The Barber of Siberia (1998)
"Sibirskiy tsiryulnik" (original title)

Douglas is a foreign entrepreneur, who ventures to Russia in 1885 with dreams of selling a new, experimental steam-driven timber harvester in the wilds of Siberia. Jane is his assistant, ... See full summary »

Director:

Nikita Mikhalkov

Writers:

Nikita Mikhalkov (story), Rustam Ibragimbekov (screenplay),

Stars:

Julia Ormond, Oleg Menshikov, Aleksey Petrenko

1 win.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Julia Ormond	...	Dzheyn (as Dzhuliya Ormond)
Oleg Menshikov	...	Tolstoy
Aleksey Petrenko	...	Radlov
Richard Harris	...	Makkreken (as Richard Kharris)
Vladimir Ilin	...	Mokin
Marat Basharov	...	Polievskiy
Nikita Tatarenkov	...	Alibekov
Georgiy Dronov	...	Nazarov
Artyom Mikhalkov	...	Buturlin
Daniel Olbrychski	...	Kopnovskiy (as Daniel Olbrykhskiy)
Marina Neyolova	...	Mat Tolstogo
Avangard Leontev	...	Dyadya Nikolya
Anna Mikhalkova	...	Dunyasha
Robert Hardy	...	Forsten (as Robert Khardi)
Elizabeth Spriggs	...	Perepelkina (as Elizabet Spriggs)

Storyline

Douglas is a foreign entrepreneur, who ventures to Russia in 1885 with dreams of selling a new, experimental steam-driven timber harvester in the wilds of Siberia. Jane is his assistant, who falls in love with a young Russian officer, André, and spends the next 10 years perfecting the harvester and pursuing her love, who has been exiled to Siberia.

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Plot Keywords:

siberia | lumber | military officer | military academy | misunderstanding | 

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Taglines:

He's Russian. That explains a lot.

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama | Romance

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Details

Country:

Russia France Italy Czech Republic

Language:

Russian English French German

Release Date:

20 February 1999 (Russia)

Also Known As:

El barbero de Siberia

Filming Locations:

Aldeia do Meco, Sesimbra, Setúbal, Portugal

Box Office

Budget:

$35,000,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Studio Trite, Caméra One, France 2 Cinéma

Technical Specs

Runtime:

180 min 275 min (TV)

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

All the dishes used in the movie were custom made by Czech glassblowers.

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Goofs

In scenes that take place in 1885, the cadets are carrying Mosin-Nagant rifles. This rifle did not exist at the time. It was introduced into service in 1891. The standard Russian infantry arm in the 1880's was the Berdan rifle.

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Soundtracks

"Tales from the Vienna Woods"
Composed by Johann Strauß

User Reviews

Wow!

I went to see this movie based on a suggestion from a good friend of mine. I expected to see a typical love story and was curious about the way this story was developed and directed. I admit that my expectations were very low in this regard. The Barber of Siberia is a work of art, Mikhalkov is surely one of the great movie authors of all times, and I am humbly thankful to my friend for her priceless advice.

The plot may seem like any conventional love story but the fashion in which the story is developed and the performances of all the actors (yes, ALL of them) is really fascinating.

What strikes you most is when Mikhalkov directly compares the life of a military cadet between Russia and the US. There's also a latent comparison between the American and Russian ideals. I leave it to you to discover how and when these comparisons appear on screen.

Mikhalkov magnificently plays the role of the Tzar Alexander III (the father of the recently canonized Tzar Nicholas II). As portrayed by Mikhalkov, Alexander III embodies the grandeur of Russia and sets the standard on the qualities of a ruler. You cannot but compare these standards to those set by Boris Yeltsin (who was in charge in 1998) and you would better understand the passing of power to Putin.

This is one of the rare times I get emotional about a film, and believe me the Barber of Siberia contains a lot of emotions. DON'T MISS IT AT ANY RATE!