Slavic Language Resources
See Also: Audiocassettes | Feature Films/Documentaries
Feature Films/Documentaries
Alexander Nevsky
Sergei Eisenstein. 1 VHS cassette (112 mins.) : B&W. Russian with English subtitles, Feature film. USSR, 1938. Actors: Nikolai Cherkassov, Nikolai Okhlopkov, Andrei Abrikosov, Dmitri Orlov.
"The first sound film by one of the medium's greatest creative giants, Sergei Eisenstein's 'Alexander Nevsky' has profoundly influenced generations of directors from John Ford to George Lucas -- particularly with its breathtaking battle scenes. Commissioned by Stalin in 1938 to create 'a patriotic weapon' to stir Soviet sentiment against a threatened invasion by Germany, Eisenstein turned to the legen of the 13th century Russian prince who defeated an army of marauding Teutonic Knights during a titanic clash on the frozen Lake Peipus. A towering historical epic matched in passion and grandeur by Sergei Prokofiev's equally famous score, 'Alexander Nevsky' has long outlived its original propagandistic purpose to become an acknowledged classic of the world cinema." (from the video jacket).
Anna Akhmatova File, The
Semeon Aranovitch. 1 VHS cassette (65 mins.) : color. Russian with English subtitles, Documentary. USSR, 1989.
"More than a simple portrait of the major 20th century poet, The Anna Akhmatova File is the moving and powerful examination of a violent century. In this documentary drama- more engaginig than if it had been fiction- a sensitive, lyrical and much loved poet, Anna Akhmatova, stands up to the brutal oppression of Josef Stalin. Through extraordinary interviews and rare film footage and Photographs, filimmaker Semeon Aranovitch examines the soul of a contradictory age in which Akhmatova- whose work went unpublished for 17 years- became the conscience of a generation. Her poem 'Requiem' became the underground anthem for the millions who suffered under Stalin." (from the video jacket)
Balada o soldate(Ballad of a Soldier)
Grigori Chukrai. 1 VHS cassette (85min) : BW. Russian with English subtitles, Feature film. Russia, 1959. Actors:Vladimir Ivashov, Shana Prokhorenko.
"Ballad of a Soldier, an award winning drama set during Worl War 2, is a simple and moving tale about a young soldier whose courageous action disabling a tank is rewarded with a ten day leave to visit his mother. His journey home leads him through the war torn countryside and he witnesses the devastation of war--how it breaks lives apart and brings people together. He travels for several days with a young woman he meets in an empty railway car. They fall in love and vow to meet when the war is over." (from the video jacket)
Ballad of a soldier see: Balada o soldate.
Baryshnikov at Wolf Trap
The Greater Washington Education Telecommunications Assoc., Inc. 1 VHS cassette (50 mins.): color. English, Documentary. USA, 1976.
"Baryshnikov's American television debut! This 1976 live performance showcases the incredible Mikhail Baryshnikov, at the peak of his talents, shortly after arriving in the West. The video features Baryshnikov in solos and pas de deux with a variety of ballerinas including Gelsey Kirkland, his first great U.S. partner. The program also includes Misha's spectacular leaps and spins in 'Don Quixote'. This is the live event Baryshnikov's fans have been waiting for!" (from the video jacket).
Behind Kremlin Walls
ABC News MPI Home Video Presentation. 1 VHS cassette (80 mins.) : color. English, Documentary. USA, 1990.
"This historic, highly collectible special examines the Kremlin from its beginnings as a fortified city in czarist Russian to its transformation from a museum piece to the seat of modern-day Soviet government. Diane Sawyer and Sam Donaldson guide you on a tour of some of the magnificent palaces and cathedrals within the Kremlin, including the Grand Kremlin Palace- the immense palace built by Nicholas I with its famed entrance, the Red Staircase; and Terem Palace- the home of the first Russian czar, Ivan the Terrible..." (from the video jacket)
Broder Street
Aleksander Ford. 1 VHS cassette (122 mins.) BW. Polish with English subtitles. Poland, 1948.Actors: Maria Broniewska, Mieczyslawa Cwiklinska, Jerzy Leszezynski, Tadeusz Fijewski.
"The lives of several families from different social classes in a neighbourhood of pre-war Warsaw are changed by tragic events of a period. The respected doctor's family has to move into the Jewish ghetto, the father of an upper-class family joins the Resistance, and another family becomes pro-Nazi. The film climaxes with the Warsaw ghetto uprising. One of the first of a serious of Polish films that emerged from the rubble of the war." (from the video jacket)
Cranes are Flying, The
Mikhail Kalatozov.1 VHS cassette (94 mins.) BW. Russian with English subtitles. Russia, 1957. Actors: Tatiana Samoilova, Alexei Batalov. Feature Film.
"Set during World War II, THE CRANES ARE FLYING is the tragic story of youthful love shattered by war. Two young lovers, Boris and Veronica, are certain they will marry and live happily ever after. But Boris volunteers for the army. During the grim days that follow, Veronica's parents are killed in an air raid, she moves in with Boris' family, and is seduced by Boris' cowardly cousin. Boris and Veronica, irrevocably seperated, try to maintain the dream that someday they will be reunited. Kalatozov (TRUE FRIENDS, THE LETTER THAT WAS NEVER SENT) directs in a visually extravagant style. The film is also distinguished by extraordinary performances, especially that of Tatiana Samoilova, who succeeds in constantly engaging our sympathy." (from the video jacket)
Discovering Russia
International Video Network. 1VHS cassette (60mins):color. Documentary, English.
"After countless rulers, revolutions, and seven tumultuous decades of Communist domination, Russia remains a land of ancient tradition and rapid change. Witness sights that have captivated travellers for centuries -- from bejeweled icons, golden churches and towering kremlins to the rugged Ural mountains and the vastness of Siberia. Explore the European city of St. Petersburg -- home to the bubbling fountains, the 1,000-room Winter Palace, and the seemingly endless white nights of summer. Visit Red Square and Lenin's mausoleum in Moscow. See the changes that free enterprise is bringing, such as freedom in the arts and a boom in restaurants. Lose your heart to Russia with its turbulent history and remarkable endurance of the human spirit." (from the video jacket)
Eroica
Andrzej Munk. 1 VHS cassette (80 mins.) : B&W. Polish with English subtitles, Feature film. Poland, 1959. Actors: Edward Dziewonski, Kazimierz Opalinski, Leon Niemszyk. " A bitter comedy about war heroism." (from the video jacket)
From Czar to Stalin
1 VHS cassette (93 mins.) : B&W. English. Documentary. USA, 1987. "Written by history. Drama and suspense beyond fiction."
Gielgud's Chekhov 1-3
Sir John Gielgud-Mastervision Arts Series. 3VHS cassettes B/W. Russian/English. Teleplay, USA. ISBN#:1-55919-123-6.
"In Sir John Gielgud's admirable pairing, THE WALLET and REVENGE, the incomparable Chekhov goes to the wellspring of human emotions as he examines the themes of avarice and revenge, two classic emotions as old as mankind, as contemporary as today, both treated in a style comparable to Stendahl's." (from the video jacket)
Gorod Zero (Kroopnie plan)
Kinovideobedinyeniye "Kroopnie plan." 1 VHS cassette (98 mins.) : color. Russian feature film, no subtitles. Russia and satelite nations, 1997.
"Otpravshis v komandirovkoo, gyeroih filma nyeozhidanno popadayet v fantasticheski gorod. On ochen pohozh na nash mir, tolko skritaya absurdnost povsednevnoih zhizni z des stala yavnoih. Gorod zero otkrivayet geroyu odnoo tainoo za droogoih, ie vyernootsya v privooichnooyu realnost stanovitsya vsye troodnyei. . . " (from the video jacket)
Great crimes and Trials of the Twentieth Century: The Massacre of the Tsar. Stalin and Katyn
1 VHS cassette (52 min.) : color. English, documentary. USA, 1992-1993.
- The Massacre of the Tsar and the Imperial Royal Family 1917
Revolution erupted in Russia and the reign of the Tsars,absolute rulers for more than two centuries, was over. Czar Nicholas II, hated for his inefficiency and for his close association with the 'mad monk' Rasputin, was taken prisoner with his wife and five children. They were held captive but this powerful family was too dangerous to be left alive. In July 1918, at Ekaterinburg, the Imperial family was suddenly slaughtered.
- Stalin and Katyn
A complete and thorough look at one of the most ruthless monsters in modern history, and more specifically one of his most heinous crimes on record- the massacre of 3,000 Polish soldiers at the Hill of Goats in Katyn Forest. Sensational and riveting footage documents the initial investigation, grisly exhumation of the bodies and over forty years of debate and speculation in the 1940's, few , while a ruthless leader, was capable of authorizing such a murderous act. (from the video jacket)
Happiness
Alexander Medvedkin. 1 VHS cassette (65 mins.) : B&W. Russian with English subtitles, Feature film. USSR, 1934.
"Subtitled 'A Tale of Hapless Mercenary Loser, his Wife Anna, his Well-Fed Neighbor Foka and also of a Priest, a Nun and Other Old Relics,' 'Happiness' was banned in the Soviet Union for forty years. The film, based on old folklore, is layered with outrageous satire and warmly infectious laughter. Drawing from the depths of Russian culture, Medvedkin brought humor to the Revolution. Featured are bad tempered polka-dotted horses, magic food, a walking barn, nuns with see-through tunics and much more. Sergei Eisenstein was a great admirer of Medvedkin and particularly liked this work. He wrote, 'A magnificent film...Today, I have seen how a Bolshevik laughs!' It took over forty years for Stalin's ban to life, allowing us to see the reason why." (from the video jacket)
I Was Stalin's Bodyguard
Semeon Aranovitch. 1 VHS cassette (73 mins.) : color. Russian with English subtitiles, Documentary. USSR, 1990.
"Aranovitch found the last surviving personal bodygurad of Stalin, who began to work for him in the 1930's. 'I Was Stalin's Bodyguard' weaves together unprecedented, first-hand testimony with rare film footage, including Stalin's home movies. What emerges is a single portrait of a violent and complex era during which Stalin consolidated his power through brutal oppression, and yet lead the Soviet Union to victory in World War II." (from the video jacket)
I Worked For Stalin
Semeon Aranovitch. 1 VHS cassette (67 mins.) : B&W and color. Russian with English subtitles, Documentary. USSr, 1990.
"Focusing on the "oligarchs" or strong men who "ran" the Soviet state and the reign of terror for Stalin, Aranovitch charts their diabolical power games with often astonishing revelationa about the individuals responsible for the fate of millions." (from the video jacket)
Inner Circle, The
Andrei Konchalovsky. 1 VHS cassette (139 mins.) : color. English, Feature film. USA, 1992. Actors: Tom Hulce, Lolita Davidovich, Bob Hoskins.
"He was neither a soldier nor a spy, but the KGB made Ivan Sanshin a witness to history. For fifty years he has waited to tell his true story... A wrenching love story with the power and epic sweep of Dr. Zhivago, The Inner Circle is an indelibale account of two ordinary Russians trapped inside the most brutal regime in history." (from the video jacket)
Ivan the Terrible:parts 1&2
Sergei Eisenstein.VHS.85 mins.BW and Color.Russian with English subtitle.1990.
Part 1: (no info)
Part 2 of Eisenstein's grand vision of Tsar Ivan's struggle to wrest power from the Boyars, and the treachery he encounters when they conspire against him brings the elements of the first film to a more complex level. Part 2 is drama of the highest order--Ivan, like Hamlet, seems weak and indecisive in dealing with the conspiracy; then, as his suspicions mount to an almost paranoid intensity, he surrounds himself with an elite guard (the "oprichniki") and launches a reign of terror against his enemies.
Joseph Brodsky: A Maddening Space
The New York Center for Visual History. 1 VHS cassette (60 mins.) : color. English, Documentary. USA , 1991.
"A lifelong outsider, Joseph Brodsky (1940- ) was a disciple of Anna Akhmatova. The most apolitical poet of the period, he was perceived by the Communist government as subversive, and imprisoned, confined to mental hospitals, and sentenced to forced labor. In 1972 he was allowed to emigrate to the U.S. on the condition that he never return. Over drinks with Derek Walcott, the Nobel laureates share memories and observations. Brodsky talks about exile and how he coped with his ordeals. Interwoven are inteviews with scholars and those who knew him in Russia, as well as readings of his powerful poetry." (from the video jacket)
Kin-dza-dza(Kroopnie plan)
Kinovideobedinyeniye "Kroopnie plan". 1 VHs cassette (127mins):color. Russian feature film, no subtitles. Russia and satelite nations, 1996. "Spetsalni priz za izobrazityelnooyooh kontseptsiyooh na mezdynarodnom kinofectivalye v Rhio-De-Zhanyero (1987)." (from the video jacket)
Kontract
Krzysztof Zanussi. 1 VHS cassette (114 mins.) : color. Polish, Feature film. Poland, 1988.
"This picture, written and directed by Zanussi is a criticism of certain groups of Polish society represented by the family of a highly rspected cardiologist and a provincial dignitary. The two famlies are linked by the marital contract of their offspring." (from the video jacket)
Kremlin, The
George A.Vicas. 1 VHS cassette (60 mins.) Color. English.
"The heart of Soviet Russia, the center of the Communist World is embodied in the Kremlin. Now for the first time ever, an American film crew is granted permission to enter and discover the rich treasures and history of the government and system whose ideology has swept half the modern world. From it's early beginnings to it's present base of power, this fascinating look at the Kremlin comes to us from award winning filmmaker Lucy Jarvis and told through actual Kremlin officials." (from the video jacket)
Luna Park
Pavel Loungine. 1 VHS cassette (105"):color. Russian with English subtitles, Feature Film. Russia, 1991. Actors: Oleg Borisov, Andrei Goutine, Natalie Egorova.
"A breathtaking Felliniesque rollercoaster ride through post-Communist Russia, Luna Park takes us into the heart of an encroaching darkness. Andrei is the leader of a gang of right-wing, body-building skinheads who are determined to 'clean up' Russia -- by beating up Jews, foreigners, and anyone else they disapprove of. When, to his shock, the anti-semitic Andrei learnse that his father is actually a celebrated Jewish composer, he sets off on a frantic search through Moscow to find him. From the award-winning director of Taxi Blues comes an intense, moving tale of a young man coming to terms with his past, in a country spinning dangerously out of control."(from the video jacket)
Master & Margaret:parts 1-4
Maciej Wojtyszko.VHS.Part 1:105 mins.Color.Polish with English subtitles.1990. Actors:Gustaw Holoubek, Zbigniew Zapasiewicz, Wladyslaw Kowalski, Anna Dymna, Tadeusz Bradecki, Jan Jankowski.
"A four-part tv fil escaping any genre classification, based on a famous literary masterpiece by Mikhail Bulghakov, a Soviet writer who for much of his lifetime has been disallowed to publish his works. An artist who in the words of a literary critic, Andrzej Drawicz , " has been treated in a very refined way by his capricious fate, saving him from the fatal blows but putting under constant pressure and menace" and for whom his work has become his private literary fight with the surrounding reality. Master and Margaret is not only a story of devils visiting (soviet and anti-religious) Moscow, of true and victorious love, of Jesus meeting Pontius Pilate...--above all it is an existing proof of a great and praiseworthy belief that the world after all, is not so bad, and the people, if only given a chance are simply good." (from the video jacket)
Man of Iron
Andrzej Wajda. 1 VHS cassette (140 mins.) : color. Polish with English subtitles, Feature film. Poland, 1981.
"Wajda tells his story through the eyes of an alchoholic TV journalist who's ordered to smear one of Solidarity's key figures, the "man of Iron." His investigation results in a series of flashbacks, including some rare footage of the abortive 1968 and 1970 strike attempts, that give us a fascinating and heartfeltpicture of this turbulent picture of Poand's history." (from the video jacket)
Man of Marble
Andrzej Wajda. 1 VHS cassette (160 mins.) : color and B&W. Polish with English subtitles, Feature film. Poland, 1976.
"Winner of the prestigious international Critics Prize at Cannes, 'Man of Marble', like 'Citizen Kane', takes the form of an investigation into a man's life through recollections of several characters. A filmmaker uncovers the explosive facts behind a once-celebrated worker's elevation to 'stardom', his subsequent downfall and disgrace, and his eventual disappearance. A political portrait painted on an epic scale, Wajda's film reveals the opportunism of the '70s through an examination of the injustices of the '50s in Stalinist Poland." (from the video jacket)
Moon Heart
The Magical World of Tuvian Shamans. see Where the eagles fly.
Mother, The
Vsevolod Pudovkin. 1 VHS cassette : B&W. Silent with English titles, Feature film. USSR, 1926. Based on Maxim Gorky's novel of the same title.
People's Gala Concert
Semyon Aranovich.VHS.143 mins.Color.Russian with English subtitle. 1992.
"People's Gala Concert unrelentingly probes the forbidden subject of anti-Semitism during the final years of Stalin's bloody regime." (from the video jacket)
Savoniha
A Siberian old believer. see Where the eagles fly.
Shadows of Forgotten Ancestors
Sergei Parajanov. 1 VHS cassette (99 mins.) : color. Ukrainian with English subtitiles, Feature film. USSR, 1964.
" ...(T)he tragic tale of star-crossed lovers seperated by a family feud. Sergei Parajanov, a persecuted filmmaker whose subequent works were banned, interweaves dazzlimg visual imagery with a hypnotic musical score to tell the heartbraking story of Ivan and Marichka, whose love blooms, only to brutally die, in the remote Carpathian Mountains of medieval Russia.
Shtetl
Frontline, WGBH. 2 VHS cassettes (180 mins.) : color. English, Documentary. USA, 1996.
"On November 8, 1942, Nazi soldiers rounded up the Jews living in a shtetl, a small village, in Bransk, Poland, and ordered the town's farmers to provide horse wagons to transport them to a nearby train station. Within twenty-four hours, 2,2500 Jews from Bransk died in Treblinka's gas chambers. Their shtetl died with them. 'Frontline' embarks on a 3 hour quest to uncover the true story of Jewish life in Bransk, before and after the war. Starting as a pilgrimage by a Holocaust survivor from Bransk touncover his roots, the quest is joined by a young Polish Gentile historian from Bransk who is also driven to discover the mystery of the lost Jewish community. A haunting account of the tragedy and its legacy emerges as townspeople from Branks and Polish-Americans, both Jew and Gentile, share their photographs and stories. Today in Bransk, there are no Jews and many residents choose to forget. Interviews in America with immigrants from Bransk create a vivid portrait of a lost community and continuing conflict over who should take responsibility. An unusual and important film, Shtetl is a universal tale of Jews and those who lived around them, and the controversy over the consequences of their tragic history." (from the video jacket)
Solaris
Andrei Tarkovsky, 1971. 167"(color), 2 VHS cassettes.
"A science fiction cult classic, Solaris is a mesmerizing and poetic masterpiece that can be viewed in its original and unedited entirety. From a futuristic orbiting space station come reports of strange behavior and unexplained hallucinations from the cosmonauts who inhabit it. The mind bending images and altered consciousness surrounding Solaris seem to emanate form the planet itself as it communicates with its visitors. The surreal and intriguing images create a psychological thriller unlike any other movie you've ever experienced." (from the video jacket)
Soviet secret archives: Red Army Chronicles. Vol I
Castle Communications PLC. 1 VHS cassette (52 mins.) : color and B&W. English, Documentary, 1992.
"Empowered by Lenin and created by Trotsky, The Red Army became one of the Soviet's most powerful forces. Witness Stalin's infamous purges of tens of thousands of his military officers, ruthless Civil War battlefield clashes between The Red Army and White Russian troops, bloody conquests in Manchuria, and the devastating loss of 70,000 troops in the Finnish war where the exposure of weaknesses in Soviet military performance prompted Hitler's attack on the USSR.series was created alongside respected Soviet historians and contains dazzling rare and never-before-seen footage." (from the video jacket)
Soviet secret archives: Red Aviator Chronicles. Vol. I
Castle Communications PLC. 1 VHS cassette (52 mins.) : color and B&W. English, Documentary, 1992.
"Rare and never-before-seen footage of the 11-2 (a plane that flew so low the dust and snow it churned up acted as camouflage), dog fights over Stalingrad between German Messerschmitts and YaK-9s, and the infamous Maxim Gorky, a 42 ton behemoth with a 200 foot wingspread are but a small portion of this ground-breaking video. Witness Russia's emergence into aviation from its first full-scale airplane in 1882 through WWII where it destroyed 57,000 German aircraft. This is one of the most important series on Soviet history ever produced." (from the video jacket)
Soviet secret archives: Red Navy Chronicles
Castle Communications PLC. 1 VHS cassette (52 mins.) : color and B&W. English, Documentary, 1992.
"In 1834 Russia invented the first metal submarine, their first step in becoming one of the world's greatest naval powers. Witness the amazing 1928 rescue of Umberto Novella nad his expedition by Russian seamen aboard the icebreaker Krasid; dramatic footage of the Chalouskin as walls of ice crush and sink its metal hull; battles with the mighty Japanese armada; and the introduction of nuclear submarines and their powerful cousins, the aircraft carrier. Called one of the greatest documentary series created this decade, Soviet Secret Archives' rare and never-before-seen footage is amazing to watch." (from the video jacket)
Tailor,The(with Early on Sunday)
Vladislav Mirzoyan / Murat Mamedov.VHS.50mins/16 mins.Color.Soviet languages with English subtitle. 1988.
- The Tailor
Sobering look at the spiritual void and disillusionment of the current generation of middle- aged adults. They entered life with faith in their destiny and in love. But by the dawn of the Brezhnev years, they were aged before their time, having lost the opportunity for creative self-realization. - Early on Sunday
A simple, endearing film. On a Sunday morning in winter 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.
Taxi Blues
Pavel Lounguine, 1990. (110 mins.) Color, 1 VHS cassette.
"TAXI BLUES is a sexy, subversive up-to-date peek at a face of Russia never before seen in movies. The Story centers on a hard-working, patriotic taxi driver who starts to go over the edge when he meets up with a flaky, westernized, Jewish jazz musician who represents everything the taxi driver despises...and secretly desire. Filled with offbeat humor and irony, TAXI BLUES captures a Russia populated with boozers, punks, hustlers, and black marketeers - an unforgettable, exhilarating vision of a society at war with itself and coming apart at the seams."(from the video jacket)
This is How We Live(with Homecoming)
Vladimir Oseledchik / Tatyana Chubakova.VHS.30 mins/17 mins.Color/BW. Soviet languages with English subtitle.
"'This is How We Live: A shocking look at the alienation of many Soviet young people. The ugliest of them are homegrown fascists who happily introduce us to their program for reconstructing society through sterilization. One self-styled 'punk' says: 'They turn us into robots. We can't think like we want.'
Homecoming: Veterans of the Soviet involvement in Afghanistan returned home with unresolved feelings about a demoralizing and unpopular war. 'Nobody asked my generation whether we should have this war or not,' one veteran remarks bitterly in this film, the first to document the human impact of the Afghan war." (from the video jacket)
To See Paris and Die
Alexander Proshkin.VHS.110 mins.Color.Russian with English subtitle.Russia 1993. Actors:Tatyana Vasilyeva.
"Set in the Soviet Union of the 1960's To See Paris and Die gives us a chilling picture of the self- loathing and paranoia that can result from officially sanctioned oppression. Elena Orekhova is focused on only one goal: for her gifted son, Yuri, to be sent by the Sovie government to study piano in Paris. But there is a secret that could undermine Elena's efforts, a secret she has worked very hard to keep: Yuri is Jewish. Elena is engaged in an obsessive campaign to make sure Yuri is chosen, whatever the costs. In a bravura performance that won her a Russian Oscar, Tatyana Vasilyeva as Elena brings the viewer face to face with this question: In a climate of political and religious repression, what actions--whether based on love or self-interest--can be considered just?" (from the video jacket)
Volsheybnik Izoozhroobnovo Goroda
Kinovideobedinyeniye "Kroopnie plan." 2 VHS cassettes (94"):color. Animated, Russian, no subtitles. Russia, 1997.
Wedding, The
Andrzej Wajda. 1 VHS cassette (110 mins.) Color. Polish with English subtitles. Poland 1972.
"Critics said that Wajda had achieved the impossible in bringing one of the greatest national dramas to the screen. A bitter tale of the marriage of an intelligent mana to a peasant, their opposing views, the artist's inability to find a place for himself in the world and fruitless dreams of freedom. The success of this film at home and abroad once again emphasized the talent and imagination of it's director." (from the video jacket)
Where the eagles fly: portraits of women of power: Savoniha: A Siberian old believer
Costanzo Allione and Mystic Fire Video. 1 VHS cassette (30 mins.) : color. English, Documentary. USA, 1997.
"'Forgiveness allowed me to enjoy the autumn of my life. Forgiveness is not merely a word, a prayer pronounced with our lips, it is something we conquer inside ourself. Forgiveness set me free; everything gains a less distinctive shape, each thought is softer and passing by my heart it doesn't hurt my feelings.' Savoniha belongs to the 'Old Believers', a sect of the Russian Orthodox Church who was exiled to Buryatia, Siberia, many centuries ago. Along the centuries they never ceased to be persecuted, Savoniha, 95 years old when this film was made, witnessed Stalin'santi-religious campaign loosing[sic] her father, one of the main spiritual representatives of the Siberian Old Believers. 'People now come to me asking for help: I speak to them, my words flow like a river soothing their pain. I am amazed, and with my thought I go back to the One who speaks through my tongue. Many ask for advice as if I might have accumulated a treasure that I can pull out to relieve other beings. But I see no bag! I only see a small key that allows me to talk like a bird to the sky.'" (from the video jacket)
Where the eagles fly: portraits of women of power: Moon Heart: the magical world of Tuvian shamans
Costanzo Allione and Mystic Fire Video. 1 VHS cassette (30 mins.) : color. English, Documentary. USA, 1997.
"'When I accepted my destiny as a shaman the spririts of my ancestors taught me the cosmic origin of man and nature and about our father the Eternal Blue Sky and our Mother the Earth. 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.' Moon Heart is a shaman from Tuva, a very powerful healer who speaks to the stars. Tuva is a very ancient country of shamans and throat singers. It lies betweent he Siberian forests and the central Asian desert, marking the center of Asia. The high Savan mountains protected Tuva keeping it wild and pure. Tuvinian people love nature and live in harmony, fearing the rage of the powerful spirits of the mountain. 'To heal a person I invoke his star asking it to come down. When the star appears a strong heat falls from above and my eyes are filled with tears. The strength of the star comes down fromt he sky until gradually everybody bends to the earth.' 'To get in touch with the spirits of the mountains and to sooth them we use our traditional throat singing chants whose melodies derive from our contemplation of life, the sound of nature.'" (from the video jacket)
Windows to Paris
Guy Seligmann.1 VHS cassette (92 mins.) : color. Russian with English subtitle.1995.
"A wildly-inventive comedy that alternates romance with outrageous slapstick. Window to Paris is the story of a young musician who discovers a magic window which takes him from his rundown Russian apartment to the streets of Paris." (from the video jacket)
Zhenskaya sobstvennost'
Woman's property) / Dmitri Meshiev. 1 VHS cassette (89 mins.) : color. Feature film, Russia. Actor: Elena Safonova.