Best Russian Movies of All Times
by exclusiveshortfilms | created - 21 Jul 2012 | updated - 21 Jul 2012 | PublicThe criteria for the inclusion into this list are as follows: 1. A movie must be released either by a Soviet or Russian production company irrespective of the original language used in the movie as a primary one, be produced by a substantially Soviet or Russian film crew or have a predominantly Russian-speaking cast (Yuri Mamin's "The Window to Paris" would be an example); and 2. A movie must have exceptional artistic significance either for Russian or world cinema. Given that the definition of "Russian" as used in the list includes any movie released by a Soviet production company, one will see quite a few Georgian titles here - such as Otar Iosseliani's "Iko shashvi mgalobeli" ("Once Upon a Time There was a Singing Blackbird") for example - although the original language of these releases was Georgian. Feature films, short films, animated films, documentaries and TV series - all qualify for the inclusion. So here it is. Enjoy. Leonid Storch.
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1. Alexander Nevsky (1938)
Not Rated | 112 min | Action, Biography, Drama
The story of how a great Russian prince led a ragtag army to battle an invading force of Teutonic Knights.
Directors: Sergei Eisenstein, Dmitriy Vasilev | Stars: Nikolay Cherkasov, Nikolai Okhlopkov, Andrei Abrikosov, Dmitriy Orlov
Votes: 11,813
2. Andrei Rublev (1966)
R | 205 min | Biography, Drama, History
The life, times and afflictions of the fifteenth-century Russian iconographer St. Andrei Rublev.
Director: Andrei Tarkovsky | Stars: Anatoliy Solonitsyn, Ivan Lapikov, Nikolay Grinko, Nikolay Sergeev
Votes: 55,186 | Gross: $0.10M
3. Encore, Once More Encore! (1992)
104 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
In a distant garrison, officers and soldiers are influenced by their love affairs.
Director: Pyotr Todorovskiy | Stars: Valentin Gaft, Irina Rozanova, Evgeniy Mironov, Elena Yakovleva
Votes: 326
4. Assa (1987)
153 min | Crime, Drama, History
ASSA is set in Crimea during the winter in the mid eighties. A young musician (Bananan) falls for mobster's (Krymov) young mistress (Alika). The parallel story line involves an 18th century assassination plot.
Director: Sergey Solovyov | Stars: Natan Eidelman, Anatoly Slivnikov, German Shorr, Ilya Ivanov
Votes: 2,960
5. Ballad of a Soldier (1959)
Not Rated | 88 min | Drama, Romance, War
Young Russian soldier Alyosha earns a medal, but asks to visit his mother instead. His journey recounts various kinds of love during wartime.
Director: Grigoriy Chukhray | Stars: Vladimir Ivashov, Zhanna Prokhorenko, Antonina Maksimova, Nikolay Kryuchkov
Votes: 10,877
6. Beg (1971)
196 min | Drama, History, War
The defeat of the "White Army" in the Russian Civil War of 1918-21, causing massive emigration of the upper classes and nobility, called "White Russians". Set in Crimea, Constantinopol and ... See full summary »
Directors: Aleksandr Alov, Vladimir Naumov | Stars: Lyudmila Saveleva, Aleksey Batalov, Mikhail Ulyanov, Tatyana Tkach
Votes: 1,199
7. Bezymyannaya zvezda (1979 TV Movie)
140 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
"Stars never leave their orbits". The poor astronomy teacher got one more demonstration of this law when he met HER. SHE was "from the another world". SHE was strange and inappropriate in ... See full summary »
Director: Mikhail Kozakov | Stars: Igor Kostolevskiy, Anastasiya Vertinskaya, Mikhail Kozakov, Svetlana Kryuchkova
Votes: 506
8. Brat 2 (2000)
122 min | Action, Crime, Drama
Arriving in Moscow, Danila discovers Konstantin dead and he sets out to avenge his death; a journey that leads him to Chicago and a whole new experience.
Director: Aleksey Balabanov | Stars: Sergey Bodrov, Viktor Sukhorukov, Sergey Makovetskiy, Irina Saltykova
Votes: 16,175
9. Brother (1997)
99 min | Action, Crime, Drama
An ex-soldier with a personal honor code enters the family crime business in St. Petersburg, Russia.
Director: Aleksey Balabanov | Stars: Sergey Bodrov, Viktor Sukhorukov, Svetlana Pismichenko, Mariya Zhukova
Votes: 22,818
10. Watch Out for the Automobile (1966)
94 min | Comedy, Crime, Romance
A very good cop tries to catch a very insidious and extremely clever serial car thief. The bitter irony is that the thief is not very clever, absolutely not insidious, and a virtuous person and his friend.
Director: Eldar Ryazanov | Stars: Innokentiy Smoktunovskiy, Oleg Efremov, Lyubov Dobrzhanskaya, Olga Aroseva
Votes: 5,734
11. White Sun of the Desert (1970)
Not Rated | 84 min | Action, Adventure, Comedy
At the end of the Russian Civil War, Red Army soldier Fyodor Sukhov is ordered to guard the harem of a Caspian Sea guerrilla leader.
Director: Vladimir Motyl | Stars: Anatoliy Kuznetsov, Pavel Luspekayev, Spartak Mishulin, Kakhi Kavsadze
Votes: 7,493
12. The Diamond Arm (1969)
Not Rated | 94 min | Adventure, Comedy, Crime
An ordinary Soviet citizen accidentally intervenes into a huge operation of international criminal group that trades illegally obtained jewelry.
Director: Leonid Gaidai | Stars: Yuriy Nikulin, Nina Grebeshkova, Andrey Mironov, Anatoliy Papanov
Votes: 15,412
13. Bumbarash (1972 TV Movie)
135 min | Adventure, Comedy, Musical
Private Bumbarash is considered dead after air balloon scouting incident gone awry. When he, alive and well, returns home, he has to stay alive and regain the girl he loves in the harsh yet tragicomic circumstances of Russian Civil War.
Directors: Abram Naroditsky, Nikolai Rasheyev | Stars: Valeriy Zolotukhin, Yuri Smirnov, Natalya Dmitriyeva, Yekaterina Vasilyeva
Votes: 323
14. The Conductor (2012)
86 min | Drama
The conductor goes with the orchestra to Jerusalem to execute the oratorio "Passion according to St.Matthew". But tours are wrapped in the tragedy. The black sun of Jerusalem unmasks with ... See full summary »
Director: Pavel Lungin | Stars: Vladas Bagdonas, Inga Strelkova-Oboldina, Karen Badalov, Sergey Koltakov
Votes: 419
15. Moscow Laughs (1934)
96 min | Comedy, Musical
A musically talented shepherd gets his big chance when he is mistaken for a famous conductor.
Director: Grigoriy Aleksandrov | Stars: Leonid Utyosov, Lyubov Orlova, Mariya Strelkova, Elena Tyapkina
Votes: 1,026
16. A Driver for Vera (2004)
105 min | Drama
A General, who had sent for a cadet from the Kremlin Guard to work as his personal driver, decided to marry him to his physically disabled daughter
Director: Pavel Chukhray | Stars: Igor Petrenko, Alyona Babenko, Bogdan Stupka, Andrey Panin
Votes: 1,932
17. War (2002)
R | 120 min | Action, Drama, War
During the bloody war in Chechnya, a British couple and two Russian soldiers are taken hostage by Chechen rebels. Two of the hostages are then released to bring the money for the British woman who is forced to wait for the ransom.
Director: Aleksey Balabanov | Stars: Aleksey Chadov, Ian Kelly, Ingeborga Dapkunaite, Sergey Bodrov
Votes: 5,127
18. War and Peace (1965)
GP | 453 min | Drama, Romance, War
The Russian aristocracy prepares for the French invasion on the eve of 1812.
Director: Sergey Bondarchuk | Stars: Lyudmila Saveleva, Vyacheslav Tikhonov, Sergey Bondarchuk, Boris Zakhava
Votes: 7,769 | Gross: $0.13M
19. The Thief (1997)
R | 96 min | Crime, Drama
A woman meets a man who isn't the right man for her - but she hasn't realised it yet...
Director: Pavel Chukhray | Stars: Vladimir Mashkov, Yekaterina Rednikova, Mikhail Filipchuk, Dima Chigaryov
Votes: 5,447 | Gross: $1.13M
20. Hamlet (1964)
Not Rated | 140 min | Drama
After the death of the King of Denmark - Hamlet's father - his brother Claudius ascends the throne, who takes his widow Gertrude as his wife. Hamlet meets the ghost of his father and learns that he was killed by Claudius.
Director: Grigoriy Kozintsev | Stars: Innokentiy Smoktunovskiy, Mikhail Nazvanov, Elza Radzina, Yuriy Tolubeev
Votes: 2,854
21. Gloss (2007)
118 min | Comedy, Drama
A pretty, young girl from a coal-mining town comes to Moscow with dreams of becoming a supermodel in this satirical look at the fashion industry.
Director: Andrey Konchalovskiy | Stars: Yuliya Vysotskaya, Irina Rozanova, Aleksandr Domogarov, Efim Shifrin
Votes: 1,112
22. Shine, Shine, My Star (1970)
PG-13 | 94 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
The story of a young actor during the Civil War years who drives around the countryside giving free performances in order to bring art to the masses.
Director: Aleksandr Mitta | Stars: Oleg Tabakov, Oleg Efremov, Evgeniy Leonov, Elena Proklova
Votes: 507
23. Zerograd (1988)
103 min | Comedy, Drama, Mystery
Going on a business trip, the hero of the film suddenly finds himself in a fantastic city. It is very similar to our world, only the hidden absurdity of everyday life here has become apparent.
Director: Karen Shakhnazarov | Stars: Leonid Filatov, Oleg Basilashvili, Vladimir Menshov, Armen Dzhigarkhanyan
Votes: 2,365
24. 12 (2007)
PG-13 | 159 min | Crime, Drama, Thriller
Twelve jurors must decide the fate of a Chechen adolescent charged with murdering his stepfather.
Director: Nikita Mikhalkov | Stars: Sergey Makovetskiy, Sergey Garmash, Apti Magamaev, Nikita Mikhalkov
Votes: 15,023 | Gross: $0.13M
25. Day of the Full Moon (1998)
93 min | Drama
The heroes of the film are "new Russians" and an old Uzbek, a lucky killer and a popular DJ, a beautiful princess and a mysterious monk, a foreign diplomat and a great poet .
Director: Karen Shakhnazarov | Stars: Anna Germ, Andrey Panin, Elena Koreneva, Vladimir Ilin
Votes: 345
26. Dersu Uzala (1975)
G | 142 min | Adventure, Biography, Drama
The Russian army sends an explorer on an expedition to the snowy Siberian wilderness where he makes friends with a seasoned local hunter.
Director: Akira Kurosawa | Stars: Maksim Munzuk, Yuriy Solomin, Mikhail Bychkov, Vladimir Khrulyov
Votes: 31,856
27. Wild Field (2008)
108 min | Drama
A young doctor relocates to a remote region of central Asia, thinking his fiancee soon will join him ...
Director: Mikheil Kalatozishvili | Stars: Oleg Dolin, Roman Madyanov, Yuriy Stepanov, Aleksandr Korshunov
Votes: 675
28. His Wife's Diary (2000)
Not Rated | 110 min | Biography, Drama
An attempt to fathom the personal life of the great Russian writer Ivan Bunin.
Director: Aleksey Uchitel | Stars: Andrey Smirnov, Galina Tyunina, Olga Budina, Evgeniy Mironov
Votes: 600
29. Dom vetra (2011)
90 min | Drama
Director: Vyacheslav Zlatopolskiy | Stars: Polina Kutepova, Denik Neverov, Valeriy Barinov, Aleksandr Ilin
Votes: 55
30. Elena (2011)
Not Rated | 109 min | Crime, Drama, Thriller
When a sudden illness and an unexpected reunion threaten dutiful housewife Elena's potential inheritance, she must hatch a desperate plan ...
Director: Andrey Zvyagintsev | Stars: Nadezhda Markina, Andrey Smirnov, Aleksey Rozin, Elena Lyadova
Votes: 14,762 | Gross: $0.02M
31. Dostoyanie respubliki (1972)
138 min | Action, Adventure, Crime
The swordsman and the commissar crossed their swords over the treasure.
Director: Vladimir Bychkov | Stars: Oleg Tabakov, Andrey Mironov, Spartak Mishulin, Yuriy Tolubeev
Votes: 400
32. The Wishing Tree (1976)
107 min | Drama
This film is about psychology of people, about lonesome persons, about terrible mentality and about fantastic dreams...
Director: Tengiz Abuladze | Stars: Lika Kavzharadze, Soso Jachvliani, Zaza Kolelishvili, Kote Daushvili
Votes: 1,806
33. Once Upon a Time There Was a Singing Blackbird (1970)
85 min | Comedy, Drama, Music
A carefree young percussionist roams the streets of Tbilisi, interacting with friends and strangers alike, and tries to avoid responsibilities.
Director: Otar Iosseliani | Stars: Gela Kandelaki, Gogi Chkheidze, Jansug Kakhidze, Irine Jandieri
Votes: 1,190
34. Forgotten Tune for the Flute (1987)
134 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
A former musician must make a hard choice between freedom with mistress and comfortable life with wife.
Director: Eldar Ryazanov | Stars: Leonid Filatov, Tatyana Dogileva, Irina Kupchenko, Vsevolod Sanaev
Votes: 845 | Gross: $0.09M
35. Hello, I'm Your Aunt! (1975 TV Movie)
98 min | Comedy
Unemployed and homeless Babbs Baberley (Alexander Kalyagin) is being chased by the police who attempt to arrest him for vagrancy. Babbs finds himself in a rich house, where he encounters ... See full summary »
Director: Viktor Titov | Stars: Aleksandr Kalyagin, Tamara Nosova, Tatyana Vedeneeva, Valentin Gaft
Votes: 1,787
36. The Sannikov Land (1973)
95 min | Adventure
The exiled settler Alexander Ilyin persuades the goldmines owner Trifon Perfilyev to sponsor the expedition dedicated to the searches of "Sannikov Land", a legendary warm land behind the Polar circle.
Directors: Albert S. Mkrtchyan, Leonid Popov | Stars: Vladislav Dvorzhetskiy, Georgiy Vitsin, Oleg Dal, Yuriy Nazarov
Votes: 656
37. Mirror (1975)
Not Rated | 107 min | Biography, Drama
A dying man in his forties remembers his past. His childhood, his mother, the war, personal moments and things that tell of the recent history of all the Russian nation.
Director: Andrei Tarkovsky | Stars: Margarita Terekhova, Filipp Yankovskiy, Ignat Daniltsev, Oleg Yankovskiy
Votes: 49,156 | Gross: $0.18M
38. Ivan's Childhood (1962)
Not Rated | 95 min | Drama, War
During WWII, Soviet orphan Ivan Bondarev strikes up a friendship with three sympathetic Soviet officers while working as a scout behind the German lines.
Directors: Andrei Tarkovsky, Eduard Abalov | Stars: Nikolay Burlyaev, Valentin Zubkov, Evgeniy Zharikov, Stepan Krylov
Votes: 38,067
39. The Needle (1988)
81 min | Drama, Thriller
Moro returns to Alma Ata to collect money owed to him. While waiting out an unexpected delay, he visits his former girlfriend Dina, and discovers she has become a morphine addict. He ... See full summary »
Director: Rashid Nugmanov | Stars: Viktor Tsoy, Marina Smirnova, Pyotr Mamonov, Aleksandr Bashirov
Votes: 2,717
40. Interventsiya (1968)
127 min | Adventure, Comedy, Drama
The movie is set during the last days of foreign intervention agains Soviet Russia. Police are searching everywhere for a bolshevik named Brodsky but cannot find him. Meanwhile, a man named... See full summary »
Director: Gennadi Poloka | Stars: Vladimir Vysotskiy, Valeriy Zolotukhin, Olga Aroseva, Gelena Ivlieva
Votes: 297
41. Playing the Victim (2006)
95 min | Comedy
A young man drops out of university and goes to the police. He's done nothing wrong he just wants a job. A particular job. Playing the victim in murder reconstructions. Maybe by getting close to death he can manage to cheat on his own.
Director: Kirill Serebrennikov | Stars: Yuriy Chursin, Vitaliy Khaev, Marat Basharov, Olga Demidova
Votes: 2,614
42. The Irony of Fate, or Enjoy Your Bath! (1976 TV Movie)
TV-G | 192 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
An incredible story about a man who misplaced the cities and found his love during the one special night - New Year's celebration.
Director: Eldar Ryazanov | Stars: Andrey Myagkov, Barbara Brylska, Yuriy Yakovlev, Aleksandr Shirvindt
Votes: 12,850
43. Kot v sapogakh (1996)
27 min | Animation, Short, Comedy
A cat uses trickery and deceit to gain power, wealth, and the hand of a princess in marriage for his penniless and low-born master.
Director: Garri Bardin | Stars: Konstantin Raykin, Aleksey Stychkin, Rogvold Sukhoverko, K. Smirnov
Votes: 232
44. Hedgehog in the Fog (1975)
11 min | Animation, Short, Drama
A little hedgehog, on the way to visit his friend the bear, gets lost in thick fog, where horses, dogs and even falling leaves take on a terrifying new aspect.
Director: Yuri Norstein | Stars: Vyacheslav Nevinnyy, Mariya Vinogradova, Aleksey Batalov
Votes: 7,630
45. The Tale of Tales (1979)
29 min | Animation, Short