The Inner Circle (1991)

The true story of Ivan Sanchin, the KGB officer who was Stalin's private film projectionist from 1939 until the dictator's death. Told from Sanchin's view, the sympathetic but tragically ... See full summary »

Director:

Andrey Konchalovskiy (as Andrei Konchalovsky)

Writers:

Andrey Konchalovskiy (as Andrei Konchalovsky), Anatoliy Usov

Stars:

Tom Hulce, Lolita Davidovich, Bob Hoskins

12 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Tom Hulce	...	Ivan Sanshin
Lolita Davidovich	...	Anastasia
Bob Hoskins	...	Beria
Aleksandr Zbruev	...	Stalin
Feodor Chaliapin Jr.	...	Prof. Bartnev
Bess Meyer	...	Katya (16 years)
Mariya Baranova	...	Katya (10 years)
Irina Kupchenko	...	Directress
Vladimir Kuleshov	...	Colonel Schelkasov
Vsevolod Larionov	...	General Rumiantsev
Aleksandr Filippenko	...	Major Khitrov
Evdokiya Germanova	...	Governess
Lyubov Matyushina	...	Sonia Gubelman
Aleksandr Garin	...	Vasily Morda
Mariya Vinogradova	...	Fedosia

Storyline

The true story of Ivan Sanchin, the KGB officer who was Stalin's private film projectionist from 1939 until the dictator's death. Told from Sanchin's view, the sympathetic but tragically flawed hero maintains unwavering faith in his "Master" despite the arrest of his neighbors and his involvement with their daughter, his wife's affair with the chilling State Security chief Lavrentii Beria and her tragic decline, and the deadly political machinations within the Kremlin he witnesses firsthand.

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Plot Keywords:

projectionist | russia | stalinism | dictatorship | uniform | 

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Genres:

Drama

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Certificate:

PG-13

Details

Country:

Italy Soviet Union USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

25 December 1991 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Projectionist

Filming Locations:

Russia

Box Office

Gross USA:

$583,979

Company Credits

Production Co:

Numero Uno International,Mosfilm,Columbia Pictures Corporation

Technical Specs

Runtime:

137 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Black and White Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The movie premiered in the United States on December 25, 1991 - one day before the Soviet Union dissolved and became the Russian Federation.

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Goofs

When Anastasia asks directress, if the Pokrov town located to the south of Moscow, she (maybe intentionally) answers 'Yes'. In reality, Pokrov is located to the east of Moscow.

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Quotes

Stalin: I know everything about everything.

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Connections

Features The Great Waltz (1938)

User Reviews

Paranoia and naivete in societal insanity of Stalin's Russia

I decided to review this film because of its emotional impact.

Like "The Killing Fields," it creates tremendous tension in the viewer by portraying sympathetic, likable characters within an environment of tremendous evil.

The acting and cinematography are both excellent, making a direct connection with the feelings of every character.

My only criticism is very slight (I did rate it a 10, after all), but I wondered a bit at the persistance of Sanchin's naivete. While this is central to his character, I found it a little difficult to comprehend based on what he went through.