Neskolko dney iz zhizni I.I. Oblomova (1980)

User Rating:

7.6/10   

Director:

Nikita Mikhalkov

Writers:

Aleksandr Adabashyan (screenplay)
Ivan Goncharov (novel)

Release Date:

8 SZEPTEMBER 1980 (Soviet Union)

Genre:

Comedy | Drama | Romance

Plot:

St. Petersburg, mid 19th century: the indolent, middle-aged Oblomov lives in a flat with his older servant...

Plot Keywords:

Servant | Businessman | Love | Estate | Mother Son Relationship

Awards:

1 win

Cast

Oleg Tabakov	...	Ilya Ilyich Oblomov
Yuri Bogatyryov	...	Andrei Ivanovich Stoltz
Andrei Popov	...	Zakhar
Yelena Solovey	...	Olga
Avangard Leontyev	...	Alexeyev
Andrei Razumovsky	...	Ilya as a child
Oleg Kozlov	...	Stoltz as a child
Yelena Kleshchevskaya	...	Katya (as Ye. Kleshchevskaya)
Galina Shostko	...	Olga's aunt (as G. Shostko)
Gleb Strizhenov	...	The Baron (as G. Strizhenov)
Yevgeni Steblov	...	Oblomov's father (as Ye. Steblov)
Yevgeniya Glushenko	...	Oblomov's mother (as Ye. Glushenko)
Nikolai Pastukhov	...	Stoltz's father (as N. Pastukhov)
Oleg Basilashvili		(as O. Basilashvili)
Ruslan Akhmetov		(as R. Akhmetov)

Also Known As:

Oblomov (Australia) (USA)
Несколько дней из жизни И. И. Обломова (Soviet Union: Russian title)
A Few Days from the Life of I.I. Oblomov
A Few Days in the Life of I.I. Oblomov
Quelques jours de la vie

Runtime:

140 min

Country:

Soviet Union

Language:

Russian

Color:

Color (Sovcolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Sweden:Btl | Australia:G | Argentina:13 | Chile:14 | Finland:S | USA:Unrated

Company:

Mosfilm

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: When Oblomov is writing his farewell letter to Olga, the candles are nearly blown out by the wind, but the light shed remains the same.

creeps along and then clobbers you

This story of a 19th-century Russian land owner (Oblomov) begins slowly, with scenes that puzzle and seem almost contradictory. The beginning denies you any emotional involvement, but as the film progresses you're dragged into Oblomov's psyche.

Early on there's a scene where two young boys are spinning themselves around in the seat of a swing to get dizzy. That's almost the sensation you get as you find yourself completely immersed in Oblomov's world. Not that you're reeling or disoriented, but that everything else becomes shut out.

The film moves along at a genteel pace, and, in that unique Russian way, when emotions burst through the societal veneer, you're completely clobbered. It's like someone sneaking up from behind and conking you on the head. The human condition being what it is, it's impossible not to identify with Oblomov. For anyone who has ever deliberated, doubted, or procrastinated--in other words, everyone--this film provides layers and layers of meaning, gently filtered through a portrait of Russian gentry. 

To my surprise, I find myself wanting to call this a great film. It seems an improbable tag for such a slender story. But the crafting of the film is absolutely top tier: acting, cinematography, pacing--everything, really. Put that together with the haunting subtext, and you get a film well worth seeing.