Tuesday 8 May 2012

SOVIET FILM: Screening of Proshkin's 'Cold Summer'

Wed 23 May 2012 – 7.30pm
Screening
Cold Summer of 1953 
Kino Kino
Language: In Russian with English subtitles


USSR | 1987 | 101 min | colour | 
Director Alexandr Proshkin 
Cast Valery Priyemykhov, Anatoly Papanov, Victor Stepanov, Nina Usatova.




A group of escaped criminals hides out in the remote wooded area of Siberia in this grim drama set in the summer of 1953. Although Stalin is already dead, the shadow of his oppressive rule still hangs over the country. The gang makes their way to a small village where political prisoners Luzga (Valery Priyemykhov) and Kopalich (Anatoly Papanov) wait to escape by boat. Luzga is a former Army scout who can barely hide his contempt of 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 Anatoly Papanov, “Kholodnoye Leto Pyatdesyat Tretyego” 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.


Winner of Nika, a Russian “Oscar” in the best feature film category.


Tickets: £7, conc. £5 (Friends of Pushkin House, students and OAPs)
http://www.pushkinhouse.org/en/events/cold-summer-of-1953

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