The Cherry Orchard (1999)

User Rating:

6.3/10   

Director:

Mihalis Kakogiannis

Writers:

Anton Chekhov (play)
Mihalis Kakogiannis (screenplay)

Release Date:

12 January 2000 (France)

Genre:

Drama

Plot:

Madame Ranevskaya (Rampling) is a spoiled aging aristocratic lady, who returns from a trip to Paris...

Plot Keywords:

Foreign Language Adaptation | Based On Play | Independent Film

Awards:

4 wins

Cast

Charlotte Rampling	...	Ranyevskaya
Alan Bates	...	Gayev
Katrin Cartlidge	...	Varya
Owen Teale	...	Lopahin
Tushka Bergen	...	Anya
Xander Berkeley	...	Yepihodov
Gerard Butler	...	Yasha (as Gerald Butler)
Andrew Howard	...	Trofimov
Melanie Lynskey	...	Dunyasha
Ian McNeice	...	Pishchik
Frances de la Tour	...	Charlotte Ivanovna
Michael Gough	...	Feers
Simeon Victorov	...	Doridanov
Itzhak Finzi	...	Stranger
Ivan Pangelov	...	French priest

Also Known As:

La cerisaie (France)
O vyssinokipos (Greece)

Runtime:

141 min

Country:

Greece | France | Cyprus

Language:

English | French

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Certification:

USA:Not Rated (video rating) | Australia:PG | France:U | UK:PG

Filming Locations:

Bulgaria

Company:

Melanda Film Productions

Trivia:

Glenn Close was the second choice for Ranyevskaya. After Helen Mirren withdrew she was called to replace her. She was busy with Robert Altman's Cookie's Fortune (1999) at the time, so she refused the part at the last minute. Charlotte Rampling eventually got it.

Movie Connections:

Version of Körsbärsträdgården (1970) (TV)

Soundtrack:

String Quartet No 3

Tedious cinematic experience.

In this era of gratuitous special effects and uneven, even shoddy, production, one cannot depend on Hollywood to successfully transfer a stage play to the screen. This movie is partially the exception, as the movie amazingly pulls itself together in midstream to become a commendable work of art. The first part of this movie is a cinematic disaster. It's boring, slow, and muddled, with a terrible first ten minutes which is supposed to provide some background information about some of the main characters but which is totally disconnected from the main body of the story itself which takes place in a completely different venue. Then as this movie is heading toward a complete cinematic breakdown it amazingly recovers its strength and vitality and becomes crisp, sharp, focused and coherent, conveying a poignant story about torment and suffering in time of change. From that point on all the performances are great, especially that of Michael Gough, Alan Bates and the beautiful Charlotte Rampling who succeeds in capturing the essence of the woman whose whole world is being turned upside down. But despite the strong finish, that one first has to endure a truly bad start before getting to the good part makes this movie a tedious cinematic experience.