Barber of Siberia
Russia/France/Italy/Czech Republic 1999
Reviewed by Julian Graffy
Synopsis
Our synopses give away the plot in full, including surprise twists.
Springfield, Massachusetts, 1905. Writing a letter to her son Andrew, a recruit at a US military camp, Jane Callahan reminisces about the events of 20 years ago.
Russia, 1885. Travelling across Russia, Jane meets Andrei Tolstoy, an officer cadet who falls in love with her. Jane is in Russia to help the inventor McCracken secure a contract for his 'barber', a machine for cutting down the Siberian forests. For this purpose, she attempts to seduce General Radlov, the head of the Military Academy. Radlov falls in love with her and asks Tolstoy, who speaks English, to translate his proposal to Jane. The cadet, however, uses this as an opportunity to declare his own love for Jane. Radlov is humiliated but cannot punish Tolstoy who is to take the lead the next day in a production of The Marriage of Figaro before Grand Duke Aleksei. Later Jane spends the night with Tolstoy.
During the opera, Tolstoy overhears Jane continuing her advances on Radlov; in his jealous rage he assaults the general. He is arrested and accused of an attack on the Grand Duke, to which he pleads guilty to protect Jane's reputation. He is sentenced to hard labour in Siberia.
Ten years later, Jane visits Siberia with McCracken, to whom she is now married, for the inauguration of his 'barber'. She fails to see the exiled Tolstoy. Having related all of this in her letter to Andrew, she visits the boy with a photograph of his father, Andrei Tolstoy.
Review
For two decades Nikita Mikhalkov, born into a family of the Soviet cultural elite, has been the most famous of Russian film directors both in his own country and abroad. Mikhalkov's celebrity status - consolidated in December 1997 when he became chairman of the Russian Union of Film-makers - has turned the release of his recent films into major media events in Russia, none more so than The Barber of Siberia. By the time of its premiere in the Kremlin Palace of Congresses in February 1999 the film had already generated acres of newsprint, as much because of its enormous budget (reported as $45 million) and its link to Mikhalkov's alleged desire to be president of Russia as for its epic proportions and ambitions. Here was a film that would restore national self-esteem and re-invigorate cinemagoing in Mikhalkov's native land, as well as explain the enigmas of Russian identity to expectant western audiences, perhaps even picking up the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film on the way.
In Russia the film did attract huge and satisfied audiences, though the critical reception was mixed, if not cool. But its Cannes showing last year was a fiasco, and it subsequently failed to impress the Oscar voters. With this damaged reputation The Barber of Siberia limps belatedly into the UK.
It would be wrong to look to The Barber of Siberia for historical authenticity or cultural specificity - the film, in Mikhalkov's own words, is "not about how things were but about how things should be." So we are served a mythological stew, a souvenir Russia made up of vast birch forests and famous Moscow landmarks, epic drinking, fatal passion and doomed love leading to duel, scandal and exile in the Siberian snow. In what seems like a concession to ignorant western audiences, the hero is given a famous Russian name, Tolstoy, but to make them feel at ease this Tolstoy admits he couldn't make it to the end of Anna Karenina. Perhaps some western viewers will be satisfied with this reading of Russia, but its greatest appeal is surely to Russian audiences so exhausted by their recent tribulations that they will embrace any lazy reiteration of warmed-over cliché without pausing to wonder why the young officers to whom the film is dedicated are so childish and their mentor is a drunk. Western audiences may balk, however, at being represented only by rogues, or by Sergeant 'Mad Dog' O'Leary, who thinks Mozart is a girl, and a Russian one at that.
The film's aspirations to represent the relationship between Russia and the US in symbolic form are not supported by any psychological acuity in the characterisation. The bigger the role, the more the actor flounders. Julia Ormond is too bland to convey either the scheming or the bitter regrets of Jane Callahan. Oleg Menshikov, meanwhile, an actor of great range and emotional subtlety, has been badly cast in the role of Tolstoy; pushing 40 when he made the film, he is reduced to rehearsing the pert mannerisms of an ingénu. After his embarrassing declaration to Jane in the presence of Radlov, he asks "May I be excused?", which is likely only to provoke inappropriate memories of the classroom among British audiences. The best acting comes in the cameo roles, from Marina Neelova as Tolstoy's actress mother and Elizabeth Spriggs as the countess Perepyolkina.
The exiguous and predictable plot is fleshed out by a number of grandly staged set pieces, including a ball, Russian Shrovetide celebrations, a parade before Tzsar Alexander III (played by the director himself), the production of the opera, the depredations of McCracken's monstrous machine. You can, at least, see where the money has gone. The film concludes with a sly double ending, happy for western audiences - young Andrew wins his battle over Mozart, whom he refuses to defame at his military camp - and tragic for Russians, just the way they like it: his parents are not reunited. On the way it tries first to make us laugh, then, less successfully, to make us cry through a slew of novelistic clichés. Occasionally, the film comes alive - Menshikov playing Figaro in a production of The Marriage of Figaro finally casts off the strait-jacket of having to play a much younger character; his assault on Radlov is also one of the film's most powerful scenes.
Mikhalkov's finest films Unfinished Piece for Mechanical Piano, Five Evenings and Urga demonstrate that he is best at the small scale, at the delicate rendering of intense human emotion. His old-fashioned and seemingly interminable Barber discards these qualities as insouciantly as McCracken despoils the Siberian forest. What remains seems ill suited as a model, either for Russian society or for Russian cinema.
Credits
- Director
- Nikita Mikhalkov
- Producer
- Michel Seydoux
- Screenplay
- Rustam Ibragimbekov
- Nikita Mikhalkov
in co-operation with - Rospo Pallenberg
- Story
- Nikita Mikhalkov
- Director of Photography
- Pavel Lebeshev
- Editor
- Enzo Meniconi
- Production Designer
- Vladimir Aronin
- Music
- Edward Nicolay Artemyev
- ©Studio Three T, Caméra One
- Production Companies
- Michel Seydoux presents in association with Intermedia Films
- a production of Three T Productions (Russia)/ Caméra One (France)/ France 2 Cinéma (France)/Medusa (Italy)/ Barrandov Biografia (Czech Republic)
- Executive Producers
- Leonid Vereschagin
- Prague Shoot:
- Oldrich Mach
- Portuguese Shoot:
- António da Cunha Telles
- Co-producer
- Nikita Mikhalkov
- In Charge of Production
- France:
- Armand Barbault
- Production Supervisor
- Marc Jenny
- Co-ordinator
- Nicole Cann
- Production Co-ordinators
- Lubov Bodunova
- Ekaterina Prosvirkina
- Elena Ficenko
- Production Services
- Prague:
- Prague International Films
- Portuguese Shoot:
- Animátografo-Producão de Filmes
- Production Managers
- Alexey Balashov
- Jacques Vidal
- Sergei Gurevich
- Prague Shoot:
- Michal Prikryl
- Portuguese Shoot:
- Renato Santos
- Location Managers
- Alexei Karpushin
- Alexander Utkin
- Alexander Yakovlev
- Prague Shoot:
- Zdenek Fiala
- Ivan Stefka
- Portuguese Shoot:
- José Borges
- Assistant Directors
- Vladimir Krassinski
- Victor Trakhtenberg
- Evgeny Tsimbal
- Artyom Mikhalkov
- Mikhail Kvirikadze
- Kirill Shanshiev
- Alexander Zelenkov
- Anastasia Tsvetnova
- Vladimir Ferkelman
- Olga Sizova
- Svetlana Motro
- Bilge Ebiri
- Portuguese Shoot:
- Sergio Carlos
- Continuity
- Jacqueline Gamard
- Casting Directors
- International:
- Kate Dowd
- Russia:
- Tamara Odintsova
- Casting
- Prague Shoot:
- Sona Tich?ckov?
- Ivan Vorlicek
- Dana Vankova
- Script Editor
- Anatoly Ermilov
- Siberian Shoot Director of Photography
- Franco Di Giacomo
- Camera Operators
- Roman Sushinski
- Elisbar Karavaev
- Stephano Coletta
- Sergey Naugolnikh
- Martin Grossup
- Steadicam Operator
- Jaromir Sedina
- Special Effects
- Gilbert Pieri
- Frederic Rouquette
- Gilles Pieri
- Michel Vialla
- Thierry Alloy
- Vaclay Kuba
- Irzi Vojtech
- Roman Tudjarov
- Sergei Zakharov
- Vyacheslav Stepanov
- Pavel Terekhov
- Andrey Trifonov
- Jury Udaltsov
- Sergey Chertovskikh
- Jury Shagov
- Special Effects/Armourer
- Prague Shoot:
- David Krejcík
- Prague Shoot Designer
- Martin Martinec
- Art Director
- Vladimir Murzin
- Architects
- Boris Baklanov
- Alla Tabakova
- Portuguese Shoot Set
- José Matos
- Set Decorators
- Ilya Amursky
- Marina Ertanova
- Danila Koltsov
- Alexander Kochubey
- Igor Morozov
- Costume Designers
- Natacha Ivanova
- Sergei Struchev
- Alla Oleneva
- Make-up Designers
- Galina Korolyova
- Jean-Pierre Eychenne
- Nina Zakirova
- Natalia Chaika
- Make-up Artists
- Raisa Zhdanova
- Ludmila Makashova
- Tamara Panteleeva
- Valentina Pimankina
- Maria Ruslanova
- Olga Sergeeva
- Svetlana Fedina-Kruglyakova
- Galina Sidneva
- Prague Shoot:
- Ivana Chlostova
- Alena Sedova
- Hair Stylists
- Jean-Max Guerin
- Jeanette Freeman
- Svetlana Lobanova
- Suzanne Stokes-Munton
- Titles/Special Effects
- BS Graphics
- Marchetti
- Music Performed by
- Russian State Cinema Symphony Orchestra
- Conductors
- Sergey Skripka
- Alexey Kostenko
- Music Recording Engineer
- Vladimir Vinogradov
- Mixer
- Minna Blank
- Music Mixer
- Matt Howe
- Soundtrack
- Mozart's "Piano Concerto n. 23" from "Marriage of Figaro"; Strauss' "The Legends of Vienna Forest"; Verdi's "Jilda's Aria" from "Rigoletto"; "Lvov's "God,Save the King"; "March of Preobrazhensky Regiment"; "Egers March"; "March of Saratovasky Regiment"; "Cadet's Cap"
- Sound Recording
- Jean Umansky
- Sound Mixers
- Vincent Arnardi
- Jean Umansky
- André Rigaut
- Re-recording Mixers
- Vincent Arnardi
- Thierry Lebon
- Sound Editors
- Vincent Guillon
- Laurent Kossayan
- Dialogue Editors
- Jean Umansky
- André Rigaut
- ADR Recordists
- Marina Nigmatulina
- Julien Cloquet
- Jacques Thomas-Gérard
- Foley
- Artists:
- Irina Kislova
- Alla Meichik
- Nina Trofimchuk
- Natalia Chashina
- Faina Yanpolskaya
- Jean-Pierre Lelong
- Recordists:
- Marina Nigmatulina
- Julien Cloquet
- Jacques Thomas-Gérard
- Folklore Ensembles Researcher
- Elena Shimanko
- Consultants
- Military History:
- Igor Dmitriev
- Vasily Sazhin
- George Pappas
- Bryan Pines
- Military Uniforms:
- Pavel Kornakov
- Rank Practice:
- Anatoly Saprikin
- Property/Costume History:
- Ludmila Pyatnitsa
- Folklore/Ethnography:
- Vyacheslav Shurov
- Stunt Co-ordinator
- Valery Derkach
- Fencing Coach
- Mikhail Shevchuk
- Director of 'Maelennitas' scene
- Mikhail Mizukov
- Circus Performer Co-ordinator
- Sergey Maksimov
- Animals
- Victor Zuikov
- Andrey Komissarov
- Ludila Komissarova
- Siberian Shoot Helicopter
- Bernard Seguy
- Cast
- Julia Ormond
- Jane Callahan
- Richard Harris
- Douglas McCracken
- Oleg Menshikov
- Andrei Tolstoy
- Alexey Petrenko
- General Radlov
- Marina Neelova
- Tolstoy's mother
- Vladimir Ilyin
- Captain Mokin
- Daniel Olbrychski
- Kopnovsky
- Anna Mikhalkova
- Dunyasha
- Marat Basharov
- Cadet Count Polievsky
- Nikita Tatarenkov
- Cadet Prince Alibekov
- Artyom Mikhalkov
- Cadet Buturlin
- Georgy Dronov
- Cadet Nazarov
- Avangard Leontiev
- Uncle Nickolya
- Robert Hardy
- Forsten, military instructor
- Elizabeth Spriggs
- Perepyolkina
- Nikita Mikhalkov
- Tzar Alexander III
- Isabelle Renauld
- Tzarina Marie Fiodorovna
- Evgeny Steblov
- Grand Duke Aleksei Aleksandrovich
- Inna Nabatova
- his wife
- Philipp Diachkov
- Grand Duke Mikhall, Tzar's son
- Vladimir Zaitsev
- Radlov's aide
- Victor Verzhbitsky
- Grand Duke's aide
- Leonid Kuravlev
- Sergeant Bukin
- Alexander Lenkov
- the scientist
- Alexander Ilyin
- the merchant
- Evgeny Dvorzhetsky
- the terrorist
- Hanna Stredova
- the servant at McCracken's
- Vladimir Tushko
- the steward
- Alexander Mokhov
- officer at prison
- Pierre Aussedat
- Geller, dance teacher
- Vladimir Gorushin
- Kouzma, carriage driver
- Saïd Nouroux
- Abyssinian prince
- Evgeny Buslayev
- the governor of Irkutsk
- Olga Anokhina
- the governor's wife
- Alexander Yakovlev
- Captain Maximich
- Tatiana Kuznetsova
- girls' tutor
- Maria Maksakova
- girl student
- Polushke Zdunek
- the typesetter
- Anatoly Documentov
- the conductor
- Joseph Nedorost
- the violinist
- Vatslav Legner
- the inspector
- Egor Blokhin
- Vanyatka
- Andrey Nikitin
- Proshka
- Andrey Savostyanov
- Baron Von Bakmen
- Mambo Syril
- Mudio Nartsiss
- servant of Abyssinian princes
- Andrey Baroli
- Kirill Grebenshikov
- Vladimir Zurabian
- Alexey Kabeshev
- Alexander Karpenko
- Alexey Kurutov
- Ivan Lakshin
- Dimitry Makarov
- Sergey Pinchuk
- Sergey Steblov
- Sergey Fedotov
- Philipp Feoktistov
- Dimitry Chuprakov
- Kirill Shanshiev
- Mikhail Shevchuk
- Alexey Shutov
- cadets
- Mac MacDonald
- Sgt 'Mad Dog' O'Leary
- Andrew O'Donnels
- the West Point colonel
- Daniel Evans
- Andrew McCracken, in mask
- John Higgins
- Jeason Don
- cadets at West point
- Richard Dompsy
- the stutterer
- Sergey Lozovoy
- the bell-house monk
- Alexander Sannikov
- Lilliputian 'Napoleon'
- Anataly Zhukov
- the fakir
- Alexander Dubina
- the engineer
- Natella Abuladze
- wife of Abyssinian prince
- Elena Tvelevna
- tightrope walker with sword
- Valéry Chitavin
- tightrope walker
- Alexander Muzikantsky
- Evgeny Tsimbal
- Vasily Sazhin
- Anatoly Saprykin
- Evgeny Kholodnikov
- Zinaida Sidorkova
- Oleg Klimov
- Victor Satonin
- Alexander Dedushko
- Roman Radov
- Vyacheslav Maksakov
- Elena Obolenskaya
- Vladimir Abanshin
- and
- L. Dzhalakayev's Gypsy Ensemble
- Moscow theatre "Chudaki"
- Theatre "Fest"
- Moscow State Theatre of History and Ethnography
- Theatre House "Old Arbat"
- Home Orchestra from Nerekhta town, near Kostroma city
- Home Orchestra "Rusichi"
- Children's folklore Ensemble "Mladshenka"
- Actors of theatre "Circus on Stage"
- Students of Moscow State School of Circus an Performance Arts
- Actors of Moscow Circus on Prospect Vernadskogo
- Certificate
- 12
- Distributor
- Pathé Distribution
- 15,935 feet
- 177 minutes 4 seconds
- Dolby Digital
- In Colour
- Anamorphic [Panavision]
- Russian theatrical title
- Sibirskii tsiriulnik
- French theatrical title
- Le Barbier de Sibérie
- Italian theatrical title
- Il barbiere di Siberia
- Czech theatrical title
- Lazebník Sibirsky