| Brief Description: | Emil Lotenau's adaptation of Chekhov's short story about a passive
magistrate whose unconsummated desire for a woodsman's daughter leads
to a terrifying act of violence, official approval and attempted cover
up. The film is related in flashback, as Lotenau deftly explores the
judge's turpitude, and by larger extension, the corrupt pre-czarist
culture. "So rich in its imagery, to watch [this film] is a
fascinating, almost intoxicating experience" (Vincent Canby). With
Galina Belyayeva and Oleg Yankovsky. Russian with English subtitles. |
