10 Russian films that were nominated for an Oscar over the years

2024 Author: Richard Flannagan | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-15 23:55

In 2017, Andrei Konchalovsky's film Paradise represented Russia in the struggle for the gold Oscar statuette. However, “Paradise” did not make it to the short-list of applicants in the nomination “best film in a foreign language”. But this was not always the case - Russian cinema has more than once managed to make a breakthrough at this film award. In this review, films that have become nominees over the years and films that have managed to get gold statuettes.

1. The film "Leviathan"

director Andrey Zvyagintsev / 2014The very title of the painting "Leviathan" has a hidden meaning: power, a state machine, ready to crush a person at any moment. The film openly tells about the existing corruption in all power structures: from the city mayor to judges, prosecutors, city officials.

The life of a simple car mechanic Nikolai Sergeev from a seaside town under pressure from the mayor of Vadim Shelevyat will turn into a real hell. The mayor decides to take his house, workshop, land for a negligible amount. Appealing to the city court, going to the prosecutor's office, even the compromising evidence collected for the mayor does not yield results: the doors of "truth" are closed for Nikolai …

2. Epic film "War and Peace"

director Sergei Bondarchuk / 1965-1967

The epic film "War and Peace", based on the novel by Leo Tolstoy, is one of the most high-budget and large-scale projects in world cinematography. For filming, a regiment of 1,500 cavalrymen with all uniforms was formed, large museums of the country were involved. The epic consists of 4 episodes, each of which describes the events that took place in the families of Russian nobles during the difficult period of the war with Napoleon.

In episodes 1-2, the clumsy Pierre Bezukhov, the illegitimate son of a wealthy landowner, unexpectedly becomes a wealthy heir. Being poor, Pierre thinks a lot about life, about his destiny, but having got rich begins a riotous life … He forgets about Natasha Rostova, who is in love with her, marries the socialite Helene.

Prince Bolkonsky, a friend of Pierre, serves in the cavalry as an adjutant of the great Kutuzov. After being wounded, he returns home, where his wife Liza dies during childbirth … The heroes of the novel will have to go through and revise a lot in their lives. Bondarchuk, who himself starred in the role of Bezukhov, clearly showed the spiritual growth of the characters with each tragedy he experienced …

3. Melodrama "Moscow does not believe in tears"

director Vladimir Menshov / 1979

During 1980, the film was watched by more than 90 million viewers. It is known that in 1985 former US President Ronald Reagan watched it more than eight times before his first meeting with Mikhail Gorbachev, trying to understand the "mysterious Russian soul" …

In episode 1: three provincial young girls live in one of the Moscow hostels. Katerina, purposeful and serious, is preparing for college. Antonina, simple and shy, works as a painter at a construction site. And Lyudmila, lively and self-confident, is looking for an advantage in marriage with a wealthy Moscow groom … Antonina will fall in love and marry a simple worker.

Lyudmila will meet a handsome hockey player. Katya will fail her exams, get a job at a factory. But just one evening, when the girls pretend to be the professor's daughters, will turn Catherine's life upside down. The capital's groom will abandon her and the unborn child as soon as he finds out the truth. Katya is left alone with the child and with her problems … Episode 2 of the film tells how the life of her friends changed in 20 years.

4. Film-drama "Burnt by the Sun"

director Nikita Mikhalkov / 1994

Film critics often compare the picture with the American drama Gone with the Wind. The title of the film is taken from the title of Tango, popular in the 1930s. The plot of the film is taken from the life of the repressed Soviet military in the late 1930s. The quiet, carefree life of the family of the Civil War hero, devoted communist, division commander Sergei Petrovich Kotov is disrupted with the appearance of a gallant longtime friend of the Mitya family.

He does not immediately admit that he works in the NKVD and came to arrest the division commander for involvement in the conspiracy. Neither acquaintance with Stalin, nor numerous military awards will help save Kotov and his family …

5. Film "White Bim Black Ear"

director Stanislav Rostotsky / 1977The two-part film is based on the book by Gabriel Troepolsky. Born with a white color with red dots and a black ear, the Scottish Setter did not suit the owners - he was rejected. Despite this, an elderly lonely Ivan Ivanovich takes Bim to himself: they walk together, go hunting.

For the lonely old man, Beam was the only person to talk to. But the owner ends up in the hospital, and Bim ends up on the street. He will endure many trials without a beloved master. Because of the indifference and cruelty of the people, Bim dies …

6. Melodrama "Field novel"

director Petr Todorovsky / 1984The melodrama "A Field-of-War" is the last film of the Soviet period to be nominated for an Oscar. The classic love triangle will emerge from the relationship of the former soldier Sasha Netuzhilin, the rude street vendor of pies Lyuba and the intelligent wife of Netuzhilin.

During the war, the young soldier secretly fell in love with a beautiful nurse who had an affair with the commander. A few years after the war, the projectionist Sasha recognizes in a loud, unkempt woman selling pies on the street, his first love …

7. Melodrama "Thief"

director Pavel Chukhrai / 1997The Thief melodrama is a Russian-French motion picture that has won numerous awards for the best director, for the best male, female, and child roles. The main character of the film, a six-year-old boy Sanya, lives with his mother with a dream of a father until Katya falls in love with the handsome Tolyan, who introduced himself as a tank officer. But the handsome man turns out to be a simple thief.

Katya and her son move from one city to another beyond Tolyan until he goes to prison. After the absurd death of the orphaned mother, Sanka is taken to an orphanage. For the rest of the years, the boy dreams of meeting the only close person whom he considers his father …

8. Film "12"

director Nikita Mikhalkov / 200712 is the number of jurors in court discussing the case of an 18-year-old Chechen who killed his adoptive father, a former officer who fought in Chechnya. The jurors, people of different nationalities, views, with different characters, look at the case of a young Chechen formally, until one of them, an electronics scientist, votes against. He tells how one unknown woman saved him from certain death - drunkenness. The real investigation of the case begins …

9. Documentary film "The defeat of the German troops near Moscow"

directors Leonid Varlamov and Ilya Kopalin / 1942

The documentary "The Defeat of the German Troops near Moscow" was filmed by order of Stalin in October 1941 - January 1942. On February 23, 1942, its premiere took place. The film describes in detail how the preparation of the defense of Moscow was going on, unique footage of battles for the capital, terrible footage of burned down villages, killed Soviet and German soldiers on the battlefield … The film contains footage of Stalin's speech, General of the Army G. K. Zhukov, General K. K. Rokossovsky …

10. The film "9th company"

director Fyodor Bondarchuk / 2005The film "9th Company" was nominated for an Oscar in the category "Best Foreign Language Film" in 2006. The picture is based on real events that took place in 1988 in Afghanistan at the height of 3234. The guys from the Krasnoyarsk recruiting station go straight to the Afghan war …