''Mournful Unconcern'' (russian: Скорбное бесчувствие, translit. ''Skorbnoye beschuvstviye'') is the third produced film by Alexander Sokurov, completed in 1983, but the fourth released one, as it was banned by

Soviet The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen nation ...

authorities until perestroika in 1987. The film, set during

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

, is inspired by Bernard Shaw's play ''

Heartbreak House ''Heartbreak House: A Fantasia in the Russian Manner on English Themes'' is a play written by George Bernard Shaw, first published in 1919 and first played at the Garrick Theatre in November 1920. According to A. C. Ward, the work argues that "cul ...

''. Professional actors (Zamansky, Osipenko, Sokolova and others) were used alongside amateur actors, like in most early Sokurov films, and many of the

trademarks A trademark (also written trade mark or trade-mark) is a type of intellectual property consisting of a recognizable sign, design, or expression that identifies products or services from a particular source and distinguishes them from othe ...

of his

cinematographic Cinematography (from ancient Greek κίνημα, ''kìnema'' "movement" and γράφειν, ''gràphein'' "to write") is the art of motion picture (and more recently, electronic video camera) photography. Cinematographers use a lens to foc ...

style were already apparent.

Plot

Family and friends gather in a decadent house to party. Despite their delusive distinction a raw passion for sex and violence comes to light.

Background

The film sparked controversy and was halted by the Soviet film authorities by cutting state subsidy for the film's budget during the production process, so it took time to find money and complete the film. It was nominated for the

Golden Bear The Golden Bear (german: Goldener Bär) is the highest prize awarded for the best film at the Berlin International Film Festival. The bear is the heraldic animal of Berlin, featured on both the coat of arms and flag of Berlin. History The win ...

at the

37th Berlin International Film Festival The 37th annual Berlin International Film Festival was held from 20 February to 3 March 1987. The Golden Bear was awarded to the Soviet Union film ''Tema'' directed by Gleb Panfilov. The retrospective was in honour of Armenian-American film and ...

in 1987.

Cast

* Ramaz Chkhikvadze as Captain Shotover *

Alla Osipenko Alla Yevgenyevna Osipenko (Russian:Алла Евгеньевна Осипенко , born 16 June 1932 in Leningrad) is a retired Soviet ballerina. She studied at the Leningrad Choreographic School (now Vaganova Academy) in the class of Agrippina ...

as Ariadna *

Irina Sokolova Irina (Cyrillic: Ирина) is a feminine given name of Ancient Greek origin, commonly borne by followers of the Eastern Orthodox Church. It is derived from Eirene (Ancient Greek: Εἰρήνη), an ancient Greek goddess, personification of pe ...

as Nanny Guinness * Tatyana Yegorova as Gessiona * Vladimir Zamansky as Madzini * Viktoria Amitova as Ellie (uncredited) * Dmitri Bryantsev as Hector (uncredited)

References

External links

Sokurov's website
* * 1987 drama films 1987 films Soviet films based on plays Films directed by Alexander Sokurov Lenfilm films 1980s Russian-language films Soviet drama films {{1980s-drama-film-stub