The Theme (1979)

Тема

A famous, successful playwright goes to an old Russian town for inspiration and meets a woman who sees through him.

★ Golden Bear, Berlin International Film Festival 1987

Plays from Mosfilm's official YouTube channel. Subtitles start in English; use the CC and ⚙ buttons in the player to change them. Open on YouTube ↗

Year
1979
Director
Gleb Panfilov
Starring
Mikhail Ulyanov, Inna Churikova, Stanislav Lyubshin, Yevgeny Vesnik
Genre
Drama
Running time
1 h 37 min
Language
Russian, English subtitles
Studio
Mosfilm

About the film

Kim Yesenin is an honoured Soviet playwright with fame, money and nothing left to say. He drives to the ancient town of Suzdal looking for a new subject.

In the local museum he meets Sasha, a young guide and literary scholar who is honest in a way he has forgotten how to be. Their conversations show him what his life and work have become.

Completed in 1979, the film was shelved by the censors for seven years. Released under Gorbachev, it won the Golden Bear in Berlin.

Did you know?

  • It was banned for seven years before being released in 1986.
  • It won the Golden Bear at the 1987 Berlin festival.
  • Inna Churikova, who plays Sasha, was the director's wife.

If you liked The Theme