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Thursday,
December 4 –
Saturday,
December 6
Envisioning
Russia: Commemorating the Centenary of Russian Filmmaking
 Although
early film shows took place in Russia soon after the invention
of cinema, continuous serious production was not established
until 1908. Honoring this anniversary, we explore a sampling
of work from Mosfilm, the largest and most productive studio
during the Soviet era and Russia's most important film institution
today. Started as the state film factory, Mosfilm was the USSR's
Hollywood, creating and hosting the most popular stars, producing
the most lavish productions and generally setting the pace for
Soviet filmmaking.
Envisioning
Russia is a presentation of Seagull Films and The Film Society
of Lincoln Center in cooperation with Mosfilm. Special thanks
to Karen Shakhnazarov. Curated by Alla Verlotsky and Richard
Pena.
Thursday, December
4 at 7pm
The
Cranes Are Flying (Letyat zhuravli)
dir.
Mikhail Kalatozov, USSR, 1957, 35mm, 98 mins, b/w, Russian w/
English subtitles
 No
other work more powerfully symbolized the coming of the Khrushchev
"thaw" in Soviet culture than Kalatozov's masterpiece,
winner of the 1958 Golden Palm at Cannes. In a tale of wartime
love and loss, Veronika and Boris look forward to a life together,
but then war breaks out. He heads off to the front while she
stays behind. Buoyed by extraordinarily vibrant camerawork,
a tale of star-crossed lovers becomes the story of a nation. –
Richard Pena
Friday,
December 5 at 7pm
The
New Moscow (Novaya Moskva)
dir.
Alexander Medvedkin, USSR, 1938, 35mm, 80 mins, b/w, Russian
w/ English subtitles
 Little
known even inside Russia, The New Moscow is an eye-popping
amalgamation of country comedy, musical romance and science
fiction. Alyosha, a young designer working in Siberia, creates
a “living model” of what Moscow will be like in a future imagined
by Stalin. Medvedkin’s willingness to mix popular culture with
avant-garde techniques looks back to an earlier period of Soviet
life even as the film envisions an impossibly bright, technologically
advanced future for all. – Richard Pena
Saturday,
December 6 at 5pm
The
Letter Never Sent (Neotpravlennoye pismo)
dir.
Mikhail Kalatozov, USSR, 1959, 35mm, 97 mins, b/w, Russian w/
English subtitles
 A
guide and three geologists search for diamonds the virgin forests
of Central Siberia. But success comes at a price: before returning
to civilization, they are trapped by a vast forest fire. Probably
no other film inspires more cries of "How'd they do that?”
– visuals are spectacular and scenes of the forest fire simply
unforgettable. – Richard Pena
Saturday,
December 6 at 7pm
Sadko
dir.
Aleksandr Ptushko, USSR, 1952, 35mm, 90 mins, color, Russian
w/ English subtitles
 A
true cinema of enchantment, with every character, object and
background alive with wondrous possibilities. The Arab seafarer
Sinbad is Sadko, a medieval Russian adventurer who sets out
in search of true happiness, something he's sure must exist
in some far-off land. Traveling to every exotic corner of the
globe and to a sprawling undersea kingdom, he finally returns
to the arms of his beloved Lubava. Sadko was purchased
by Roger Corman, who released the film as The Magic Voyage
of Sinbad. – Richard Pena
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