The Barber of Siberia (1998)

At the turn of the century, a young Russian cadet falls in love with an American beauty, endangering his career and even their lives.

Director:

Nikita Mikhalkov

Writers:

Nikita Mikhalkov (story), Rustam Ibragimbekov (screenplay)

Stars:

Julia Ormond, Oleg Menshikov, Aleksey Petrenko

1 win & 4 nominations.

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 ten years perfecting the harvester, and pursuing her love, who has been exiled to Siberia.

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Plot Keywords:

russia | siberia | cadet | imperial russia | foreign woman | 

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Taglines:

He's Russian. That explains a lot.

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama | History | 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:

The Barber of Siberia

Filming Locations:

Aldeia do Meco, Sesimbra, Setúbal, Portugal

Box Office

Budget:

$35,000,000 (estimated)

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$2,634,218

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

For the scenes showing the Kremlin, the luminescent stars on the top of the building's towers had to be turned off, as the story takes place in 1885, and the stars were installed in the 1930s. This was the second of two times the stars were ever turned off, the first one being during World War II, when the Kremlin was camouflaged by turning off all of its lights.

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Goofs

In a scene which takes place in 1905, a US flag is seen with 50 stars. The correct flag would have 45 Stars.

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Quotes

Dzheyn: I'm one of those women your mother must have warned you about.

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Connections

Referenced in Comedy Club: Episode #1.4 (2005)

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Soundtracks

Jilda's Aria
from "Rigoletto"
Composed by Giuseppe Verdi

User Reviews

What feelings of provoked.

"The Barber of Siberia" was actually the first Russian movie shot during the past 8 years which made me proud that I am Russian. After the stream of low-rated films about mafia, prostitution and 'hard life', most of which were brilliantly void of any thought or idea, "The Barber" managed to persuade me that not everyhing's lost for Russia yet.