Uncle Vanya

Andrei Konhcalovsky sets a beautiful and nostalgic mood for this classic Russian text. An ode to the decadence and laziness of the dying Russian gentry, the film is appropriately staged in a large run-down house in the country. There is a palpable feeling of decay not only in the dialogue and the characters, but also in the peeling paint, the washed out colors that the camera picks up, the dim lighting, and the dirty clothes that the characters wear. The actors are quite loyal to the subtlety that Chekhov demands for his characters emotions. They avoid melodrama, but at the same time do not leave the audience feeling oblique and distanced as is often the case with adaptations of Chekhov.

This film is a must see for any admirer of Chekhov, and is also a pivotal film in the history of modern Russian/Soviet cinema. Apart from that it should be required viewing for any one interested in the sincere portrayal of very difficult emotions in cinema. Although formalistically different, it ranks with the best work of Andrei Tarkovsky or Ingmar Bergman.

I remember seeing this film in 1973 at the Royal Theater in L.A. I traveled for two hours on a bus to see it, and two hours to return home, and I never regretted the time spent. Bondarchuk as Astrov was brilliant, and the diluted Mosfilm color--which emphasized browns, reds, and golds--was perfect. I think this movie captures autumn better than any motion picture. Unlike the English language versions of the play, this one also emphasizes how the environment affects the characters. I dearly wish it would get released on either video or DVD. It's easily the best version of Chekhov's play---maybe the best film version of any of his plays.

I think this film completely misses the point of Chekhov's play. The melancholy arises entirely from unpleasant dripping, dirty surroundings and is maybe extended by the fact that the characters are all in deep depression and act somewhat hysterical. It doesn't work and think towards its heart-wrenchingly melancholy conclusion, but is simply gloomy the whole way through. It makes a good art-house film, but with the legendary actors and script it had to work with, it could have been so much more. The actors seem bored stiff. Even actor-legend Smoktunovsky seems to miss the point and falls back on playing anger and hysteria. There is never any moment to contrast the the gloomy mood, there isn't enough tension between hope and despair, its just monotonous. This isn't a bad film, and I'm sure the cinematography is very professional and important, but Uncle Vanya isn't about colors and dripping roofs and dirty surroundings, its about the people. And for some reason, Konchalovsky ignored all the fantastic language and acting potential he had to work with and focused instead on giving the film a depressing autumn color scheme.

An inspired transposition of the play by Chekov, it is difficult to imagine it being ever excelled; everything seems right, natural, credible, allowing one to concentrate on the inner drama of the characters. A masterpiece of discreet eloquence which ought to be better known.

An ubiquitous meditation on realizing you have wasted your life and are unable to do anything about it. All of Checkov's plays are designed around the indolence of our players. Most of the drama is in the implications, and the movie adaptation wouldn't be any different. A big, pompous tragedy doesn't happen because, depending on how you look at it, it has already transpired for these characters. And the brilliance of this cast is that you can both pity and sympathize with them depending on your outlook on life. The said cast is great, even if the Russian "overacting" is slightly galling. The movie is also peppered with instances of inexplicable switching from color to black and white. There is no deeper meaning in this. It's just a technical difficulty.