Envisioning Russia: A Century of Filmmaking

Battleship Potemkin by Sergei Eisenstein

"Envisioning Russia: A Century of Filmmaking" (January 25 — February 14, 2008) at New York City's Film Society of Lincoln Center:

"Although early film shows took place in Russia soon after the invention of cinema (Maxim Gorky's book In the Kingdom of Shadows, published July 4, 1896, is one of the most beautiful early descriptions of cinema), continuous, serious film production was not established in Russia until 1908. Thus, the Russian Ministry of Culture has designated 2008 as the centenary of Russian Cinema. We could have devoted an entire year's programming to the occasion and still merely have scratched the surface of this most innovative, contradictory and always provocative cinema. Together with our partner, Seagull Films, we focus on the work of Mosfilm, the largest and most productive film studio during the Soviet era, which remains Russia's most important film institution even today. At its height, Mosfilm was the USSR's Hollywood, hosting the most popular stars, creating the most lavish productions and generally setting the pace for the rest of Soviet cinema. Eisenstein, Romm, Tarkovsky, Konchalovsky and Shepitko all created masterpieces there, while the extraordinary range of Soviet production was on full display."

The "Envisioning Russia" retrospective includes Sergei Eisenstein's Battleship Potemkin; Cannes Film Festival winner The Cranes Are Flying; Academy Award winners Dersu Uzala and Moscow Does Not Believe in Tears; and Andrei Tarkovsky's The Mirror.

Special Series Pass ($40 for the public, $30 for Film Society members — limited availability) admits one person to five titles in the series except for the screening of Alexandra at 7:15pm on Saturday, January 26. The pass is available for purchase (cash only) at the Walter Reade Theater box office.

More information about the films is available at the Film Society of Lincoln Center site.