''The Seagull'' (russian: Чайка, Chayka) is a 1972 Soviet film adaptation of the 1896

play of the same name Play most commonly refers to: * Play (activity), an activity done for enjoyment * Play (theatre), a work of drama Play may refer also to: Computers and technology * Google Play, a digital content service * Play Framework, a Java framework * Pla ...

Anton Chekhov Anton Pavlovich Chekhov (; 29 January 1860 Old Style date 17 January. – 15 July 1904 Old Style date 2 July.) was a Russian playwright and short-story writer who is considered to be one of the greatest writers of all time. His career ...

. It was directed by Yuli Karasik and its music was written by

Alfred Schnittke Alfred Garrievich Schnittke (russian: Альфре́д Га́рриевич Шни́тке, link=no, Alfred Garriyevich Shnitke; 24 November 1934 – 3 August 1998) was a Russian composer of Jewish-German descent. Among the most performed and re ...

Plot

Beside a lake on his land, Sorin helps his nephew Treplev set up the first production of his play. The main actor is Nina, with whom Treplev is in love. The audience includes celebrities like Treplev's mother, the actress Arkadina, and her lover Boris Trigorin. For Nina and Treplev the show is of major importance, as they both dream of a future in the theatre. However, the audience is distracted and Arkadina talks through it under her breath, accusing the play of being decadent. Feeling humiliated and overlooked, Treplev calls off the play and later drops a dead seagull at Nina's feet, announcing "I will kill myself in the same way". Later Trigorin seduces Nina and confesses to her "A subject is coming to me full of life... that of a short story: a woman lives beside a lake from her childhood... like you. She loves this lake like a seagull, like a seagull she is happy and free. But a man arrives, by chance, and causes her death, just as this seagull died." Shortly afterwards they leave for town and Nina follows. Two years later, we return to the same setting - Treplev still lives there and is now a well-known writer. The audience learns that Nina's love for Trigorin was unrequited and that her acting career was a disappointment.

Cast

Alla Demidova Alla Sergeyevna Demidova (russian: link=no, А́лла Серге́евна Деми́дова; born 29 September 1936, Moscow) is a Russian actress internationally acclaimed for the tragic parts in innovative plays staged by Yuri Lyubimov in th ...

: Irina Arkadina Nikolaevna, actress * Vladimir Tchetverikov : Konstantin Gavrilovitch Treplev, her son *

Nikolai Plotnikov Nikolai Sergeyevich Plotnikov (russian: Николай Сергеевич Пло́тников; 5 November 1897 – 3 February 1979) was a Soviet film actor. He appeared in the 1949 biopic ''Ivan Pavlov''. Selected filmography * ''Dawn of Paris'' ...

: Piotr Nikolaïévitch Sorin, her brother * Lioudmila Savelieva : Nina Zaretchnaïa, daughter of a rich landowner *

Valentina Telichkina Valentina Ivanovna Telichkina (russian: Валенти́на Ива́новна Тели́чкина; born January 10, 1945) is a Soviet and Russian film and stage actress. People's Artist of the Russian Federation (2009). Biography Valentina ...

: Macha, daughter of lieutenant Chamraïev *

Yury Yakovlev Yury Vasilyevich Yakovlev (russian: Ю́рий Васи́льевич Я́ковлев; 25 April 1928 – 30 November 2013) was a Soviet and Russian actor. He was awarded the honorary title of People's Artist of the USSR in 1976. Main works ...

: Boris Alexeyevich Trigorin, writer * Armen Djigarkhanian : Ilya Chamraïev * Sofia Pavlova : Paulina Andreïévna, Chamraïev's wife * Sergueï Torkachevski : Medvedenko, teacher *

Yefim Kopelyan Yefim Zakharovich Kopelyan (russian: Ефим Захарович Копелян; 12 April 1912 – 6 March 1975) was a Soviet Union, Soviet actor of theatre and cinema, one of the legendary masters of the Bolshoi Theatre of Drama (BDT) in Leni ...

: Dorn, doctor

External links

*
Чайка (1970) // Фильмы // Энциклопедия отечественного киноLa Mouette de Youli Karassik (1972) - Analyse et critique du film - DVDClassik
1972 films Soviet drama films Russian drama films Films based on plays by Anton Chekhov Films directed by Youli Karassik Films scored by Alfred Schnittke 1972 drama films 1970s Soviet films {{1970s-USSR-film-stub