Dark Eyes (1987)
"Oci ciornie" (original title)

Aboard a ship early in the 20th-century, a middle-aged Italian tells his story of love to a Russian. In a series of flashbacks filmed almost entirely in creams, whites, and ochers, the ... See full summary »

Director:

Nikita Mikhalkov

Writers:

Aleksandr Adabashyan (story), Nikita Mikhalkov (story),

Stars:

Marcello Mastroianni, Marthe Keller, Elena Safonova

Nominated for 1 Oscar. Another 7 wins & 14 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Marcello Mastroianni	...	Romano
Marthe Keller	...	Tina, Romano's Mistress
Elena Safonova	...	Anna Sergeyevna, Governor's Wife (as Elena Sofonova)
Pina Cei	...	Elisa's Mother
Vsevolod Larionov	...	Pavel (Russian Ship Passenger)
Innokentiy Smoktunovskiy	...	Il Governarore di Sisoiev (as Innochentij Smoktunovskj)
Roberto Herlitzka	...	L'Avvocato
Paolo Baroni	...	Manlio
Oleg Tabakov	...	Sua Grazia
Yuri Bogatyryov	...	Il Maresciallo (as Jury Bogatiriov)
Dmitri Zolotukhin	...	Konstantin (as Dimitri Zolothuchin)
Silvana Mangano	...	Elisa (Romano's Wife)
Jean-Pierre Bardos	...	Ospite sdraiato (as J. Pierre Bardos)
Nino Bignamini	...	L'acquirente
Maria Grazia Bon	...	Sua moglie

Storyline

Aboard a ship early in the 20th-century, a middle-aged Italian tells his story of love to a Russian. In a series of flashbacks filmed almost entirely in creams, whites, and ochers, the clownish and superfluous Romano Patroni leaves his wife's opulent home to visit a spa where he falls in love with a Russian woman whose marriage is a horror. He pursues her into the Russian heartland and returns to Italy resolved to leave his wife and marry his love. His amazed and appreciative Russian listener then narrates a shorter story.

---

Plot Keywords:

russian | love | italian | ship | marriage | 

---

Genres:

Comedy | Romance | Drama

---

Details

Country:

Italy USA Soviet Union

Language:

Italian Russian French

Release Date:

November 1987 (USA)

Also Known As:

Dark Eyes

Filming Locations:

Cinecittà Studios, Cinecittà, Rome, Lazio, Italy

Box Office

Gross:

$2,201,428 (USA)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Excelsior Film-TV, Radiotelevisione Italiana, Adriana International Corporation

Technical Specs

Runtime:

117 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Connections

Featured in The 60th Annual Academy Awards (1988)

User Reviews

Mikhalkov takes "Lady with the Dog" to logical conclusion.

At first it seemed a terribly slow start. This was exacerbated by our mistaken notion that "Oci Ciornie" was just another title for "Urga" - we kept wondering when and how they would ever get to Mongolia in that boat!

However, once we'd determined the actual story line the dilatory beginning seemed somehow apropos. Did Mikhalkov really mean to show us the emptiness of adultery? Or is he just an astute observer of the human condition? The parallels to the 1960 B&W "Lady with the Dog" (Russian) were striking. Especially the watermelon scene. But "Dark Eyes" takes the story further and carries the theme to its logical conclusion. My daughters hated it - they prefer stories of fidelity. But I did think it was refreshing for a film to come nearer the truth for a change. Adultery is not that fulfilling.