Alissa Timoshkina, chef, KinoVino supper club founder, and author of Salt and Time: Recipes from a Russian Kitchen joins Ally Pitts to discuss this somewhat notorious drama from the late 1980s glastnost period a few years before the Soviet Unio

The Irony of Fate (Eldar Ryazanov; 1975) Special Festive Episode!!!

1 Dec 21st, 2017 46m 2s

The film this time around is perennial Russian festive favourite The Irony of Fate, or Enjoy your Bath! from 1975. It was directed by Eldar Ryazanov and stars Andrey Myagkov, Barbara Brylska, and Yury Yakovlev (NOT Yakolev, like I kept saying o

Bonus

Interview with Alex Christofi, author of Dostoevsky in Love

2 Apr 7th, 2021 36m 57s

Author and publisher Alex Christofi joins Ally Pitts to discuss the tumultuous life of Fyodor Dostoevsky, who is the subject of his fascinating new biography, Dostoevsky in Love, published by Bloomsbury Continuum.Listeners in the UK can pick

Russian Ark (Aleksandr Sokurov; 2002)

1 Apr 2nd, 2020 1h 29m

Jonny Tickle, Moscow resident and YouTuber, joins Ally Pitts to discuss this meandering, mysterious walk through Russian history and Saint Petersberg's Hermitage Museum, filmed in a single continuous take.Listeners in the UK can buy Alexander

Anna (Luc Besson; 2019)

1 Nov 7th, 2019 1h 20m

Lyn Seren, veteran of the podcast and possible 6th Element, joins Ally Pitts to discuss this slightly Cold War-flavoured espionage/action film Expect SPOILERS from about 19 minutes in until the end.CONTENT WARNING: the film includes depiction

Come and See (Elem Klimov; 1985)

1 1 Jul 4th, 2019 1h 44m

Sasha Ilyukevich, London-based Belarusian singer-songwriter and poet, joins Ally Pitts for this harrowing journey into Nazi-occupied Belarus in 1943, which stars Aleksey Kravchenko and Olga Mironova.CONTENT WARNING: Come and See contains susta

Welcome, Or No Trespassing (Elem Klimov, 1964)

1 Mar 21st, 2019 59m 43s

Tanya Lukyanova, TV producer, and stand-up comedian, joins Ally Pitts to discuss this joyous and energetic satire, which was the debut of the director of the notorious war film Come and See.This episode SPOILERS from about 18 mins in until the

Brother (Alexei Balabanov; 1997)

2 Aug 16th, 2018 1h 15m

Mark Bullen, author, former police officer, and expert on Russian organised crime joins Ally Pitts to discuss iconic '90s neo-noir crime drama Brother.It stars Sergei Bodrov Jr, Viktor Sukhorukov, Svetlana Pismichenko, Yury Kuznetsov, and Serg

Moscow does not Believe in Tears (Vladimir Menshov; 1980)

Dec 7th, 2017 1h 1m

Jenny Shelton, writer and period drama enthusiast, joins Ally Pitts to review Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Picture winner for 1980 Moscow does not Believe in Tears, directed by Vladimir Menshov. Apparently, Ronald Reagan watched it a

[Pilot Episode] Stalker (Andrei Tarkovsky; 1979)

Nov 23rd, 2017 1h 1m

As the title suggests, this is the first one of these.Buy Zona by Geoff Dyer and support the podcast!The first ten minutes or so of the podcast are non-spoilery but from then on EXPECT SPOILERS. My guest is the most excellent Lyn Setchell.

MINI-REVIEW: Unclenching the Fists (Kira Kovalenko; 2021)

Nov 26th, 2023 11m 7s

Ally Pitts reviews Kira Kovalenko's 2021 Ossetian language coming of age drama Unclenching the Fists and then recommends a handful of other films currently streaming on MUBI.Links mentioned in the episode:To get a 30-day free trial of MUBI, p

Bonus

BONUS EPISODE: Ally’s Klassiki Recommendations

Aug 20th, 2023 48m 25s

Dr Samuel Goff, editorial director at the film streaming service Klassiki, joins Ally Pitts to talk about Ally's five film picks from the Klassiki film Library.To receive a 50% discount on an annual subscription to Klassiki, please use the cod

The Lord Eagle (Eduard Novikov; 2018)

May 8th, 2022 1h 22m

Jenny Shelton from the RSPB discusses this historical drama from Yakutia with host Ally Pitts. The film centres around an elderly couple whose grueling but predictable life in rural Siberia in the 1930s is a disrupted by the arrival of mysterio

Bonus

#Reviews4Good at Podchaser.com

Apr 11th, 2022 2m 18s

Podchaser.com is donating $0.25 to support World Central Kitchen's #ChefsForUkraine for every podcast review on their site from now until the end of April 2022.Russophiles Unite's Podchaser page.The Eastern Border's Podchaser page.More about

Bonus

Bonus Episode: Stump the Guesser! (Guy Maddin, Evan Johnson, Galen Johnson; 2020)

Jan 23rd, 2022 17m 18s

Lyn Seren joins Ally Pitts once again, this time to discuss this surreal Canadian spoof of early Soviet film.Some Ways You Can Support the Show:First of all, please subscribe on your podcatcher of choice, if you haven't already!Try out MUBI

STATE FUNERAL (Sergei Loznitsa; 2019)

1 May 21st, 2021 1h 16m

Kristaps Andrejsons, journalist and host of The Eastern Border podcast, joins Ally Pitts to discuss this documentary which provides a startling insight into the cult of personality surrounding Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin.STATE FUNERAL is now

I am Twenty (Marlen Khutsiev; 1965)

1 Apr 4th, 2021 1h 26m

Nadja Bee, film critic and co-founder of KinoSelect, joins Ally Pitts to discuss a sprawling drama from the 1960s in which a group of friends navigate the trials, tribulations, and joys of young adulthood. Oh, and a youthful Andrei Tarkovsky sh

Morozko [AKA Frosty AKA Father Frost AKA Jack Frost...] (Alexander Rou; 1964)

Dec 27th, 2020 44m 26s

Carrie Pitts, Russian language & literature graduate, joins Ally Pitts to discuss this festive fairy tale adventure featuring winter wizard Ded Moroz and notorious witch Baba Yaga.Listeners in the UK can buy Why the Bear Has No Tail: And other

Office Romance (Eldar Ryazanov; 1977)

1 Jan 9th, 2020 1h 32m

Michele Berdy, Moscow Times columnist, translator, and The Word's Worth podcast host, joins Ally to discuss this Brezhnev-era rom-com starring Alisa Freyndlikh and Andrei Myagkov.Listeners in the UK can buy The Russian Word's Worth by Michele

Chapaev (Sergey & Georgy Vasilyev; 1934)

Dec 5th, 2019 1h 35m

Martin Kessler, filmmaker and Flixwise: Canada host, returns to discuss this Russian Civil War set proto-action film. It has the dubious distinction of being one of Joseph Stalin's favourite movies, and it stars Boris Babochkin as the eponymous

How I Ended This Summer (Aleksei Popogrebsky; 2010)

Sep 5th, 2019 1h 16m

Lyn Seren, occasional watcher of Russian films, joins Ally Pitts to discuss this tense thriller set in the Russian arctic.Expect SPOILERS from about 18 minutes in until the end.CONTENT WARNING: the film discussed in this episode contains an o

Onegin (Martha Fiennes; 1999)

Jun 6th, 2019 1h 24m

Jenny Shelton, writer and period drama drama connoisseur, and Carrie Pitts. Russian language & literature graduate join Ally Pitts to discuss this adaptation of Alexander Pushkin's famous verse novel.SPOILERS from about 28 minutes onwards. CO

Attraction (Fyodor Bondarchuk; 2017)

Apr 18th, 2019 1h 17m

Teegan Johnson, industrial psychology researcher and sci-fi fan, joins Ally Pitts to discuss this alien invasion movie/romance set in contemporary Moscow.Expect SPOILERS from about 13 minutes in onwards.CONTENT WARNING: The film depicts misog

Letter Never Sent (Mikhail Kalatozov; 1960)

Apr 4th, 2019 51m 3s

Lyn Seren, film fan and R.E.M. appreciator, joins Ally Pitts to discuss this journey into the depths of Siberia.Expect SPOILERS from about 20 minutes in onwards.Letter Never Sent stars Tatyana Samoylova, Evgeny Urbansky, Vasily Livanov, and I

The Cranes are Flying (Mikhail Kalatozov; 1957)

Mar 7th, 2019 45m 24s

Carrie Pitts, Russian language & literature grad, foodie, and reluctant veteran of the podcast, joins Ally to discuss possibly the most famous Soviet film of the Khrushchev Thaw.Listeners in the UK can buy The Cranes are Flying by Josephine W