Country: Ireland
Year: 2006
Duration: 110'
The life of the Russian soprano Galina Vishnevskaya and her husband, the cellist Mstislav Rostropoviˇc, as told through a series of conversations with Sokurov. In this 9th elegy of the Russian maestro, the two famous musicians recall the best and the worst moments of their lives, revealing their surprising personalities and paying homage to the lyrical art which has made them world famous. “By creating this film about the destiny of two famous musicians, we tried to strengthen the position of the classic trend in contemporary art by contrasting it with mass culture and the ongoing war between classical, evolutionist art and the aggressive ‘innovations’ of hack, ignorant pseudo-artists. The two Greats, Rostropoviˇc and Vishnevskaya, are examples of unique talent in music, of corresponding dedication and exceptional social energy. These creators represent a link between the 20th century and the centuries to come. They are a highly important part of universal musical culture.” (A. Sokurov)
Biography
film director
Aleksandr Sokurov
Alexander Sokurov (Podorvicha, Russia, 1951) studied cinema at VGIK in Moscow but left before completing his studies because of contrasts with the Goskino. In 1980 he began working at Lenfil’m, but only after perestroika could the films he made during this period be seen, like his debut film The Lonely Voice of Man (1978). In 1985 he inaugurated the series of Elegies and in the 1990’s he experimented with digital technology in A Humble Life (1997) and Dolce (1999). He received world-wide recognition with Mother and Son (1997), Moloch (1999), Russian Ark (2002), The sun (2005). In 2003 the Torino Film Festival dedicated a complete retrospective to his work.
FILMOGRAFIA
filmografia essenziale/
essential filmography
Odinokiy golos cheloveka (The Lonely Voice of Man, 1978), Razˇalovannyj (Degraded, cm, 1980), Dni zatmenija (The Days of Eclipse, 1988), Spasi i sochrani (Save and Protect, 1989), Krug vtoroj (The Second Circle, 1990), Kamen’ (The Stone, 1992), Tichie stranicy (Whispering Pages, 1993), Mat’i syn (Madre e figlio, 1997), Moloch (id., 1999), Dolce (1999), Telec (Taurus, 2001), Russkij kovˇceg (Arca russa, 2002), Otec i syn (Father and Son, 2003), Mozart Requiem (doc., 2004), Solnze (Il sole, 2005), Eleghia zhizni. Rostropoviˇc. Vishnevskaya (2006), Aleksandra (id., 2007).