Softwing Most undeservingly overhyped movie of all time??

Beystiman It's fun, it's light, [but] it has a hard time when its tries to get heavy.

Brendon Jones It’s fine. It's literally the definition of a fine movie. You’ve seen it before, you know every beat and outcome before the characters even do. Only question is how much escapism you’re looking for.

Staci Frederick Blistering performances.

Sindre Kaspersen Soviet-American screenwriter, producer and director Andrey Konchalovsky's thirteenth feature film which he co-wrote with screenwriter Anatoli Usov, is inspired by real events in the life of a Soviet man named Alex Sanchin who was the private projectionist for Joseph Stalin (1878-1953) for twelve years. It was screened In competition at the 42nd Berlin International Film Festival in 1992, was shot on locations in Moscow, Russia and is an Italy-Russia-USA co-production which was produced by Italian producer Claudio Bonivento. It tells the story about a field projectionist named Ivan Sanchin who lives in an apartment in Moscow, Soviet Union with his fiancée named Anastasia and who one day in 1939 after a man named Aaron Gubelman who lives in the same building with his wife named Sonia and their daughter named Katja is taken by KGB officers to the KGB headquarters. Distinctly and precisely directed by Soviet-American filmmaker Andrey Konchalovsky, this quietly paced and somewhat fictional tale which is narrated by the protagonist and mostly from his point of view, draws a moving and unsettling portrayal of a patriotic Russian man who during the beginning of the Second World War in the late 1930s is brought to the Kremlin and offered a job as a projectionist for the authoritarian and dominant leader of the Soviet Union which then was ruled as a single-party state by the Communist Party. While notable for its naturalistic milieu depictions, fine cinematography by Italian cinematographer Ennio Guarniero, production design by production designers Gianni Giovagnoni and Vladimir Murzin and costume design by costume designer Nelli Fomina, this narrative-driven story depicts a thorough and empathic study of character and contains a great score by Soviet-Russian composer Eduard Artemyev. This biographical, at times humorous and conversational drama from the early 1990s which is set in the former constitutionally socialist state of the Soviet Union (1922-1991) in the late 1930s, 1940s and early 1950s and where a woman forms a strong bond with a little girl who has been left on her own after her parents were taken by the Committee for State Security and an ordinary man becomes so proud and committed when he gets to work for the most powerful and worshiped man and dictator in his totalitarian country that it affects his relationship with the woman he loves, is impelled and reinforced by its cogent narrative structure, substantial character development, colorful characters and the charming and engaging acting performances by American actor Tom Hulce and Canadian actress Lolita Davidovitch. A historical, heartrending, romantic and informative narrative feature.

AfterDarkMSweet To The Actors & Actress and Writers & Director of The INNER CIRCLE go my heartiest congratulations To these People belong the rare distinction of having made the greatest Movie of Joseph Stallin's RUSSIA.A Movie unparalled in the Modern Film & Stage industry.This Magnificent Achievement was Made possible by their Spirit,Courage,Unselfish Cooperation,and loyalty to their Trade.Their Movie Should be an inspiration to the Actors & Actress that will fill their Places in future Years in the Film & Stage Industry.Stephen Hudson

ebert_jr Unbelievable...that's all that kept going through my mind. How could people treat others so badly? I saw this around Christmas time and it totally bummed me out. Wow, not a film for the holiday season! Basically, if you had any doubts at all about the horror that was Russia's Stalinist era, here is your confirmation. Good Acting, sad, sad story, tragic even, photography excellent (some shots looks so realistic! Of course, some scenes were shot in the Kremlin, supposedly).Very moving film.

ParaGraph Andrei Konchalovsky have always been my favorite russian director, but this is his best film. It tells us about a national tragedy: Stalin tirany. Some wonderful forgein actors also add to the success of the film. They are Tom Hulce, Lolita Davidovich (Indictment: The McMartin Trial (HBO:1995)), Bess Meyer is wonderful as the Jweish girl Katya. The scene of Stalin's funeral is so shocking and touching when Katya is trying to get close to the coffin with Stalin and Ivan (Tom Hulce) is holding her because she could got killed. The most horrible thing about Katya's thoughts is that she is so devoted to comrade Stalin, she says that it's just because of her she is an educated person, she lives okay (really horrible), but 'twas Stalin who arrested her parents only because they're Jewish people. She says: What profession can I get - I am a Jew, you know. That shocks. There's no a thind more horrible than when since his or hers childhood a preson thinks that he/she is worse than the others... Thank you, Andrei Sergeevich for this wonderful and touching masterpiece