UNCLE VANYA
Andrei Konchalovsky (USSR, 1970)
OFFICIAL WEBSITE

WINNER - BEST DIRECTOR
1971 SAN SEBASTIAN INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL

Anton Chekhov's masterwork about the breakdown of a family held together by a tissue of lies and self-deceptions is brought to stunning life in Andrei Konchalovsky's brilliant adaptation.

A retired professor returns with his new, much younger wife in tow to the estate that he inherited from his now-deceased first wife. The estate is still managed by his former brother-in-law, Vanya - a man who has learned to sublimate all his personal desires and dreams. The delicate balance that defines the world of this fading clan is decidedly upset by the arrival of the professor’s new wife, and once broken that balance will prove impossible to restore. Konchalovsky effectively captures the mood of a world coming to an end, the peeling paint and slightly ramshackle condition of the house signaling the future of these characters even more succinctly than their actions.

"The best version of UNCLE VANYA I've ever seen."
- Woody Allen, director

“An exceedingly graceful, beautifully acted production that manages to respect Chekhov as a man of his own time, as well as what I would assume to be the Soviet view of Chekhov as Russia's saddest, gentlest, funniest and most compassionate revolutionary playwright."
- Vincent Canby, The New York Times

"UNCLE VANYA" PLAYS AS PART OF THE
CELEBRATING CHEKHOV SERIES

2010 marks the 150th anniversary of Anton Chekhov's birth. One of the most celebrated figures in the history of literature, his works still remain of great importance. 2010 also marks the 10th anniversary of Seagull Films, a company that during the decade since its formation has serviced North American audiences with the best of Russian cinema - named after the writer's famous play The Seagull. 

Celebrating Chekhov is a surgically selected package of Chekhov's finest filmic adaptations, and provides a deep cinematic look into the master's work at its best.

Presented by Seagull Films in collaboration with National Gallery of Art and Concern Mosfilm. Special thanks to Karen Shakhnazarov. Learn more HERE.