An Unfinished Piece for Mechanical Piano (1977)
"Neokonchennaya pyesa dlya mekhanicheskogo pianino" (original title)

Early in the 20th century, family and friends gather at the country estate of a general's widow, Anna Petrovna. Sofia, the new wife of Anna's step-son, recognizes Misha, the brother-in-law ... See full summary »

Director:

Nikita Mikhalkov

Writers:

Aleksandr Adabashyan, Anton Chekhov (play),

Stars:

Aleksandr Kalyagin, Elena Solovey, Evgeniya Glushenko

2 wins & 1 nomination.

Cast

Credited cast:
Aleksandr Kalyagin	...	Mikhail Vassilyevich Platonov
Elena Solovey	...	Sophia Yegorovna
Evgeniya Glushenko	...	Sashenka
Antonina Shuranova	...	Anna Petrovna Voinitseva
Yuri Bogatyryov	...	Sergey Pavlovich Voinitsev
Oleg Tabakov	...	Pavel Petrovich Shcherbuk
Nikolai Pastukhov	...	Porfiry Semyonovich Glagolyev
Pavel Kadochnikov	...	Ivan Ivanovich Triletsky
Nikita Mikhalkov	...	Nikolai Ivanovich Triletsky
Anatoli Romashin	...	Gerasim Kuzmich Petrin
Natalya Nazarova	...	Verochka
Kseniya Minina	...	Lizochka
Sergey Nikonenko	...	Yakov
Sergei Guryev	...	Petechka (as Seryozha Guryev)
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
S. Bachkyrova

Storyline

Early in the 20th century, family and friends gather at the country estate of a general's widow, Anna Petrovna. Sofia, the new wife of Anna's step-son, recognizes Misha, the brother-in-law of one of the widow's admirers: a few years before, they had been idealistic lovers and now she can't believe he has settled for a dim wife and a job as a teacher. Amidst parlor games and idle talk of women's rights and peasants' capabilities, Sofia and Misha rekindle their love. Will they flaunt convention, abandon families, and run away to pursue lost dreams? Rescue comes from an unexpected place.

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Plot Keywords:

love | disillusionment | ex boyfriend ex girlfriend relationship | one day time span | old love | 

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Genres:

Drama

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Details

Country:

Soviet Union

Language:

Russian

Release Date:

5 September 1977 (Soviet Union)

Also Known As:

Platanov

Company Credits

Production Co:

Inter Allianz Film, Mosfilm

Technical Specs

Runtime:

103 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Goofs

In a scene towards the end of the film where Platonov storms down a hallway, he walks past a person just to his right who is clearly a crew member wearing modern clothing and holding a piece of equipment.

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Connections

Version of BBC Play of the Month: Platonov (1971)

User Reviews

Another Amazing Russian Film

Constantly this film makes you reflect on your own life, your relationships, your place in the world.

This slice of life depicts a day in the life of Russian gentry in the late 19th century, warts and all. They're silly and pensive, boring and fascinating, shallow and profound--in short a mass of contradictions, like most people really are. If the theme is the path taken, the plot might be said to be a glimpse of the path NOT taken.

The photography is gorgeous, and the direction and editing are flawless. What makes the film, what really puts it over, are the superb, subtle, multi-dimensional performances.

There is a scene toward the end of the movie where a character goes careening down a hillside, descending into a fit of madness. The camera just observes, but the scene is completely and totally surreal wholly because of the actor's performance. I cannot recall seeing anything like it ever, either in content or skill.

And the last shot of the movie is absolutely breathtaking in its simplicity, innocence, and composition. Movies don't get much better than this one.