Boris Godunov

Russian monk Grigori Rasputin rises to power, which corrupts him along the way. His sexual perversions and madness ultimatly leads to his gruesome assasination.

Based on the novel of the same name by Mikhail Sholokhov, about the fate of people broken by the First World War, the October Revolution of 1917 and the Civil War in Russia (1917-1922), about the collapse of the foundations and ideals of the Don Cossacks of Russia at the beginning of the XX century, about the personal tragedy of the protagonist — Grigoriy Melekhov.

The radiant Alla Sizova stars as Princess Aurora in this artful film version of Tchaikovsky's timeless classic from the world-renowned Kirov Ballet, a production based on the highly acclaimed, original choreography by Marius Petipa. The legendary troupe's majesty and skill are on full display as they perform one of the world's most beloved ballets with supporting performances from Natalia Dudinskaya, Yuri Solovyov and Valeri Panov.

A film adaptation of the novel of the same name by Leo Tolstoy. The main character of the film is Prince Stepan Kasatsky, an officer, an ardent, proud young man — a big fan of the tsar. Kasatsky is going to marry, but at the last moment he learns from the bride that she was the mistress of the emperor. The prince is deeply disappointed in social life, he takes a monastic vow and leaves the capital. Faith in God was to save the soul, but passions and worldly temptations don't leave Kasatsky.

A story about CHeKa operation against a foreign spies during the early years of Soviet Russia.

Sumptuous filming of the journey of a shipwrecked Japanese expedition from the Pacific Ocean across Siberia to the court of Catherine the Great of Russia. A Russo-Japanese co-production of a unique event in history which was the hit of Cannes and other film festivals but did not receive wide distribution despite its huge scope, high production values, and very human story of culture clash.

Saint Petersburg, 1858. A group of composers known as The Five meet at Balakirev's. Young Modest Mussorgsky, both a civil servant and a musician, has become a fixture there. He tells about the first opera he plans to compose. Then he goes to the country where he discovers the lowly conditions of the peasants and the bloody conflicts with the rich land owners. He works on Gogol's 'The Marriage', trying to render into music the natural accents of the play's naturalistic dialogue. But his efforts do not pan out. On the other hand, he starts writing his opera on the story of Boris Godunov. The Marinsky Theatre refuses to stage the work. The Five, and Mussorgsky among them, are libeled and the group starts disintegrating. When 'Boris Godunov' is finally performed in 1874, it is a popular success.

A biopic based on the life of Russian literary critic Vissarion Belinsky (1811–1848). The production of the film was completed in 1951, but it was not released until 1953, following the reshooting of various scenes demanded by Stalin.

The life of prolific Russian composer Sergei Prokofiev is portrayed through biographical, on-location flashbacks from his birth place intermingled with live concert performances from the historical Kirov (Mariinsky) Symphony Orchestra, St.Petersburg, conducted by internationally acclaimed maestro Valeriy Gergiev. These unique musical sequences give the dramatized episodes from Prokofiev's life a time-transcending significance and actuality in todays ever-changing Russia.

Praised for its fine photography and production design if not its narrative, Sergei Bondarchuk directed this adaptation of the tale by Alexander Pushkin. Boris Godunov came to the Czarist throne at the end of the 16th century, after the original heir to Ivan the Terrible had died. At first, things went well for Godunov (played by Bondarchuk), but when the Russian people began to believe he had killed Ivan the Terrible's son in order to gain the throne, an alliance sprang up against the new Czar. Events continued to spin out of control as a young monk was presented as the son Godunov had supposedly killed. Now he was openly accused of failing an assassination attempt, which seems to be even worse than succeeding. In addition to these woes, Boris Godunov began to suffer serious health problems. So much for the joys of kingship.

Filmed at the 1992 Glyndebourne Festival in Lewes, England, this production won unanimous critical acclaim for its innovative interpretation of Tchaikovsky's opera "Pique Dame" ("Queen of Spades"). Although sung in Russian, the production features English sopranos Felicity Palmer as the old countess and Nancy Gustafson as Lisa. Russian tenors Dimitri Kharitonov, Sergei Leiferkus and Yuri Marusin co-star.

TV movie version of the famous Prince Igor opera

Starring Angela Gheorghiu as the celebrated French actress Adriana Lecouvreur and Jonas Kaufmann as her lover Maurizio, Count of Saxony, Cilea s verismo drama explores celebrity, romance, jealousy, and death. The trio of sublime voices is completed by Russian mezzo-soprano Olga Borodina as Adriana s jealous rival, the Princess de Bouillon. David McVicar s hit production the first performance of the opera at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden for more than a century presents the life of the French actress as a blurring of the distinction between fantasy and reality. The action revolves around a life-size Baroque Theatre, taking us from the bustle and colour of the first act backstage at the playhouse, to the bare final scenes as the drama reaches its fatal climax.

During the brutal siege of Leningrad in the Second World War, musicians are able to stage a public performance of the Seventh Symphony by Dmitry Shostakovich.

The construction of the Vakhsh Canal, one of the largest new buildings of the first five-year plan, is underway. Two Americans are coming here under contract. A seasoned spy, Colonel Bailey, who introduced himself as the harmless traveler Mr. Murry, would later be caught red-handed and exposed. And Mr. Clark, who came to the "make money" channel, will gradually become convinced that work and politics are not such different concepts. Not accepting socialism, he quite sincerely sympathizes with the enthusiasm of the Soviet people. Love for the translator - Komsomol member Maria Polozova - helps Clark to comprehend what is happening.

After WWII is over, a young officer Volodya Sharapov returns to Moscow to work in MUR - Moskovskiy Ugolovny Rozysk (Moscow Criminal Police). There he meets Gleb Zheglov who is a chief of a squad which fights organized crime. Their main task is to track down a gang "Chernaya Koshka" (Black Cat) which terrorizes the city. Also, they have to find out who murdered Larisa Gruzdeva. Zheglov believes it was her husband Ivan Gruzdev, but Sharapov has his doubts about it...

A young doctor who has graduated at the top of his class from the Moscow State University of Medicine and Dentistry is thrust out into an isolated and impoverished country side as the village's only doctor. As he learns to adapt to his new lifestyle, he develops a morphine addiction to stay his sanity while realizing what being a doctor in the real world means.

Three naval cadets accidentally get possession of a secret diary that was stolen from Bestuzhev, a vice-chancellor of Russia. If this diary ever gets abroad, the consequences for the country would be grave. The cadets are trying to return the papers to their owner, but there are others who want to get the papers...

What? Where? When? is an intellectual game show well known in Russian-language media and other CIS states since mid-1970s. Today it is produced for television by TV Igra on the Russian Channel One and also exists as a competitive game played in clubs organized by the World Association of Clubs. Over 17 000 teams worldwide play sport version of game, based on the TV show.

In the Soviet airbase, occupied by the Nazis, a resistance group occurs, led by a modest girl Anna Morozova. For each victory (important, albeit small on a scale of the war) they have to pay a heavy price.

A Russian mystery miniseries set both in medieval times and in the days of Perestroika.

The Battle of Moscow is a 1985 Soviet multi-part war narrative, presenting a dramatized account of the 1941 Battle of Moscow and the events preceding it. The battle was the first major defeat of German Wehrmacht in the Second World War.

Soviet live-action film adaptation of J. R. R. Tolkien’s The Fellowship of the Ring, aired once in 1991 by Leningrad Television and then thought lost. It was rediscovered in 2021. It includes scenes of Tom Bombadil and the Barrow-wight omitted from Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings film trilogy.

What it felt like to live through the collapse of communism and democracy. A series of films by Adam Curtis.