The Barber of Siberia, a review

A three-and-a-half hour long movie of Oscar-winning director Nikita Mikhalkov is the first Russian blockbuster having 70% of its dialogue in English and presenting a real star as a main character - Julia Ormond, who was finally chosen by Mikhalkov after interviews with Jodie Foster, Andie MacDowell and Sharon Stone for "Ormond's virtuoso technique and British training, which is very close to the Russian acting school".

The movie tells the story of love and self-sacrifice, unfolding on the backdrop of nineteenth century Imperial Russia with its hard-drinking generals, officers exiled to Siberia, and wild, uncontrolled passions that rage across all Russians. 

The officer cadet Andrei Tolstoy (Oleg Menshikov), falls in love with Jane, an American woman (Julia Ormond), who arrives in Moscow posing as the daughter of American inventor Douglas McCracken (Richard Harris), helping him obtain funding for a huge tree-chopping machine, named "The barber of Siberia." 

Jane is supposed to persuade officials to give the project government support. Her target is General Radlov, the deputy chairman of the Emperor’s Innovation Committee, who happens to be the director of Andrei's military school. The general - a vain but likable and very Russian character subject to long, violent drinking binges - falls in love with the pretty foreigner. Thus the love triangle gets formed. Jane and Andrei contrast sharply - the things that are just business for Jane, are absolutely inappropriate and savage to Andrei’s mind. Otherwise, she can’t comprehend why he behaves the way that defies any rational explanation. However, a worldly, cynical, chain-smoking American easy woman gradually turns out to be just a beautiful sensitive girl after falling in love with a young, naive, idealistic Russian aristocrat, who puts his life at risk fighting at duel for her and, eventually, sacrifices himself to protect her dignity.

What can I say about Julia performance. It’s outstanding, I’ve never saw such touching acting before. And I barely can describe the camera work and the effects - they must be seen by yourself on a big screen with Dolby Digital - especially because I saw the exclusively printed copy of the movie. Eastman-Kodak made that film for two performances only - first in Kremlin and in Cannes in May.