Dark Eyes (film)
| Dark Eyes | |
|---|---|
 Film poster | |
| Directed by | Nikita Mikhalkov |
| Produced by |
Carlo Cucchi Silvia D'Amico Bendico |
| Written by |
Alexander Adabashyan Nikita Mikhalkov Suso Cecchi d'Amico Anton Chekhov (stories) |
| Starring |
Marcello Mastroianni Marthe Keller Yelena Safonova Pina Cei Vsevolod Larionov Innokenti Smoktunovsky |
| Music by | Francis Lai |
| Cinematography | Franco Di Giacomo |
| Edited by | Enzo Meniconi |
| Distributed by | RUSCICO |
Release dates | September 9, 1987 |
Running time | 118 minutes |
| Country |
Italy Soviet Union |
| Language | Italian / Russian / French |
Dark Eyes (Italian: Oci ciornie; Russian: Очи чёрные) is a 1987 Italian and Russian language film which tells the story of a 19th-century married Italian who falls in love with a married Russian woman. It stars Marcello Mastroianni and Yelena Safonova.[1]
Plot
One day, on board a steamer, Romano (Marcello Mastroianni), a middle-aged Italian, tells to a Russian man the story of his life. He narrates his encounter with a young Russian lady with dark beautiful eyes, their brief romantic interlude and his sudden abandonment. Haunted by the memory of that lady, Romano travels to Russia to find her.
Source material
The film was adapted from (or rather inspired by) four Anton Chekhov's stories, notably The Lady with the Pet Dog, by a Soviet-Italian team that included Alexander Adabashyan, Suso Cecchi d'Amico and Nikita Mikhalkov. The latter directed. The title refers to a famous Russian art song.
Cast
- Marcello Mastroianni - Romano
- Marthe Keller - Tina, Romano's Mistress
- Yelena Safonova - Anna Sergeyevna, Governor's Wife (as Elena Sofonova)
- Pina Cei - Elisa's Mother
- Vsevolod Larionov - Pavel (Russian Ship Passenger)
- Innokenti Smoktunovsky - the Governor of Sysoyev (as Innochentij Smoktunovskj)
- Roberto Herlitzka - Lawyer
- Paolo Baroni - Manlio
- Oleg Tabakov - His Grace
- Yuri Bogatyryov - Marshall (as Jury Bogatiriov)
- Dmitri Zolotukhin - Konstantin (as Dimitri Zolothuchin)
- Silvana Mangano - Elisa (Romano's Wife)
- Jean-Pierre Bardos - Laying guest (as J. Pierre Bardos)
- Nino Bignamini - Buyer
- Maria Grazia Bon - His wife
Location
Principal shooting took place at the Montecatini Terme in Tuscany, in the Volga town of Kostroma, and in Leningrad (Vladimir Palace, Peter and Paul Fortress). A few of the actors had previously appeared together in A Cruel Romance, a 1984 Russian film starring Mikhalkov and shot on location in Kostroma.
Awards
Mastroianni received the award for Best Actor at the 1987 Cannes Film Festival[2] and was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actor. Safonova was awarded the David di Donatello as Best Actress.
References
- ↑ "NY Times: Dark Eyes". NY Times.com. Retrieved 2009-04-01.
- ↑ "Festival de Cannes: Dark Eyes". festival-cannes.com. Retrieved 2009-07-19.
External links
- Dark Eyes at AllMovie
- Dark Eyes at the Internet Movie Database