopedia Britannica Corporation, 1988. 7 videos, each 60 min. or less. Each segment covers history, traditions, culture, and modern life. [Siberia] [Caucasus] [Central Asia] [Baltics] [WWII] [Revolution]
14(A) Mother Russia: the Russian Republic
14(B) Ice on Fire: Siberia
14(C) The End of All the Earth: the Caucasus
14(D) The Golden Road: Soviet Central Asia
14(E) The Baltic Style: Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania
14(F) Swords and Plowshares: World War II
14(G) Country of the Revolution: Socialist Revolution
15. Pysanka: Ukrainian Easter Egg. Perspective Films & Video, Chicago, 1975. 14 min.
Demonstration of steps in the art of decorating eggs, and explanation of some of the symbols. Slowly paced film with beautiful visuals accompanied by bandura music. Can be used as cultural enrichment in a variety of classes and for community groups. [E. Europe] [Arts] [Music]
16. Reflections: the Soviet Union with Hart. Kelly Hart, 1980. 60 min.
Kelly Hart, a videographer, documents his visit to four cities in the USSR with a group of Americans. Includes handout. [Travel] [ARA]
17. Siberia: the Endless Horizon. National Geographic Society, 1969. 60 min.
A portrait of Siberia in all of its contrasts. Somewhat dated but excellent. Includes imaginative and powerful photography. [Environment] [Siberia]
18. A Slave of Love. Mosfilm Studios, USSR, 1978. 94 min.
Self-centered actress is swept up in the turmoil of 1917 Russian Revolution while shooting a movie in southern Crimea. [Feature Films] [Revolution]
19. Video from Russia: Children. Samuel Rachlin for Danmarks Radio, 1986. 30 min.
An examination of the exalted status of children in the Soviet Union and role as members of the only “privileged class.” [Youth]
20. Standard Deviants World Geography: Russia, Caucasus, Central Asia PBS, 2001. 30 min.
The Standard Deviants explore Europe as a world shaper and the important region that contains Russia, the Caucasus and Central Asia.
21. Soviet Television: Fact and Fiction. BBC, 1985. 95 min.
A two-part documentary which utilizes segments of the Soviet television production to convey the essence of Soviet programming. Focuses first on news coverage, and then on entertainment programming. [Media]
22. Stalin: Man and Image. Learning Corporation of America, 1979 . 24 min. (From the series Leaders of the 20th Century: Portraits of Power.) Narrated by Henry Fonda.
Documentary footage and film dramatization of Stalin’s early years through the beginning of World War II. Emphasis on Stalin’s consolidation of power and collectivization-industrialization drives of the 1930s. [Stalin] [WWII]
23. Unfinished Piece for Player Piano. Mosfilm Studios, USSR, 1977. 100 min.
Loosely based on the play Platonov by Anton Chekhov. Interlocking events of a warm summer day are played out at the decaying estate of an aging widow. (English subtitles) [Feature Films]
24. A Voice from Russia: The World of Visotsky. PBS Video, 1983. 60 min.
Segment of PBS program “Inside Story” which contains the film by Samuel Rachlin. Documents the life and times of actor/ poet/ balladeer Vladimir Visotsky, who has become a cult figure in the USSR since his death. [Music] [ARA]
25. 1917: Revolution in Russia. National Geographic Society, 1988. 28 min.
A reasonable portrait of society before the revolution with superb historical footage to convey the spirit of period before and after revolution. [Tsars] [Revolution] [ARA]
26. Under the Spell of Youth Artistic License Inc., 1997. 30 min. ‘An intimate look at the power of love through the voices of Russian teens... "Under the Spell of Youth" shows us just how similar we all truly are...’ [Youth]
27. Families of the World: Soviet Union. National Geographic Society, 1987. 15 min.
The life of an Uzbek girl and her family in Tashkent. Created to teach about Soviet Central Asia. Includes handout. [Youth] [Women] [Central Asia]
28. Ten Days That Shook the World. Video Images, 1927. 120 min.
Directed by Sergei Eisenstein, this follow-up film to Potemkin uses “metric montage” with a heavy dose of symbolism to commemorate the 10th anniversary of the Bolshevik Revolution. The images selected often have little to do with the story, in the style of “intellectual dynamism.” Silent film with music score. [Feature Films] [Revolution]
29. Soviet Circus. National Geographic, 1988. 60 min.
Behind the scenes at Moscow’s Circus School. [Education]
30. Battleship Potemkin. Eisenstein, 1927. 70 min. Silent. Black & White.
Considered one of the most important films in the history of silent pictures, as well as possibly Eisenstein's greatest work, the film tells the story of the mutiny on the Russian ship Prince Potemkin during the 1905 uprising. [Feature Films] [Revolution] [Eisenstein]
31. The Kremlin. Lucy Jarvis, George A. Vicas for NBC News, 1988. 60 min.
In the early 1960s Khrushchev permitted the first American television crew to film the treasures of the Kremlin. Leading the tour is a USSR military officer who invites viewers to relive the story of Russia through its art and against a background of classical music and a Russian chorus. [Politics] [Cold War]
32. A Russian Journey. Traveloguer Collection, 1987. 60 min.
Traveloguer Clay Francisco travels the USSR, visiting the Tsar’s Palace in Leningrad, the Hermitage, Red Square, Gorki Park, Ukraine, the Crimea, Samarkand, Bukhara, Tashkent, and Siberia. [Travel] [Siberia] [St. P]
33. Jazzman. IFEX Films, Soviet Cinema Today, 1984.
A young man and his band experiment with jazz in 1920, to the dismay of authorities. The hero believes that jazz should be accepted by the Bolsheviks, as it is the music of the oppressed blacks in America. [Feature Films] [Music]
34. The US/USSR Youth Summit. PBS Video, 1988. 60 min. Fashion, food, family life, rock music and education in the Soviet Union. [Youth] [ARA]
35. Soviet Union: Changing Times. Churchill Films, 1989. 22 min.
An introduction to the geography, history, and economic system of the USSR as reflected in the life of a Soviet teenager. The portrait of Alec, age 16, takes us inside his school, family, and social life, and helps us understand his changing society. Includes Handout. [Youth] [ARA]
36. Stalin’s Ghost. NBC News, 1989. [Stalin]
37. Gorbachev and Glasnost. Random House Media, 1989. 18 min.
Explore the reforms in the Soviet Union under Gorbachev. Discusses the “openness” of glasnost, the “restructuring” of Perestroika, and the potential effects of these reforms. From the New York Times Current Affairs series. [Gorbachev]
38. The Glasnost Film Festival. A 12-videotape collection representing the first Soviet Documentaries released in the "glasnost era." Directed by top Soviet Film-makers, the 22 films of the Festival are a remarkable, self-critical look at a country in transition. These provocative films, most of which could not have been made earlier, provide a unique opportunity to witness first-hand this historic transformation. (English subtitles) [Gorbachev] [Central Asia]
38(A): Against the Current. 1988, 27 min. Against the Current is a film about ecological crime and how the residents of Kirishi educate themselves about the meaning of citizenship. (English subtitles) [Environment] [Central Asia]
The Wood Goblin: Confessions of an Old Man. 1987, 23 min. This is a story about the political conversion of a former soldier and Communist Party chief to the "party of the green world.” From the Glasnost Film Festival. (English subtitles) [Environment]
38(B): The Temple. 1987, 59 min. A strikingly beautiful film about the 1000th anniversary of Christianity in Russia and the role of religion in Soviet Society, past and present. (English subtitles) [Religion]
38(C): The Tailor. 1988, 50 min. A sobering look at the spiritual void and disillusionment of the current generation of middle-aged adults. (English subtitles)
Early on Sunday. 1988, 16 min. Several old village women go to the forest to gather wood. Their unpretentious observations evoke bursts of laughter, feelings of compassion, and an immense respect for the dignity and patience of these women, who are well aware of their own worth. (English subtitles) [Women]
38(D): Chernobyl: Chronicle of Difficult Weeks. 1986, 58 min. This film crew was the first in the disaster zone following the meltdown of the power plant in 1986. (English subtitles) [Environment] [E. Europe]
The BAM Zone. 1987, 22 min. The Baikal-Amur Railroad (BAM) in Siberia is called the longest monument to the stagnation of the Brezhnev years. (English subtitles) [Environment] [Siberia]
38(E): Scenes at a Fountain. 1986, 31 min. The ironic title refers to a powerful, rumbling column of fire -- the world's largest natural gas fire, which burned over one year on the shores of the Caspian Sea. [Environment] [Central Asia]
The Limit. 1986, 17 min. "This is a shout of horror about how the terrible catastrophe of drinking condemns a human being," one Soviet critic has written about this film.
38(F): And the Past Seems but a Dream. 1987, 75 min. One critic writes," It's a film about the collapse of faith, first faith in God, then in Stalin. It's about the slavish need for an idol and the complicated attitudes of people to Stalinism." [Religion] [Stalin]
Theatre Square. 1988, 30 min. One June 1, 1988, a hunger strike was staged in Erevan over the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh region, populated mainly by Armenians but part of the neighboring republic of Azerbaijan. The film portrays this event without any commentary or interviews. [Caucasus]
38(G): Black Square. 1988, 57 min. This film tells the story of Russia's avant-garde from the 1950s to the 1970s when artists were confronted by semi-official, ideological art.
Dialogues. 1987, 29 min. A bacchanal of rock-jazz and a carnival of punk music erupt in an abandoned Leningrad palace. [St. P]
38(H): This is How We Live. 1987, 30 min. Shocking alienation and moral depravity of young people.
Homecoming. 1987, 20 min. Veterans of the Soviet involvement in Afghanistan return home from the battlefield with unresolved feelings about a demoralizing and unpopular war.
38(I): Marshal Blucher: A Portrait against the Background of an Epoch. 1988, 70 min. The film tries to unlock the riddle of the dramatic 1930s in the Soviet Union, studying the fate of the entire country through the biography of one hero.
38(J): The Trial (Part 2). 1988, 55 min. This film dramatically chronicles the awakening -- tortuous and difficult -- of contemporary civil society.
Adonis XVI. 1977, 1986, 9 min. Its horns ornamented with little bells, a "Judas" goat serenely leads a herd of sheep, cows, and horses to the slaughterhouse. Censors discovered the resemblance between reality and this documentary parable and the film stayed on the shelf for nine years.
38(K): Final Verdict. 1987, 66 min. It's hard to believe that this handsome student actually shot a woman and her guest. The director and killer try to understand the motivation behind the tragedy. The film argues the death sentence does not remove the guilt of the killer; it puts it on us.
The Evening Sacrifice. 1984-87, 18 min. This film's director tried to capture the spirit of a crowd. "He placed the camera in the right place and turned it on at the right moment," his colleagues say. They praise the director as an "underground" artist.
38(L): Tomorrow is a Holiday. 29 min. With indifferent and mechanical movements, women workers stuff live chickens into metal containers. The camera observes that there is not much difference between the executioners and the victims.
Are You Going to the Ball? 1987, 19 min. What is the price young athletes pay for their fleeting celebrity? This film takes an unprecedented look at one of the Soviet Union's most sacred institutions: its world-famous women's' gymnastic team
39. Inside Gorbachev's USSR. Coronet, 1990.
This four-part series is hosted by Hedrick Smith, Pulitzer Prize-winning New York Times correspondent and best-selling author. These programs provide an intimate and authentic record of what is happening in the USSR. Each video includes a Discussion Guide with a synopsis of the program, pre-and post-viewing questions, and vocabulary. [Gorbachev]
39(A): The Taste of Democracy. 60 min. Ordinary citizens are confronting powerful institutions in ways that are novel to Soviet society. There is a remarkable display of openness and commitment to political action by a people once fearful of being shipped to Siberia for uttering even the mildest form of independent expression. [Siberia]
39(B): Comfortable Lies, Bitter Truths. 60 min. Glasnost has taken hold in areas where government controls were once rigidly applied -- Soviet television, newspapers, documentary cinema, and even the high school classroom. There are scenes of citizens criticizing the old and new regimes; media professionals and teachers exposing historical lies, trying to simulate independent thought; and hard-liners denouncing the innovations of glasnost.
39(C): Looking for Perestroika. 60 min. Visits to a coal mine, a state farm, an industrial plant, a private enterprise, and the Kremlin's economic ministry, including interviews with workers and managers reveal the possibilities and actual results of years of attempted economic reform. The interviews are candid and reveal the conflicting opinions about Perestroika.
39(D): Coming Apart. 60 min. Since Gorbachev's call to glasnost there has been a dramatic evolution of nationalism in the Soviet republics. This growing unrest threatens Gorbachev's authority and political survival. Covering over 10,000 miles of the Soviet Union, this program vividly lays open the growing tensions in five different republics.
40. Discover Russia. National Geographic Society, 1990. 30 min.
Discover Russia is a film journey with award-winning cinematographer William Livingston. Visit Leningrad, Moscow, Zagorsk, and the countryside, viewing the Hermitage, the Kremlin, Red Square, a circus, and Christmas services at a Russian Orthodox Church. [Travel] [St. P]
41. Stalin. PBS, 1990. 3 hrs (3 videotapes, 58 min. each)
Examines the life of the ruthless dictator. [WWII] [Stalin] Includes:
- Program One: Revolutionary
- Program Two: Despot
- Program Three: Generalissimo
42. Hitler and Stalin: Roots of Evil History Channel, 2001.
This program examines the lives of two of the most infamous men of the twentieth century. It attempts to build a psychological profile of each and, at the same time, draws parallels between them, between their lives and character. [WWII] [Stalin]
43. The Estonians: For the Record. Estofilm Canada. 29 min.
A documentary of the Viirlad family from the origin of the Republic of Estonia through the end of WWII and the flight of refugees to other countries. [WWII] [Baltics]
44. The New Russian Revolution. CNN Special Reports, 1991. 47 min.
From the hard-line coup that imprisoned Gorbachev to the show of defiance by forces loyal to Yeltsin, to the return of Gorbachev and the collapse of Communist rule. Six days in August, 1991. [Post-Communism] [Gorbachev]
45. Alexander Nevsky. Mosfilm, 1938.
The film is about the Russian Commander Prince Alexander Nevsky under whose leadership the Russian warriors gained a historical victory in the battle against the Livon knights on Chudskoe Lake in 1242. Director Sergei Eisenstein recreated the epic tale of Prince Nevsky and his defeat of the invading Teutonic hordes. (English subtitles) (Black & White) [Feature Films]
46. Soviet Women. Samuel Rachlin for Danish TV, 1982. 50 min. (English narration & English subtitles) [Women]
47. My Grandmother. Georgia, 1929.
A Georgian avant-garde slapstick silent comedy that was banned in the Soviet Union for almost 50 years. Whereas later Georgian filmmakers became rather adept at slipping political criticism under the noses of the Soviet censors, this film ends with a completely unambiguous rallying call for the death of bureaucrats.
48. Eastern Europe: Captive Lands. Stanford Program on International & Cross-Cultural Education (SPICE)
Accompanies the teaching unit of the same name.
49. Eastern Europe: Dissidence Censored. Stanford Program on International & Cross-Cultural Education (SPICE)
Accompanies the teaching unit of the same name.
50. Eastern Europe: The Unfinished Revolution. Stanford Program on International & Cross-Cultural Education (SPICE)
Accompanies the teaching unit of the same name.
51. Realms of the Russian Bear: Green Jewel of the Caspian. Thirteen/WNET, 1992. 60 min.
The Volga Delta is a lush green triangle of land at the end of the Caspian Sea. It is one of Russia’s most important wetlands and contains its oldest nature reserve, Astrakhan, where European, Asian, and African species of wildlife mingle. Spring floods fertilize the delta and trigger the breeding of fish, amphibians, and birds. Here, also, sturgeon and beluga migrate northwards to spawn. As a result, the delta yields an abundance of one of the world’s favorite delicacies, caviar, the “black pearls of Astrakhan.” [Environment]
52. Realms of the Russian Bear: The Arctic Frontier. Thirteen/WNET, 1992. 60 min.
The Russian Arctic is the realm of the great white bear. Around ten thousand polar bears roam this frigid region of ice and snow, which stretches from the Kola Peninsula to the Bering Straits. It encompasses one of Russia’s most treasured and beautiful nature reserves, Wrangel Island. The Arctic is home, too, to the musk-ox, reintroduced to the former Soviet Union from the United States in the 1970s. Other varieties of wildlife include the rare red-breasted goose, pink Ross’s Gulls, and more than three million reindeer, herded by the Chukkchi. It is a land of hunters and hunted, foxes, buzzards, walruses, and polar bears. [Environment]
53. Realms of the Russian Bear: The Red Deserts. Thirteen/WNET, 1992. 60 min.
This program takes a close look at the surprising abundance of wildlife in the deserts of Central Asia, which cover an area larger than the whole of Western Europe. In the far south lies a nature reserve that is barren and waterless for most of the year, but which becomes ablaze with color in the springtime, when melting snows bring poppy fields and pistachio groves to life. [Environment]
54. Realms of the Russian Bear: The Celestial Mountains. Thirteen/WNET, 1992. 60 min.
The icy peaks of Tien Shan -- the Celestial Mountains -- run for hundreds of miles along the border between the Central Asian Republics and China. This is the realm of the snow leopard, the white-clawed bear, the ibex, and Marco Polo sheep. In spring, red marmots emerge from their winter burrows. Kirghiz herdsmen tend horses, sheep, and hearty yaks. In the higher-still Pamir Mountains, bar-headed geese nest during their migration. [Environment]
55. Realms of the Russian Bear: Siberia: The Frozen Forest. Thirteen/WNET, 1992. 60 min.
Siberia, stretching across the northern reaches of Russia, has the greatest forest on Earth, an immense expanse of spruce, pine, and fir spanning 6,000 miles. From the wolves and the elk to the musk deer, all its inhabitants have one thing in common: an ability to survive temperatures which can plummet to 90 below zero (F). Cameras descend to depths of more than 2,500 feet in Lake Baikal for glimpses of its denizens, and bears hunt along its edge. [Environment] [Siberia]
56. Realms of the Russian Bear: Born of Fire. Thirteen/WNET, 1992. 60 min. Kamchatka Peninsula, where the Arctic and Southeast Asia meet, is remote and volatile, with some of the highest, most active volcanoes on Earth. In the seas off Vladivostok, cool Arctic waters mix with warmer currents from the south to nourish a rich marine community. Kamchatka’s southernmost regions are home to a unique combination of animals, including the Siberian tiger and plants from the tropics. [Environment] [Siberia]
59. The Burglar. Lenfilm Studios, 1987. 83 min.
A young Moscow teen is left adrift after his mother’s death as his father turns to alcohol and his older brother is heavily into punk rock. The rock music which fills the movie and the style of dress are surprisingly Western in influence. (English subtitles) [Feature Films]
61. Yankee in Kamchatka: Wilderness Adventure in Siberia. New Film Company/WGBH, 1991. 56 min.
This remarkable adventure takes you canoeing on a precarious, log-jammed river; climbing to the top of an active volcano, herding reindeer with a group of nomadic Koriaks; cruising the jagged Pacific coastline, and hiking the untouched Kronotsky wilderness. You’ll meet Russians whose love for their culture and their land makes them dedicated to preserving their traditions and the environment. Beautifully photographed. [Environment] [Siberia]
62. Messengers from Moscow. Thirteen/WNET, 1995.
For the first time, political leaders, military personnel, and spies who built and ran the country speak candidly about what the Soviet Union really wanted during the Cold War. [Video Series]
62 (A): The Struggle for Europe. 52 min. The Struggle for Europe recounts the story of Stalin’s attempt to take control of Germany and Western Europe in the aftermath of World War II. Soviet agents and communist officials tell of their efforts to seize political power in the war-torn European states, a goal frustrated by Western resolve and Stalin’s own ruthless methods.
62 (B): The East is Red. 53 min. Leading officials in Moscow and Beijing recount, for the first time on camera, how the dream of a growing communist power bloc uniting the Soviet Union and China turned into Moscow’s biggest nightmare. The program offers new evidence pointing to Stalin as the key to the outbreak of the Korean War -- part of his strategy to keep communist China in line.
62 (C): Fires in the Third World. 53 min. Fires in the Third World features the testimony of top administrators of Soviet policy, as well as KGB agents and military leaders, who reveal the Kremlin’s hand in Cuba and Vietnam -- the two most explosive crises of the Cold War. This episode includes rare home movies from the Khrushchev family personal archives, and new insights into controversial events like the Cuban Missile Crisis.
62 (D): The Center Collapses. 60 min. Pivotal figures from the last decade of Soviet power recount the startling collapse of the empire, even as it bristled with military might. Soviet political, military and KGB officials reveal how Lenin’s idea of world revolution led to the growth of a military-industrial complex that ultimately proved to be the revolution’s undoing.
63. White Sun of the Desert Mosfilm, 1969. 85 min.
During the Russian Civil War, a soldier named Sukhov wants to return home to his wife, but is forced to guard a harem belonging to rebel leader Abdulla. Nicole's trivia: This film was traditionally watched by Soviet cosmonauts before a space mission. [DVD]
64. Armenia: Seven Days and Nights. Soviet Television, 1989. 120 min.
Covers the December 1988 earthquake in Armenia. Excellent presentation of the disaster and the attempts to deal with it on local, national, and international levels. (Russian & Armenian, with some English) [Environment] [Caucasus]
65. The Akhmatova File. Lenfilm, 1990. 65 min.
Through interviews, rare film footage, and photographs, film maker Semeon Aranovitch examines the life and times of poet Anna Akhmatova. This documentary, which uses Akhmatova's diaries for text, also includes portraits of her friends and contemporaries: Boris Pasternak, Vladimir Mayakovsky, and Mikhail Zoshchenko. (English subtitles) [Arts]
66. Fear and the Muse / Story of Anna Akhmatova. NY Center for Visual History, 1991. 60 min.
Interviews with people close to Akhmatova, including Joseph Brodsky. Excellent quality of visual portraits of Anna Akhmatova, with poetry read in Russian and English. Suitable for use in Russian language classes. [Arts]
Public Media Home Vision, 1995
The video narrates about Anna Akhmatova (1889-1966) and her poignant poetry covering erotic love, sadness and longing. Claire Bloom reads the work; Christopher Reeve narrates; Joseph Brodsky and other poets and scholars comment.
67. Gorbachev and the Fall of the Soviet Union. Films for the Humanities & Sciences, 1996. 58 min.
This program profiles Gorbachev’s life, from his rise within the Communist Party to his role in the fall of the Soviet Union. The program looks at numerous issues and events including glasnost and Gorbachev’s efforts to carry out Perestroika. [Politics] [Gorbachev]
68. The Western Republics. Producers Group, Ltd., 1992. 25 min.
The Western Region of the former Soviet Union is made up of fertile farmland, revitalized cities, and warm water ports. Viewers will visit Belarus, Ukraine, and Moldova, and meet several Russian families. The history behind the city of Kiev is explored, and a visit to Minsk is included. [E. Europe]
69. Discovering Russian Folk Music. AIMS Multimedia, 1997. 23 min.
Russia has a long tradition of folk music. [Music]
70. Sasha Litvin of Russia. Rainbow Educational Media, 1997. 15 min.
71. Russia Today: Daily Life. United Learning, 1997. 15 min.
72. Russia: Then & Now. Clay Francisco Films, 1994. 90 min.
Visit Moscow’s Kremlin, St. Basil’s Cathedral, the Lenin Mausoleum, GUM, the Armory Museum, Cafe Arbat, the Bolshoi Ballet, and the Moscow Circus. Go to St. Petersburg, the Hermitage and the Catherine Palace. Then see Novgorod, Kishi, Yalta, Volgograd, Bukhara, Samarkand, and Tashkent. A trip on the Trans-Siberian Railroad brings you to Irkutsk and Lake Baikal. [St. P] [Siberia] [Central Asia] [Travel]
73. The Russian Federation: A Nation in Transition. United Learning, 1995. 22 min.
74. Central Asia and Kazakhstan. Producers Group, Ltd., 1992. 27 min.
The history of the ancient Silk Road is reviewed in this program, as well as the new ideas for trade that began with the end of communism. Viewers visit several families in Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan, and learn about the nomadic way of life of the Central Asian gypsy. Division among the nationalities due to Central Asian nationalism is discussed, and the various educational systems are reviewed. [Central Asia]
75. The Hermitage: A Russian Odyssey. Public Media Home Vision, 1994. [Arts]
Blending history and art, this video tour of one of the world's great art collections makes us eyewitnesses to 300 years of human drama and national turmoil.
Part I: Catherine the Great: A Lust for Art. 54 min.
Part II: Tyrants and Heroes: The Nineteenth Century Czars. 53 min.
Part III: From Czars to Commissars: A Museum Survives. 55 min.
76. The Face of Russia Public Media Home Vision, 1998
Part One: The Face on the Firewood; Part Two: The Facade of Power; Part Three: Facing the Future
Hosted by James N. Billington, the Librarian of Congress and one of America’s foremost historians of Russia, this magnificent three-part series illuminates the hearts, minds, and many faces of Russia by exploring her architecture, paintings, music, literature and cinema. [Arts] [Music]
77. Miss Sarajevo
An independent film by Bill Carter, executive-produced by Bono, Miss Sarajevo presents young Sarajevans' point of view on the siege of Sarajevo. Among others, Carter interviews two sisters, high school students, a group of young kids at play, friends who play in a band while at the same time fight for the Bosnian Army, and a satiric group called the Surrealists. The Sarajevo Symphony orchestra performs in the hallway of the TV building, as it has no other venue. Amidst this destruction and siege, the city holds a beauty pageant. Interviews are intertwined with a collage of footage depicting the shelling and destruction of Sarajevo (TVBiH archival footage is used). The film also features two montages to U2 songs. *HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.* [Southeastern Europe] [Youth]
78. Killing Memory: Bosnia's Cultural Heritage and its Destruction. 1994. 40 min.
Video in slide show format. Very sad chronicle of the systematic destruction of both living human beings and the very memory that their culture (and their long tradition of ethnic tolerance) ever existed. Statistics, historical background, before-and-after shots of devastation. These range from the once-shining tower of the Bosnian trading company, to the Mostar Mosque built in 1557, to the painstakingly ornamented Jewish cemetery from the 1500s, which was deliberately plowed under with bulldozers. [Southeastern Europe] [Arts] [Religion]
80. Iron Curtain: The Cold War 1946-1989 Nugus/Martin Production Ltd.1994, 52 minutes
This video analyzes how America and the USSR, recent allies in the fight against Nazi Germany, now turn on each other the ferocious Cold War of covert maneuvering, regional hostilities and nuclear brinkmanship that will dominate global relations for the next half-century. Video materials include the forging of the Iron Curtain that severed East from the West, showdown between the U.S. and the USSR that evolved from the unthinkable nuclear strategy of mutual assured destruction to the futuristic technology of “Star Wars”, and the final collapse of communism. [Cold War]
81. The Fall of Communism ABC News, 1990, 80 minutes
This videocassette helps you understand the depth of what happened, from tearing down of the Berlin Wall, to independence movements in Poland, Lithuania and the Soviet Union. [Poland] [Baltics] [USSR]
82. Vladimir Lenin: Voice of Revolution A&E Home Video, 1997, Biography, 50 minutes
Peter Graves and Jack Perkins profile the biography of Vladimir Lenin (1870-1924), Russian revolutionary leader.
83. Red Empire (7 piece series) G. Hughes, 1990, 6 hr. 30 minutes
7 part narrative of Russia’s history. [Gorbachev]
Volume 1: From the fall of the Tsar to the rise of Lenin
Volume 2: World War I leads to Civil War and victory for Communism
Volume 3: Joseph Stalin seizes control, sounding the socialist message
Volume 4: Stalin builds the gulags for traitors, turning citizens against citizens
Volume 5: The devastation of World War II threatens the empire’s survival
Volume 6: The birth of the Cold War launches Khrushchev’s rise to power
Volume 7: Gorbachev and his reforms aim the Soviet Union towards the future
84. Central Asia: Kirghizstan and Uzbekistan Lonely Planet Publications, 1996, 45 minutes
Right in the heart of Central Asia are the former Soviet republics of Uzbekistan and Kirghizstan, an area of vast inaccessible wilderness, surrounded by harsh deserts and high mountains. It was once the site of the ancient caravan routes and its towns were oases on the Great Silk Road of the east. Join in the evening entertainments which include ram butting and wrestling, meet an eagle trainer, hitch a ride on an old Red Army helicopter, go on a horse trek, meet nomadic shepherds, share a meal and eat a sheep's eye. [Central Asia]
85. Russia’s War: Blood Upon the Snow PBS, 1995, 10 hours
A 5 volume series that brings to life the story of the people of the Soviet Union During WWII who struggled to survive the tyrannical reign of Joseph Stalin. A compelling story of dictatorship, bloody battles, and endless courage as the Soviet people combat not only Hitler and German Army, but their own leader as well. Hosted by former U.S. Secretary of State Henry Kissinger, this 10-hour program features never-before-seen Russian images, once-secret documents, and leading Russian historians to explore Russia from 1924 through 1953.
Volume I The Darkness Descends
Volume II Between Life and Death
Volume III The Fight from Within
Volume IV The Citadel
Volume V The Fall of the Swastika
86. Transcaucasus with MIR
The three countries of the Trans-Caucasus interlock like puzzle pieces on a strip of mountainous land wedged between the Black and Caspian seas. Each has a border with the other two, yet they could hardly be more different. Three unrelated languages are spoken here, and two different religions hold sway. [Caucasus]
87. Three Songs of Lenin Kino on Video, 1991, 62 minutes, English subtitles
The legendary Dziga Vertov’s most personal and deeply felt film and the touchstone of his brilliant career. The video reveals the Russian leader as seen through the eyes of the Russian people represented by three songs. The first, “In a Black Prison Was My Face,” concerns the life of a young Muslim woman. “We Loved Him,” deals with the life and death of Lenin himself. The third song, “In the Great City of Stone” shows the accomplishments of his rule.
88. The Generous Manas EPOS & Keen Communications, 1995, 30 min.
This video tells the story of the Kyrgyz people through their ancient hero Manas. It captures their ancient culture and customs and the beautiful country in which they live. They are a semi-nomadic people who love horses. [Central Asia]
89. Waiting for Uighurstan Sean Roberts & The Center for Visual Anthropology, USC, 1996, 55 min.
This video chronicles the experience of three Uighurs who live in the Republic of Kazakhstan. In the 1950s and 60s, during the turmoil following Mao’s revolution, they fled their homeland in China’s Xinjiang province for a new life in the USSR. Cut off from their homeland for over 20 years, they only re-established ties with their family and friends in Xinjiang in the mid 1980s. Since the fall of the Soviet Union, they have survived by working in the tenuous trade between Kazakhstan and their homeland in China. Caught between the politics of the Soviet Union, the Republic of Kazakhstan, and China, they dream of the establishment of a Uighur state in their homeland which will allow them to determine their own fate. [Central Asia]
90. Reds Paramount Communications Company, 1981
Reds is the story of the love affair of John Reed and Louise Bryant in a war-torn world and how the Russian Revolution shook their lives. Warren Beatty is John Reed, American Communist, journalist and activist who was buried in the Kremlin Wall. Diane Keaton is Louise Bryant, writer and feminist, whose love for Reed carries her across continents. Jack Nicholson is Eugene O’Neill, America’s greatest playwright, whose life intertwines romantically with Bryant’s.
91. A Triumph of Faith Artistic License Inc., 1999.
The Russian Christians’ annual pilgrimage is an unwavering testimony to the lasting endurance of faith, even in the face of harsh elements, political upheaval and a Communist government dedicated to the destruction of the church and the persecution of her people.
92. Opiates of the Masses Soviet filmmakers, 1983.
Although the Marxist utopia put a ban on religious expression, this film acts as if the practice of religion can make for a good communist. The battle between church and state was never more profound than in the Soviet block. This film, made just before the reforms of Gorbachev, seems to indicate that the churches were winning the battles. [Gorbachev]
93. Poland International Broadcast Productions Inc., 1999, 22 min.
This video will give you an insight into Poland’s most fascinating features, including magnificent monuments, intricately detailed architecture, priceless collections of art and picturesque landscapes. Stroll the streets of Warsaw and Krakow or taste the exhilaration of the Tatra Mountains and the Baltic Coast.
94 (CD-ROM) Poland: A Proud Heritage and a Great Future (CD-ROM) International Broadcast Productions, 1999
This CD-ROM is an interactive, fully-navigable multimedia product. Re-live Polish history, meet cultural figures, and enjoy the art, architecture, major cities, and natural wonders. Over 700 images of buildings, monuments, paintings, interesting people and breathtaking landscapes await you. The sights are enhanced by sound.
95 Citizen Kurchatov: Stalin’s Bomb Maker Brian Kaufman, 1999, 56 min.
This video unravels the mystery behind Kurchatov, the Soviet scientist. It explores how Kurchatov managed to survive the tyrannical demands and deadly whims of his bosses Joseph Stalin and security chief Lavrenti Beria-two of the most feared men in Russia. It examines the role that continued espionage played in Kurchatov’s scheme and why he used Gulag labor to build his plants and mine his uranium.
96 Boris Yeltsin: Biography A&E Home Video, 1998, 50 minutes
Peter Graves and Jack Perkins profile Russia’s former president Boris Yeltsin. The film includes exclusive interviews, new research, and rare documentary footage of this prominent political figure.
97 Rural Russia Artistic License Inc, 1999, 50 minutes
Survey of Russia’s remote countryside where there are no highways, shopping malls, airports, supermarkets, just family, friends, and 8,000,000 square kilometers of wilderness.
98 Joseph Brodsky: A Maddening Space Mystic Fire Video, 1995
This unique portrait of Nobel prize-winning poet, essayist and controversial former dissident Joseph Brodsky includes an overview of his troubled life in the Soviet Union, his emigration to the U.S. and his devotion to American literature, and is full of examples of both his poetry and his critical essays.
99 Peter the Great Discovery Channel School Series, 30 minutes, 1997
Peter the Great dragged Russia out of the Dark Ages and into the modern world by creating strategic political alliances that advanced its economic might. Discover how this great Russian monarch’s passion and perseverance spawned military victories, vibrant cities and a renewed national pride that made Russia a key player in a new world order. [Tsars]
100 Curriculum Workshop on Russian Politics and the 2000 Presidential Election, Russian and East European Center, University of Illinois, May 2, 2000.
Lynda Park presents the workshop and provides some of the lectures, with talks by Carol Less, Associate Professor of Political Science at U. Illinois, and by Michael McFall at Stanford. A well-organized video comparing Russia’s government structure and electoral system with that of the US; its political parties, major players, and campaign policies used in 2000. The bulleted summarized headings are a helpful touch; the video comes with a packet of articles and links.
101 Return of the Czar PBS Frontline Video, 60 minutes, 1999
After almost a decade after the fall of the Soviet Union, Russia is arguably freer than at any time in its history. But while the West has applauded the market reforms of the former President Boris Yeltsin, in Russia there has been collapse. As career KGB officer Vladimir Putin is set to ascend to Russia’s presidency. Frontline takes an in-depth look at what Russia has become and why.
102 The Making of Russia, 1480-1860 Landmark Films, 1999.
From the Viking expansion the first Russian dynasty was created. The rise of Muscovy and the later conquests of Siberia. In the 17th century, under Peter the Great St. Petersburg was built. Under Catherine the Great Russia developed into a power in the west. [Tsars] [St. P] [Siberia]
103 Assassination of Russia
Documentary about the Russian apartment explosions which were later blamed on Chechens. Covers the investigation and the questions which arose among the neighbors and the media. [Media] [ARA]
104 We’ll Live Till Monday 1968. 160 min.
Drama about social pressure and the definition of happiness, set in a school in Moscow. (Russian only).
105 Scarecrow 1985. 130 min.
Called the "Soviet Lord of the Flies", Scarecrow is a haunting film about a little girl who is ostracized by her cruel classmates. She learns about mob psychology the hard way, registering her bitter comprehension with a luminously expressive face. Not suitable for children. English subtitles.
106 America’s Impact on Russia Center for Defense Information, 1998. 27 min.
American experts describe Russian attitude changes toward our help and assistance and floods of consumer goods and popular culture.
107 All the Best from Russia MasterVision, 2000. 52 min.
The best in ballet, the best in folk-dancing, the best in all-round entertainment from inside Russia. Here are the Bolshoi Ballet and the Don Cossack dancers, the Armenian Folk Ensemble and the incomparable treasures in the fabulous Hermitage Museum, a variety of colorful, exciting entertainment. [Arts]
108 Boris Yeltsin: A Legacy of Change Films for the Humanities and Sciences, 2000. 87 min.
This program traces Yeltsin's climb to the top of the Communist Party, his personal power struggle with Gorbachev and his rocky Presidency. Interviews with opposition leaders as well as many of Yeltsin's top advisers, including Shevardnadze, Nemtsov and Yeltsin's wife, Naina, provide a candid appraisal of a man who changed the course of world history.
109 Beshkempir: The Adopted Son 1998. 81 min .
The first independent feature ever made in Kyrgyzstan, this film follows a boy living out a typical childhood, until he discovers one day that he is adopted. What sounds like a cliché takes on striking resonance here in a mostly pre-industrial society. Kyrgyz with English subtitles. [Central Asia]
110 Communism, National Geographic 1986. 27 min.
This film examines the theories, goals, history, and practice of Communism. It explores Marx’s and Engels’ criticisms of capitalism, Marx’s view of history, and his prediction that capitalism, by creating two opposing classes, would inevitably be destroyed by revolution and be replaced by a new economic system. The film also examines Yugoslavia as an example of a modern communist country. [Southeastern Europe]
111 Angel on the Right 2002, 88 min.
The film follows the fortunes of Hamro as he returns to his native country after 10 years spent living in Moscow. Having languished in a Russian jail for most of the time, the former criminal hopes to return to Tajikistan to help his ailing mother who is close to death. [Central Asia] [Feature Films] [DVD]
112 We Are All Neighbors Public Media, Films Incorporated Video, 1993, 52 min.
Anthropologist Tone Bringa tracks changes in friendships between Muslim and Croatian neighbor women, near Sarajevo. At first, the women agree warmly that politics can not divide them; that as Bosnians, with God’s will they will always share coffee visits, food, and mutual help. But as Muslim shops and homes are burned down and Muslim refugees arrive with tales of losing whole families, rituals change in only a few weeks. [Women] [Southeastern Europe]
113 Kolyma 1997, 2 hrs, 15 min. (3 videotapes, 45 min. each)
This documentary details the tragedy of Kolyma, considered the worst of the Soviet concentration camps, in which two million people lost their lives.
114 Kamchatka: Siberia’s Forbidden Wilderness, PBS, 2000, 60 min.
This episode, narrated by Linda Hunt, showcases the breathtaking landscape of the Kamchatka Peninsula. Located below the far eastern reaches of Siberia, Kamchatka is a study in contrasts. Covered by ice and permafrost year-round, it is also a place of hot springs, steaming geysers, and volcanoes. Abundant wildlife, from grizzly bears to sea lions, make the region home. The video captures the diverse animal and plant population on film. [Siberia]
115 Frontline: Russian Roulette PBS Video, 1984-1997, 60 min.
It has been eight years since the Cold War ended, but the threat of a nuclear nightmare may not be over. FRONTLINE investigates the security of the Russian nuclear arsenal. Interviews with US and Russian military commanders and scientists about the menacing potential for catastrophe in the former Soviet Union. Russian military officers also reveal how nuclear suitcase bombs may have gone missing, only to reappear later on the international Black market.
116 War and Peace, Vol. I-III PBS Home Video/ Sergei Bondarchuk, 1968, 6.5 hours.
Leo Tolstoy’s immortal epic about five families during the Napoleonic invasion of Russia is transported to the screen in a $100 million production. Filmed entirely in Russia over five years, Sergei Bondarchuk’s masterpiece features art treasures from 40 Russian museums, 2,000 different costumes, and 100,000 extras. English subtitles.
117 Russian-German War, I-III
A rare look at one of the worst horror stories in military history. Captured footage reveals the terror and awful slaughter of millions as two mighty armies clash on World War II's Eastern front. First, Hitler's troops advance into Russia, killing countless thousands. As the tide turns, huge numbers of Nazi soldiers freeze, starve, or commit suicide rather than surrender. Then Russia counterattacks, aiming directly for Berlin. There are 3 videos in the series:
- Breakout to Berlin
- Politics of Fear
- Killing Ground
118 Habiba: Sufi Saint from Uzbekistan "Where the Eagles Fly: Portraits of Women in Power" Documentary, 1995. 30 min.
Habiba is a Tabib, a Muslim healer, who belongs to the earliest Sufi "Chain of Mystic Transmission," a lineage of teachers whose main representative is the great master Bahaudin Nacksband. [Central Asia]
119 Antelope Roketchiki NOVA, 2001, 52 min.
This film looks at the modern day Russian military, in particular the Rocketchiki, controllers of poised nuclear missiles. It shows the closed city of Svetli where these elite officers and their family live in a relatively privileged environment. Military theorists contrast this lifestyle with the reality of the Russian economy and the aging equipment of the Russian military. The film leads towards but does not enter a discussion of the anti-missile defense shield.
120 Russia: Facing the Future 2001, 56 min.
Members of the Carnegie Corporation and other experts discuss Russia’s current situation. They talk about economic difficulties, nuclear power, war in Chechnya, daily hardships, and future possibilities.
121 Circus Mosfilm, 1936, 89 minutes
The film is part comedy, part melodrama. It chronicles the journey of an American woman from the USA to the USSR, from racist persecution to multi-ethnic tolerance, from bondage and fear to freedom and true love.
122 Here Comes the Eighth Day 2001, 50 min.
Here Comes The Eighth Day is a video devoted to exposing the chaos that exists in Russia after the fall of Communism as a viable social system. The semi-religious, semi-capitalistic, totally bureaucratic replacement that is trying to function under the constant protests of the Communist faithful make a visit to the local mental institution seem sane in comparison. One of the mental patients tells us he was a good sailor but the ship went to the wrong destination.
123 Russia in Ruins: Can the Nation Survive? 1998, 20 min.
Intended for high-school classroom audiences, each episode of NewsMatters offers 12 to 15 minutes of news on an important current issue. This particular episode examines the possible futures of the former Soviet Union. The tragic sinking of the submarine Kursk is used as a metaphor for larger issues. Is Russia still a world power? Do they need, or deserve western help?
124 Inside Afghanistan 1988, 56 min.
Inside Afghanistan looks at the other side of the Afghan civil war - at the Soviet-trained army officers and the urban elite who tried to Westernize their country on the Soviet model, and contrasts them with the feudal, clan-based Muslim villages. Thus the film breaks the stereotypes of Soviet "puppets" and heroic "Freedom Fighters" to give the viewer a deeper understanding of the continuing struggle for change in Afghanistan. [Central Asia]
125 Black Tulip 1988; 56 min.
Pacho Lane, with acknowledgments to Novosti Press Agency. Documentary about Russian recruits and their problems and losses after surviving Afghanistan, and about the families of those recruits who were killed. [Central Asia]
126 Stars’ Caravan 2000, 60 min.
Prior to the breakup of the Soviet Union, appointed projectionists would travel by foot or on horseback to hold special screenings of propaganda films and other approved movies for the people of Kyrgyzstan. The Stars' Caravan documents the efforts of one lone projectionist to carry on the old tradition, delivering the magic of movies to an audience hungry for cinema. Kyrgyz and English subtitles. [Central Asia]
127 Moon Heart: Tuvinian Shamans 1997
Tuva, located in the extreme environment at the center of Asia between the Siberian forests and the central Asian desert, is the setting for this exploration of the role of the shaman in ancient Tuvan culture. Centering on the shaman Moon Heart, the documentary explores his importance in the daily life of Tuvan culture. As he explains, "I dedicate my life to my gentle people who believe that I am the link between man and God; I am a poet, a priest, a healer, a foretell, a teacher, but mostly I am their friend."
128 Cold Summer of 1953 1988
A group of escaped criminals hides out in the remote wooded area of Siberia in this grim drama set in the summer of 1953. The gang makes their way to a small village where political prisoners Luzga and Kopalich wait to escape by boat. Luzga is a former Army scout who can barely hide his contempt of Josef Stalin, while Kopalich is a noted archaeologist. When the village is attacked by the marauding gang, the two political prisoners help defend the townsfolk against the bloodthirsty mob. The last feature for the popular actor Anatoli Papanov, it was seen by over 40 million people in the Soviet Union, making it the third most popular feature of 1988. This is one of the first perestroika films that showed political prisoners in a sympathetic light.
129 Russia: Land of the Tsars, Vol. I-IV
At the heart of this epic tale are the figures whose names have become legend: Ivan the Terrible, who expanded the empire at the rate of 50 miles -and innumerable lives - a day; Peter the Great, whose sweeping reforms westernized the nation; and Catherine The Great, whose rule was marked by conquest, change and controversy. Filmed on location throughout Russia, enriched by exclusive visits to important sites and museums, and filled with commentary from renowned scholars, this is a kaleidoscopic, captivating portrait of a land that has endured centuries of despair and rebellion, innovation and conflict. [Tsars]
130 Russian Ark, 2002
Told in one fluid shot, a tale which floats like a dreamlike journey through the majestic spaces of the Hermitage in St. Petersburg, engaging real and imagined characters from Russian and European history. The nameless protagonist, a 19th-century French diplomat, guides the audience through a lost, sumptuous dream that was the Enlightenment period. The film, staged among some of the Western Art tradition's greatest masterpieces, climaxes in a pageant of color, motion, and music. [St. P]
131 Inside Russia Charles A. Stuart, United States, 1941, 75 min
A complete survey of the Soviet Union prior to WW II, this rare film was completed only weeks before the German invasion of the USSR. [propaganda ]
132 Farewell 1992, 27 min.
A 90 year old man's emigration to Israel from his native shtetl in Bessabaria. Yakhnis' beautifully photographed film poetically captures the end of a rich Jewish heritage in Russia.
133 Close to Eden / Urga 109 min., 1992
This French and Russian co-production is set in contemporary times on the Steppes of Inner Mongolia. Gombo and Pagma are a husband and wife who live on the Steppes with their three children and a grandmother. The Chinese government has made an exception to the "one child" rule that applies to the rest of China, and allows families within the ethnic Mongolian minority to have two children. With three children already, Pagma knows that her third child will be disadvantaged, denied school and other government services. Their contact with the stranded and gregarious Russian truck driver, Sergei, provides obvious culture comparisons. Russian and Mongolian with English subtitles. 118 min. [Mikhalkov]
134 Russia: Hidden Memory
Folklorists Galina Syseova and Deirdre Paulsen travel to remote villages of Voronezh in southern Russia to record songs, rituals, celebrations, dances and stories that have endured despite decades of persecution by the Soviet government - but may instead be lost to time, as the last elderly villagers who remember the old Russia die out. The roles of women, religion and agricultural cycles are noted. [Religion] [Women]
135 Dans Grozny, Dans
Following a stubbornly ambitious youth dance troupe from the war-torn Chechen capital of Grozny, Dutch filmmaker Jos de Putter documents the lives of these children and their coach as they deal with the chaos surrounding them in his 2002 film Dans, Grozny, Dans. In the midst of preparing for their upcoming European tour, the traditional dance troupe and their coach Ramzan Akhamadov steadfastly prepare their folk dance routines under the constant threat of violence stemming from the ongoing Chechen-Russian conflict. Fully aware of their duties as Chechen representatives, the children journey forth on their performance tour with the hopes of convincing audiences that not all Chechens are separatist terrorists. [DVD] [Youth]
136 Families of Russia
Very nice visuals of ordinary kids (7 year old girl in the city, 10 year old boy in the country) going through an ordinary day with their families. [Youth]
137 Soloist
Clips of traditional Russian music and chanting are memorable in this story of a woman who dreams of being a singer of traditional music. She considers and re-considers options: two suitors, two careers, and a life on tour or a life at home with her daughter.
138 Small Favor 1984, 80 min.
A disillusioned pop star on a concert tour gradually reveals the secrets of his past as he attempts to deliver a package entrusted to him by a stranger on a train. Spurred on by a guilty conscience, he makes his way through a small provincial city and through incidents of mistaken identity to a woman whose life strangely mirrors his own.
139 Town of Rosi Belarus, 1983.
Papa Fedos Khodas and his feisty lifelong neighbor are losing their little homes and gardens and family cemetery, and are being moved to high-rise apartments. The village of Rosi, stork nests and all, is being bulldozed for a community center. Fedos, a widower, and his three sons make room for the new, while gracefully keeping their connections with nature, animals, sentimental dreams, neighbors, and one another.
140 Nameless Star
A magical stylized film about Romania between the wars, showing a courtly peaceful village and the many old-fashioned courtesies and eccentricities of the villagers, comfortably ensconced in a way of life that will soon vanish.
141 Peter and the Wolf
"Peter and the Wolf" is, of course, designed to introduce young people to the orchestra by telling a story using musical instruments. This collaboration between the European Chamber Music Orchestra and the Spitting Image puppets features Sting as the narrator. [Youth]
142 In the Name of Love
Several young "Russian mail order brides" are followed over a three year period as they meet, date, and, in some cases, marry the American men who found them through some of the 80 to 100 marriage agencies now available in the US and the former Soviet Union. [Women]
143 Nureyev: Dancing Through Darkness
Documents the final years in the life of the celebrated dancer Rudolf Nureyev. The film consists of archival footage of the man as well as interviews with those who knew him during this period. The film focuses on his continued attempts to dance at the highest caliber even though his body was deteriorating. [Arts]
144 Goodbye, Lenin!
The movie starts in East Germany before the fall of communism; our hero, Alex describes how his mother, a true believer in the communist cause, has a heart attack when she sees him being clubbed by police at a protest. She falls into a coma for eight months--during which the Berlin Wall comes down. When she awakens, her fragile health must avoid any shocks, so Alex creates an illusive reality around his bedridden mother to convince her that communism is still alive. [E. Europe]
145 Stranitsy Zhizni
MIT collection (Russian lectures on history/archit. from MIT)
NTSC, Russian, no subtitles
Tolstoy, childhood and youth, studies, Crimean War, major works.
146 Stranitsa Kamennoi Letopisi
MIT collection (Russian lectures on history/archit. from MIT)
NTSC, Russian, no subtitles
Art, archit, hist of 14th-18th Russian cities: Moscow, Kolomenskoye, Zvenigorod, Zagorsk, Rostov, Veliki, Vologda
147 Russkaya Arkhitektura XVIII Veka
MIT collection (Russian lectures on history/archit. from MIT)
NTSC, Russian, no subtitles
Art, archit, hist: St. P, Tsarskoye Selo, Peterhof, Pavlovsk
148 Kogda Molchat i Pesni i Predaniya
MIT collection (Russian lectures on history/archit. from MIT)
NTSC, Russian, no subtitles
“Ancient cities Pskov, Novgorod, Chernigov, Kiev” Art of 11th-12th C
149 Putin: Stairway to Power
This video traces the rise of Vladimir Putin from KGB agent in the USSR to president of the Russian Federation. Putin’s reactions to unrest in East Germany after the fall of the Berlin Wall, to the election of Boris Yeltsin, the war in Chechnya and terrorist attacks in Moscow are reviewed.
150 Joseph Stalin: Red Terror
One of the most ruthless dictators in history, this biography traces Stalin's life from humble beginnings in Georgia, to a stint in power that terrorized a nation and the world. Former President Mikhail Gorbachev is among the commentators offering insights into a dark page in Soviet history.
151 Schizo
Set in early 1990s Kazakhstan, the film centers on a 14-year-old nicknamed Schizo because of a mental handicap that makes him a little different from other kids. Schizo lives with his mother (Gulmara Jeralieva) and her lowlife boyfriend, Sakura (Eduard Tabyschev), who uses Schizo to lure men to fight in a dangerous bare-knuckle gambling ring. [Central Asia]
152 Volga, Volga
A Russian comedy directed by Grigori Alexandrov in 1937. It centers around a group of amateur performers on their way to Moscow to perform in a talent contest called the Moscow Musical Olympiad. Most of the action takes place on a steamboat traveling on the Volga river. [Feature Films]
153 Barber of Siberia 1999, 177 min.
Richard Harris stars as a foreign entrepreneur, who ventures to Russia in 1885 with dreams of selling a new, experimental steam-driven timber harvester in the wilds of Siberia. Julia Ormond portrays his assistant, who falls in love with a young Russian officer, played by Oleg Menshikov, and spends the next 10 years perfecting the harvester and pursuing her love, who has been exiled to Siberia. [Feature Films] [DVD] [Siberia]
159 Comrades,
8 videos.
- Baltic Chic/ Soldier Boy
- Steel Mill Sports/ Azerbaijan/ Dr. in Moscow
- October Harvest/ Dinara
- Jazz/ Trial of Tamara Russo
- Master of Samarkand
- Education of Rita/ Siberian Hunter
166 Shostakovich Against Stalin: War Symphonies 2005, 90 min.
Using archival footage, modern interviews with Purge survivors, musicians, composers and friends of Shostakovich, this 76-minute documentary paints a portrait of the repression, murder and totalitarianism of the Stalin regime during the years of the Purges and World War II, as well as the way the composer managed to remain physically and creatively alive in unthinkably trying circumstances, including the Siege of Leningrad. The Kirov orchestra performs Shostakovich’s wartime symphonies. [Arts] [WWII]
167 Catherine the Great PBS, 2006,
Based on the true story of a young girl who transformed herself from an obscure German princess into Russia's most powerful regent. As Tsarina, she is influenced by Western Democratic ideas and does much to strengthen Russia's standing in Europe. She has an astute intellect and is able to survive court intrigue to retain her crown. [History]
168 Nova: Soviet Science
NOVA takes a behind-the-scenes look at science and technology in the USSR, where the government is trying novel approaches in an effort to catch up with the West.
171 Russian Exploratory and Culture
[ARA]
172 Road to New York from Eastern Europe
This video traces the path of Jews who left Europe from 1880 to 1914 for a new life in the United States. It looks at what life was like in the European shtetls and explains the reasons Jews left for America. Using photos and narration, the film then illustrates what life was like when these Jews arrived at Ellis Island and settled on New York’s Lower East Side. [Religion]
174 Growing Old in Russia
This documentary goes to the beautiful Lake Baikal region of Russia. The rural area is still pristine and offers a respite from the faster-paced life in urban areas. Many of the young people have left for the city, and the filmmakers visit with the older generation left behind. Most remember the horror of World War II, when millions of Russians lost their lives to the invading German forces. They talk about those days, about who was lost and what remains. [WWII] [Siberia]
176 Russian Trinity
This PBS program looks at how three Russian institutions during this time created an odd balance between harsh government control and an appreciation of artistic beauty. Viewers will learn about Lubyanka, the headquarters of the secret police, the mighty Kremlin's government offices, and the Bolshoi Theater's unique respite from Stalin's terrors. [Arts] [Stalin]
177 Trans-Siberian Rail Journeys
A beautiful 2-hour look at the 6,000 mile, 7-day ride from Moscow to Beijing. [Siberia]
178 Tuvans of Mongolia
Documentary of the Tuvan herders of Mongun-Taiga. [Central Asia]
179 Siberiade, 3 videos
The small village of Yelan has lain hidden in the Siberian backwoods since time immemorial. Siberiade revolves around two families, the Solomins and the Ustyuzhanins, who live in Yelan and who have been feuding for as long as anyone can remember. The Solomins, tended to be quite wealthy, but the Ustyuzhanins poor, so that when the Russian Revolution comes along, the Solomins refuse to acknowledge it (Siberia was the White Army's centre of operations). Nikolai Ustyuzhanin is a lone warrior against them. However, it will take a new generation of the two families to resolve this conflict, and set all right. Towards the end of the film (the 1970s), Yelan is no longer a remote village, because the area is found to be full of oil, and this brings in new people, expansion, etc to it, which in itself causes problems. Nicole's trivia: the theme from the movie was covered by the Russian trance act PPK and, issued under the title ResuRection in August 2002, rocketed to #3 in the UK Singles Chart. [Siberia] [Feature Films] [Mikhalkov]
180 Burnt by the Sun 134 min., 1994. Studio Trite (Russia) & Camera One (France)
A beautifully filmed psychological mind game about Purge-era Stalinism as one large terrifying dysfunctional family. The plot recreates 24 hours of one perfect day at the end of summer, when “Uncle Mitya,” an old friend from the distant past, comes to call and to change the fate of an entire family. English subtitles. [Feature Films] [Academy Award] [Mikhalkov] [Stalin]
181 Prisoner of the Mountains
When an oddball pair of Russian soldiers are captured and taken prisoner by a Chechen father hoping to barter them for the release of his captive son, the two disparate hostages begin to develop an unexpected--and frequently humorous--bond of friendship. Inspired by the Leo Tolstoy novella "A Prisoner of the Caucasus." [Academy Award]
182 Gorbachev at HU: Looking Back on Perestroika
[Gorbachev]
183 Eisenstein and Stalin (60 minutes)
Drawing on sixty volumes of diaries and other recently revealed archival materials, this program presents the struggle between Joseph Stalin and Sergei Eisenstein, who fought for freedom of expression in a climate of exiles and executions. Rare clips of the preeminent Russian director’s controversial films—including the deleted Trotsky scene in October, the original ending of The General Line, and recovered footage from the banned Bezhin Meadow—and interviews with the director of the Eisenstein Museum, friends, associates, and former students underscore the coercive power of Stalin’s authoritarian regime. [Stalin] [Eisenstein]
186 Quenching the Thirst
In the Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan regions of the Ferghana Valley, some 60% of the population had no access to safe drinking water. After the fall of the Soviet Union, the valley was left with increasing poverty and unemployment. The Secretariat for Water established the “first community water management project” in the region; they enlisted an underutilized work force, women and children, to bring drinking water to 28,000 people in 6 villages. The agency built water systems, started hygiene education, and gave Micro Credits for women to start businesses. [Central Asia] [Women]
187 Secrets, Lies, and Atomic Spies
NOVA reveals startling new evidence that Soviet spies penetrated America's deepest secrets, including the Manhattan Project, in the 1940's. By cracking the code of Soviet diplomatic cables, the FBI was able to hunt down "atom spies" such as Klaus Fuchs and Julius Rosenberg. But the true "master spy," a physicist named Ted Hall, got away…[Cold War]
188 Long Road in the Dunes, 4 videos
A “drama of all-conquering devoted love, arising among sand dunes; its heroes carry on their feelings through all the difficulties and sorrows of the war years.” [Feature Films]
190 Afghanistan Revealed, National Geographic. English, 45 min., 2001.
Outline of events leading up to 9/11. Includes interviews with Ahmad Shad Massoud, assassinated on 9/9. Portrays Massoud as a positive leader, one who supports the American position. Be advised that the war footage can be graphic. [Central Asia]
191 Siege of Leningrad
Russian only. Contributed by HU scholar Nikita Lomagin. A documentary for Russian television, interviewing Lomagin and other experts. Sharp, crisp, with good edits and footage including German radio commentary from the war dubbed into Russian. [St. P] [WWII]
192 Silk Road Sounds
Accompanies Silk Road Project teaching resources, www.silkroadproject.com. [Central Asia]
193 Genghis Khan: Terror and Conquest A & E, 1996.
A&E Biography travels to Asia on the trail of the great conqueror and traces his exploits through extensive location footage, expert testimony and period art and artifacts. [Central Asia]
194 Secret Treasures of the Kremlin Zia Home Entertainment, 1998, 44 min.
Mr. Stuart Bromley arranged for the Kremlin to loan their Faberge pieces on a tour of Australia in 1996, for the 150th anniversary of Faberge's birthday. To celebrate, Channel TWV 7 brought their cameras into the Kremlin for a Faberge preview. [Arts]
195 Russia’s Last Tsar Nat Geo, 1995, 60 min.
Jeremy Irons narrates this examination of the reign of Nicholas II and Alexandra, from the founding of the Romanov regime to their execution during the Communist Revolution in 1918. Newly discovered family photographs and long-suppressed film footage is combined with personal recollections to recreate the gilded era. [Tsars] [Revolution]
196 Mr. West in the Land of the Bolsheviks Kino on Video, 1924.
An example of ironic Soviet propagandistic film from the silent era, this film chronicles the adventures of an American, "Mr. West," and his faithful bodyguard and servant Jeddie, as they visit the land of the horrible, evil Bolsheviks. Through various mishaps, Mr. West discovers that the Soviets are actually quite remarkable people, and, by the end of the film, his opinion of them has changed to one of glowing admiration! [Propaganda]
197 Storm Over Asia Kino on Video, 1997, 128 min.
1928 silent film about 1918 Civil War, and the nationalist racism that went with it. [WWI] [Central Asia]
198 Man With a Movie Camera Kino on Video, 1996, 60 min.
1929 film about filmmaking and capturing moments in life. [E. Europe]
199 Fall of the Romanov Dynasty Kino on Video, 1991, 90 min.
1927 silent film featuring footage of daily life from 1912-1917. [Tsars] [Revolution]
201 Ambassador Inside the Embassy National Geographic, 2002.
This exclusive documentary goes inside the U.S. embassies in Japan, Pakistan, and Guatemala. Learn about the process of maintaining international alliances through interviews with U.S. Ambassadors Wendy Chamberlin, Howard Baker, and Prudence Bushnell.
202 Red Flag: Communism in Russia (Series “People’s Century: Ordinary People, Extraordinary Times”)
Fine interviews with eyewitnesses of the storming of the Winter Palace, Lenin, and Stalin’s reforms and Purges. Young stars of the new Communist regime are featured in propaganda footage -- then interviewed in 1997 after being devastated by the Purges. These sharp-minded elders look back on their hopes, their terrible sufferings, and the lessons of history. [Revolutions] [Stalin]
204 Peter the Great: Tyrant Reformer A&E Bio, 50 min, 2000.
Peter the Great embodied vast contradictions befitting the massive country he ruled. Cultured and cruel, brutal and dedicated, tyrant and reformer, he lived life on a titanic scale and cast a shadow over his nation that lingers to this day. This biography draws on a vast collection of archival material and scholarly research to explore the life of the tsar who almost single-handedly modernized and Westernized his vast country. Examining the internal reforms he instituted and the wars he waged, as well as the life he led within the private chambers of his vast palaces, this is a captivating portrait of one of the most fascinating figures of all time. [Tsars]
205 Revolt of the Daughters-in-Law
A young man brings home his new wife. All of the family members live together under the leadership of the mother. The new wife's participation in gymnastics causes strife within the family. In Uzbek with English subtitles. [Central Asia] [Women]
206 Jazz Baby 2001. 20 min.
Jazz Baby is a twenty minute color video about the vocal training four children receive from their voice instructor in the city of Irkutsk, Russia. The children's' smiles and energy level while they practice are infectious. It is also enjoyable watching the children learn English pronunciation from the instructor when she herself does not speak the language. [Music] [Youth]
208 Russian Newspaper Murders "Wide Angle" series, WNET Thirteen New York, for PBS.
See Teacher's Guide, at http://www.pbs.org/wnet/wideangle/shows/russia/ A respectful contemporary treatment of Russian journalists and witnesses joining forces to think out the implications of two criminal cases, follow up on clues, sort through information, discuss their views, and draw their own conclusions. An inspiring tribute to the integrity of Russian journalists working under extreme pressure. [Media]
209 Media by Milosevic WNET, 2002. 57 min.
Slobodan Milosevic and his manipulation of television and radio to retain a grip on loyalty of Serbians. [Southeastern Europe]
210 Greetings from Grozny "Wide Angle" Television, WNET Thirteen for PBS.
A simple overview of the Chechen wars, and the magnitude of troops and casualties. The view of sides and factions conveys the terrible complexity of the war. www.pbs.org/wnet/wideangle/shows/chechnya/ [Caucasus]
230 Victims of the Russo-Chechen Conflict Catherine Osgood, 2003.
A glimpse into the living conditions of Civilians in Chechnya and Chechen refugees in the Pankisi Gorge. [Caucasus] [DVD]
233 Harvest of Despair (Ukraine Famine) International Historic Films, 1984.
This documentary from covers the Ukrainian famine of 1932-33, occurring during Stalin’s collectivization, including the breakup of individual farms. The film features interviews with eyewitnesses, reports from scholars, and graphic footage of the victims. [E. Europe]
234 Repentance Anchor Bay, 1987.
The day after the funeral of Varlam Aravidze, the mayor of a small Georgian town, his corpse turns up in his son's garden and is secretly reburied. But the corpse keeps returning, and the police eventually capture a local woman accusing her of digging it up. She says that Varlam should never be laid to rest, as when he was alive he was responsible for a Stalin-like reign of terror that led to the disappearance of many of her friends. [Stalin] [Georgia]
235 Genghis Blues New Video Group, 1999. 90 min.
The extraordinary odyssey of a U.S. musician of Cape Verdean ancestry to Tannu Tuva, in central Asia, where nomadic people throat sing more than one note simultaneously, using vocal harmonics. A bluesman, Paul Pena, blind and recently widowed, taught himself throat singing and was by chance invited to the 1995 throat-singing symposium in Kyzyl. Helped by the "Friends of Tuva," Pena makes the arduous journey. Singing in the deep, rumbling kargyraa style, Pena gives inspired performances at the festival, composes songs in Tuvan, washes his face in sacred rivers, expresses the disorientation of blindness in foreign surroundings, and makes a human connection with everyone he meets. [Central Asia] [Academy Award] [Documentary] [Music]
236 Russian Painters, Kultur Video, 2002. (3 videos, 50 min each.)
[Arts]
1. The Classic Years: As a serious artistic activity, Russian painting really dates only from the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. As the Russian Symbolist poet Alexander Blok put it, "Russian culture is a combination of cultures, we are a new country" Blok¹s new country was actually synthetic and coldly calculated, created at the beginning of the eighteenth century with Peter the Great¹s westernization of Old Russia. This had often been carried out with great brutality, as had Peter's introduction of western culture, art and architecture. Russian society was originally tribal and backward; its art was either primitive and decorative or religious. This episode presents numerous examples of paintings from this unique period in Russian history.
2. The Impressionist Years: Impressionism is not the completion, but the dying of the old art and the birth of a new art; the art of the continuously regenerating youth of the painter, artist and culture. Impressionism and Symbolism can be complete styles, or they can borrow from each other and from other tongues. Just as Symbolism embraces the period of Russian painting from Ilya Repin to Boris Grigoriev, so too does Impressionism shine its direct or diffused light on Vasily Polenov, Wassily Kandinsky, and Konstantin Korovin. It encompasses the earthy expressiveness of Philipp Malyavin, the decorative Fauvism of Mikhail Larionov, and the Primitivism of Natalia Goncharova. It also includes those who would later be called Rayonists, Cezannists, Cubists, and Suprematists.
3. The Years of Art Nouveau: In the first decade of the twentieth century Russian painting opened up like a bursting dam, behind which had massed all the current revolutionary art movements of Europe. On one hand it developed a version of art nouveau, on another it became involved with theatre, set decoration, and book design. Artists such as Alexander Benois, Kazimir Malevich, and Marc Chagall took other personal directions. Groups emerged with names like the Blue Rose, the Link, the Triangle and the World of Art, and there were Russian versions of the Symbolists. Some of these were to become international figures in twentieth century art, and in a couple of decades Russian art was to take an honored place in the world.
