A work in constant progress (and occasional regress).
Release Date:
February 1, 1987
Original Title:
Скорбное бесчувствие
Alternate Titles:
Anaesthesia Psychica Dolorosa
Dolorosa Indiferencia
Mournful Unconcern
Painful Indifference
Skorbnoye beschuvstviye
Genres:
Drama
Production Companies:
Lenfilm
Production Countries:
Soviet Union
Ratings / Certifications:
RU: 12+
Runtime: 110
The action in this lavishly produced film takes place at an oddly ark-shaped mansion during World War I, and in spirit (although not in story) it reflects the play which inspired it, the ferociously antiwar Heartbreak House by George Bernard Shaw. A large group of family and friends have gathered at this country house to dance, drink, and converse. Their conversation, in particular, is adorned with erudite literary references and quotations. Despite their apparent refinement, their preoccupations are simple: sex and violence. Disquieting images break the tranquility of the vacationers' inappropriate idyll: some of these include documentary footage of starving African children, images (both real and re-enacted) of George Bernard Shaw going about his daily life, and a corpse coming to life on an autopsy table, only to cheapen that miracle by scolding a group of women. The music used in the film ironically points to its disturbing message and is uniformly anachronistic.
Director:
Aleksandr Sokurov
Director of Photography:
Sergey Yurizditskiy
Editor:
Leda Semyonova
Production Design:
Yelena Amshinskaya
Sound:
Vladimir Persov
Theatre Play:
George Bernard Shaw
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