Russian Full Circle

Expanding the Circle

Sections: Vocabulary | Exercises | Dialogues | Culture | Expanding the Circle

Want to learn more about the current state of Russian (as well as Eastern Europe and Central Asian) cinema? KinoKultura is published four times a year and contains English-language reviews of the latest films to come out in that part of the world.

If you're interested in older films, Мосфильм, perhaps the most important Soviet film studio, has put a ton of their movies on YouTube, complete with English subtitles! If you're not sure where to start, you can try Белое солнце пустыни, a classic Soviet 'Eastern' film, or, if you're in the mood for a comedy, Иван Васильевич меняет профессию, a time travel comedy about Иван Грозный (Ivan the Terrible)!

Want to delve into the works of one of Russia’s most celebrated auteurs? Open Culture has shared the works of Андрей Тарковский (1932-1986), available with English subtitles.

Or, if you'd like to check out an interesting documentary, “Agafia’s Taiga Life” is a short documentary about an old believer who has been living deep in the taiga of Siberia for her entire life:

Музыка!

Here are a few more links to music by Егор Летов (and Гражданская оборона), if you are interested in hearing more: