Tchaikovsky
1970 · Soviet Union · 157 min
- Director
- Igor Talankin
- Screenplay
- Igor Talankin, Yuri Nagibin, Budimir Metalnikov
- Music
- Dimitri Tiomkin
- Cinematography
- Margarita Pilikhina
- Production company
- Mosfilm
Awards: · 3 nominations
Cast
What it is about
Rather than following a strict chronology, the film moves through several moments in the life of Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky. It dwells on the lasting weight of his mother's departure during his youth and on the tensions within his professional circle, especially his friendship with Nikolai Rubinstein, who first refuses to premiere his First Piano Concerto and later becomes one of its most devoted performers. Alongside these figures stand his loyal servant Alyosha, his bond with the baroness Nadezhda von Meck, and his unhappy marriage to Antonina Miliukova, which shapes much of his private life. The story alternates the composer's intimate world with his growing recognition abroad.
How it was made
The film was produced by Mosfilm and directed by Igor Talankin, who co-wrote the screenplay with Yuri Nagibin and Budimir Metalnikov. Dimitri Tiomkin composed the score and Margarita Pilikhina served as cinematographer. Innokenti Smoktunovsky plays the title role, supported by Kirill Lavrov, Vladislav Strzhelchik, Maya Plisetskaya, Bruno Freindlich and Alla Demidova, among others. Running 157 minutes, the picture is built around representative episodes of the musician's life rather than a straightforward biography. In the English-language version, Laurence Harvey provides the narration.
Reception and legacy
The film earned Academy Award nominations for Best Foreign Language Film and for an original song or score category, and it was screened at the San Sebastián International Film Festival. The available sources do not detail its critical reception or commercial performance, so it is best understood as a portrait of its era. Today it is remembered as one of the Soviet-era screen treatments of Tchaikovsky and as an example of the musical biopic of that period.
Stills
Trailer
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Full film
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Time for Rest from Saturday to MondayOriginal Cinematopedia text based on Wikipedia (es) and Wikipedia (en) and Wikidata.