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Directed by: Roman Tikhomirov Starring: Oleg Strizhenov, Zurab Anjaparidze, Olga Krasina, Tamara Milashkina I was of two minds about writing a review of this film for this forum, seeing as it's little-known outside of Russia, and is an adaptation of an opera. I finally decided to review it for two reasons; one, the film is a pretty good adaptation of Tchaikovsky's opera, and two, it has great value as a historic document. The most interesting thing to note about this film is what bits of music were cut from the opera. Not much, in the end, has disappeared. All that was lost were the words to closing chorus of Act II, scene i (in which the guests at the ball serenade Empress Catherine), and the words to the final hymn (for obvious reasons, when dealing with the Soviet Union). The former simply becomes a dance for the party guests (with no choral participation), while the latter becomes a wordless threnody for Hermann (the mad gambler, acted by Strizhenov and sung by Anjaparidze.) The opera was based on the short story of Pushkin: go here for a synopsis. Anjaparidze's voice is ample, and pleasant enough to listen to (rather odd, considering the overall quality of Russian tenors). Strizhenov acts fairly well, considering he is saying nothing. Much the same can be said of the two Lisas, Olga Krasina (the actress) and Tamara Milashkina (the soprano). Yelena Polevitskaya is unmemorable as the Countess; the other supporting players are good but not remarkable. A video of this (1960) version of The Queen of Spades (to give it its English title) is available for sale through various outlets in the United States and Canada. I recommend it not so much as an adaptation of the opera - superior versions exist - but as a curiosity, a glimpse into the world of Soviet musical films. 3.5/5 PROS: Pretty good adaptation of the opera, interesting window into Soviet culture CONS: Missing some chunks of the music, subpar singing by some ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0054183/
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May 4, 2004 06:09
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| # ? Apr 27, 2024 12:49 |
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