Episode Details

(1978/Soviet Union, 103 min., color, drama, in Russian with English subtitles) Dir.: Nikita Mikhalkov. Cast: Alexander Kalyagin, Yelena Solovey, Yevgeniya Glushenko, Antonina Shuranova. Former lovers, now married to others, reunite at a family gathering at the country estate of a general’s widow. The two ex-lovers rekindle their romance amidst all sorts of family intrigue. Based on a play by Anton Chekhov. Distrib.: Corinth Films. Discussion guest: Emil Draitser, Hunter College/CUNY.

Host, Jerry Carlson, professor of film studies at The City College of the City University of New York, discusses "An Unfinished Piece for Player Piano" (a film adaptation of Anton Chekhov's play, "Platonov") with Emil Draitser, professor of Russian literature, cinema and culture at Hunter College of the City University of New York. Draitser and Carlson explain why "An Unfinished Piece for the Player Piano" is one of the most admired Chekhov adaptations from the 1970's. They examine how the film accurately depicts what was wrong with Russian society at the time and how the film portrays period gender roles. Draitser also describes the process of adaptation.

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