A Russian & Soviet Movie Podcast with Ally Pitts (Ally Pitts)

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 code RUPOD50 at checkout.

Visit Klassiki.Online and sign up for a free trial!

Follow Klassiki on:

Letterboxd: https://letterboxd.com/klassiki/ 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100052319903979 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/klassiki.online/ 

Twitter: https://twitter.com/Klassiki_Online 

Some Ways You Can Support the podcast:

First of all, please subscribe on your podcast app of choice, if you haven't already!

You can make a one-off donation at ko-fi-com/russophilesunite

If you're listening from the UK, you can pick up a book from our uk.bookshop.org affiliate store; 10% of the sale will go towards the running of the show, and another 10% will go towards supporting independent bookshops around the country.

If you enjoyed this episode, please follow and rate us on Podchaser: www.podchaser.com/russophilesunitemoviepodcast

Contact Us:

Letterboxd: https://letterboxd.com/Ally_Pitts/

Twitter: @RussophilesU

Email: russophilesunite@gmail.com

Facebook: www.facebook.com/groups/russophilesunite

Instagram: www.instagram.com/russophiles_unite/

Find Ally's other podcast appearances at: https://www.podchaser.com/creators/alistair-pitts-107ZzmUqmI

Lyn Seren, host of Gentlemen Don't Get Caught: An R.E.M. Podcast, joins Ally Pitts to discuss this depiction of an adolescent conscript's experience of the First World War, which features an unusual (and perhaps not wholly successful) artistic twist.

SPOILERS from about 8 minutes in until the end.

CONTENT WARNING: the film discussed contains violence and nudity.

Support the show/fund Ally's caffeine habit at: ko-fi.com/russophilesunite

Listeners in the UK can help the show by picking up a book from our uk.bookshop.org affiliate store.

There's also our www.rusandsov.com affiliate store where you can get t-shirts, wall posters, coffee mugs, and more with a Russian and or Soviet theme. If you use the promo code RUSSOPHILESUNITE at check out, you'll get 10% off, and they ship locally in the US, the EU, and Australia.

If you enjoyed this episode, please follow and rate us on Podchaser: www.podchaser.com/russophilesunitemoviepodcast

The show's intro music is Cold by Sasha Ilyukevich and the Highly Skilled Migrants.

You can find more of their music at: https://thehighlyskilledmigrants.bandcamp.com/ or on Spotify.

If you'd like to get in touch and tell us what you thought of the film and/or the podcast episode, it would be great to hear from you! Here are some ways you can do that:

Twitter: @RussophilesU

Email: russophilesunite@gmail.com

Facebook: www.facebook.com/groups/russophilesunite

Instagram: www.instagram.com/russophiles_unite/

Letterboxd: https://letterboxd.com/Ally_Pitts/

Find Ally's other podcast appearances at: https://www.podchaser.com/creators/alistair-pitts-107ZzmUqmI

To celebrate the Latvian film Flow winning the best animation category at the 2025 Oscars, Ally Pitts introduces an episode from previous guest Kristaps Andrejsons, which was originally published on his show, The Eastern Border.

Links mentioned/alluded to in the episode: https://www.podchaser.com/podcasts/a-russian-soviet-movie-podcast-594862/episodes/state-funeral-sergei-loznitsa-91766026 

https://theeasternborder.lv/about https://uppcinema.com/show/flow/ 

https://dukeslancaster.org/whats-on/cinema/flow-u https://www.watershed.co.uk/whatson/13080/flow Milton Keynes Gallery:

https://mkgallery.org/event/the-4-30-club-away-u/ https://mkgallery.org/event/flow-u/ 

https://mkgallery.org/event/away-u/ 

https://www.thegardencinema.co.uk/film/flow/  Not technically an indie cinema, but still, this interview Picturehouse cinemas did with Gints Zilbalodis is worth a read.

https://www.picturehouses.com/blog/the-movies-me-gints-zilbalodis Contact us/socials:

All the links for a Russian & Soviet Movie Podcast you're ever likely to want or need: linktr.ee/russiansovietmoviepodcast

We changed the name of the show a little while back, but the social handles/contacts are a bit of a mishmash.

Email: russophilesunite@gmail.com

Letterboxd: https://letterboxd.com/Ally_Pitts/

Listen to Ally's other podcast appearances on Podchaser

Links mentioned in the episode:

The Top 100 Podcast with Tim Coleman: Man with a Movie Camera episode with Ally Pitts.

Saint Audio Podcast Festival line-up

Saint Audio Podcast Festival announcement episode.

I am Cuba, directed by Mikhail Kalatozov, screening at the Ultimate Picture Palace in Oxford.

At the time of recording, Salt for Svanetia is available to stream on Klassiki, which is available in the UK, the US, and the Republic of Ireland. If you use the code RUPOD50, you can get 50% off an annual subscription.

Jean-Pierre Melville episode of Shoot the Piano Player: A French New Wave Podcast with Spencer Seams & Joel Torres.

Criterion release of I am Cuba, directed by Mikhail Kalatozov.

Contact us/socials:

(We've changed the name of the show, but the social handles are a bit of a mishmash).

Email: russiansovietmoviepod@gmail.com

Twitter (or 'X', if you really insist): @Russophiles

Instagram: instagram.com/russiansovietmoviepodcast/

Letterboxd: https://letterboxd.com/Ally_Pitts/

Listen to Ally's other podcast appearances on Podchaser

Against their better judgement, Ally & Carrie Pitts decided to watch this extremely low-budget adaptation of JRR Tolkien's classic fantasy. Here are a few of their thoughts.

If you'd like to get in touch, it would be great to hear from you! Here are some ways you can do that:

Twitter: @RussophilesU

Email: russophilesunite@gmail.com

Facebook: www.facebook.com/groups/russophilesunite

Instagram: www.instagram.com/russophiles_unite/

Letterboxd: https://letterboxd.com/Ally_Pitts/

Find Ally's other podcast appearances at: https://www.podchaser.com/creators/alistair-pitts-107ZzmUqmI

Bianca Garner, film critic and editor and founder of In Their Own League, a website focusing on female filmmakers, joins Ally Pitts to discuss this 1960s romantic drama co-starring legendary Soviet bard Vladimir Vysotsky.

Listeners in the UK can buy Kira Muratova by Jane Taubman from Bloomsbury Books via our uk.bookshop.org affiliate link. 10% of the sale will go towards covering the costs of running the show and you'll also be helping out independent bookshops! Visit our uk.bookshop.org affiliate store here!

Expect SPOILERS from 41 minutes in until the end. Brief Encounters also stars Kira Muratova and Nina Ruslanova. Read Bianca's article on Kira Muratova here: intheirownleague.com/2020/06/15/in-their-own-league-hall-of-fame-kira-muratova/ You can watch the film with English subtitles at Russian Film Hub: https://russianfilmhub.com/movies/brief-encounters-1967/

Support the show/fund Ally's caffeine habit at: https://ko-fi.com/russophilesunite

The show's intro music is Cold by Sasha Ilyukevich and the Highly Skilled Migrants.

You can find more of their music at:

https://thehighlyskilledmigrants.bandcamp.com/

Or: https://open.spotify.com/artist/1cXWmfhuDWyfKfsYADk96F

If you'd like to get in touch and tell us what you thought of the film and/or the podcast episode, it would be great to hear from you! Here are some ways you can do that:

Twitter: @RussophilesU

Email: russophilesunite@gmail.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/russophilesunite

Instagram: www.instagram.com/russophiles_unite/

Letterboxd: https://letterboxd.com/Ally_Pitts/ Find Ally's other podcast appearances at: https://www.podchaser.com/creators/alistair-pitts-107ZzmUqmI

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 showing on MUBI. You can claim your free 30-day trial of their incredible film streaming service by visiting: https://mubi.com/russiansovietpod

- Ally's MUBI recommendations

CONTENT WARNING: In this episode, we discuss the violence of the Soviet state under Joseph Stalin.

If you're listening from the UK, you can pick up a copy of The Last Days of Stalin by Joshua Rubenstein, It's Only a Joke, Comrade by Jonathan Waterlow, or another book from the wide selection in our uk.bookshop.org virtual affiliate bookshop. 10% of the sale will go towards the running of the show, and another 10% will go towards supporting independent bookshops around the country.

There's also our www.rusandsov.com affiliate store where you can get t-shirts, wall posters, coffee mugs, and more with a Russian and or Soviet theme. If you use the promo code RUSSOPHILESUNITE at check out, you'll get 10% off, and they ship locally in the US, the EU, and Australia.

If you enjoyed this episode, please follow and rate us on Podchaser: www.podchaser.com/russophilesunitemoviepodcast

The show's intro music is Cold by Sasha Ilyukevich and the Highly Skilled Migrants.

You can find more of their music at: https://thehighlyskilledmigrants.bandcamp.com/ or on Spotify.

If you'd like to get in touch and tell us what you thought of the film and/or the podcast episode, it would be great to hear from you! Here are some ways you can do that:

Twitter: @RussophilesU

Email: russophilesunite@gmail.com

Facebook: www.facebook.com/groups/russophilesunite

Instagram: www.instagram.com/russophiles_unite/

Letterboxd: https://letterboxd.com/Ally_Pitts/

Find Ally's other podcast appearances at: https://www.podchaser.com/creators/alistair-pitts-107ZzmUqmI

Matthew Chadourne, stand-up comedian, executive producer and creative director of the Oxford Comedy Festival, and co-host of the Saint Misbehavin' podcast joins host Ally Pitts to talk about his various comedy and movie-related projects.

This is designed to serve as an appetizer for an upcoming episode on Grigory Chukrai’s Ballad of a Soldier with Matthew as the guest, which will be released on this feed as soon as it's edited.

Links mentioned/alluded to in the episode:

https://oxfordcomedyfestival.co.uk/our-acts 

https://oxfordcomedyfestival.co.uk/shows

https://qedcomedylab.co.uk/saintmisbehavinpod 

https://www.secondrundvd.com/index.html https://www.magd.ox.ac.uk/magdalen-monday-movies/ 

All the Best Lines Ninotchka episode with Ally as the guest

Contact us/socials:

All the links for a Russian & Soviet Movie Podcast you're ever likely to want or need: linktr.ee/russiansovietmoviepodcast

We changed the name of the show a little while back, but the social handles/contacts are a bit of a mishmash.

Email: russophilesunite@gmail.com

Letterboxd: https://letterboxd.com/Ally_Pitts/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/russiansovietmoviepodcast/  https://www.instagram.com/ally_pitts_movies_etc/ 

Listen to Ally's other podcast appearances on Podchaser

Kino Klassika is a UK non-profit organisation that highlights films from Russia, the Caucasus, and Central Asia. Shortly before the launch of Klassiki, Kino Klassika's new streaming service, Ally Pitts spoke to season manager Olga Doletskaya.

Find out more about Kino Klassika: https://www.kinoklassikafoundation.org/ Find out more about Klassiki: https://klassiki.online/

If you enjoyed this episode, please follow and rate us on Podchaser: www.podchaser.com/russophilesunitemoviepodcast

If you'd like to get in touch, it would be great to hear from you! Here are some ways you can do that:

Twitter: @RussophilesU

Email: russophilesunite@gmail.com

Facebook: www.facebook.com/groups/russophilesunite

Instagram: www.instagram.com/russophiles_unite/

Letterboxd: https://letterboxd.com/Ally_

Find Ally's other podcast appearances at: https://www.podchaser.com/creators/alistair-pitts-107ZzmUqmI

We highly recommend you check out this history podcast series centering on Teddy Roe, an American who visited the Soviet Union in 1968.

Visit the Teddy Goes to the USSR website, or find the show wherever you get your podcasts.

To mark the 5th anniversary of the release of the pilot episode for this show, we're taking you to on a trip into the show's pre-history...our host Ally Pitts's podcasting debut! Classic Schmassic was an amazing comedy podcast about movies from before 1980. For this episode, Ally joined hosts Chris Mead & Owen Choules to discuss Sergei Eisenstein’s Battleship Potemkin and whether it lives up to its reputation.

You can find more about Chris and his work as an improv performer and teacher at chrismead.co.

Owen has been a guest on shows including As If: A Minute-by-Minute Clueless podcast and the Four Weddings and a Funeral episode of the brilliant Falling in Love Montage.

Some Ways You Can Support the Show:

First of all, please subscribe on your podcast app of choice, if you haven't already!

You can make a one-off donation at ko-fi-com/russophilesunite

If you're listening from the UK, you can pick up a book from our uk.bookshop.org affiliate store; 10% of the sale will go towards the running of the show, and another 10% will go towards supporting independent bookshops around the country.

There's also our www.rusandsov.com affiliate store where you can get t-shirts, wall posters, coffee mugs, and more with a Russian and or Soviet theme. If you use the promo code RUSSOPHILESUNITE at check out, you'll get 10% off, and they ship locally in the US, the EU, and Australia.

If you enjoyed this episode, please follow and rate us on Podchaser: www.podchaser.com/russophilesunitemoviepodcast

Contact Us:

Twitter: @RussophilesU

Email: russophilesunite@gmail.com

Facebook: www.facebook.com/groups/russophilesunite

Instagram: www.instagram.com/russophiles_unite/

Letterboxd: https://letterboxd.com/Ally_Pitts/

Find Ally's other podcast appearances at: https://www.podchaser.com/creators/alistair-pitts-107ZzmUqmI

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, please visit:https://mubi.com/russiansovietpod

Carmen Gray's article, Scarred States: Unclenching the Fists and the Art of Escape.

Podcast episode on Daughters of the Dust (Julie Dash; 1991), hosted by Spencer Seams & Joel Torres.

Contact us:

(We've changed the name of the show, but the social handles are staying the same for now).

Email: russophilesunite@gmail.com

Instagram: www.instagram.com/russophiles_unite/

Letterboxd: https://letterboxd.com/Ally_Pitts/

The platform formerly known as Twitter: @RussophilesU

Listen to Ally's other podcast appearances on Podchaser

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 up a copy of Dostoevsky in Love via our uk.bookshop.org affiliate link. 10% of the sale will go towards covering the costs of running the show and you'll also be helping out independent bookshops! Visit our uk.bookshop.org affiliate store here to see the rest of our Russia-themed book selection. As you might expect, there is a section on Classics of Russian Literature. If you'd like to get in touch, it would be great to hear from you! Here are some ways you can do that:

Twitter: @RussophilesU

Email: russophilesunite@gmail.com

Facebook: www.facebook.com/groups/russophilesunite

Instagram: www.instagram.com/russophiles_unite/

Letterboxd: https://letterboxd.com/Ally_

Find Ally's other podcast appearances at: https://www.podchaser.com/creators/alistair-pitts-107ZzmUqmI

What else did Ally get up to last year when he wasn't recording Russophiles Unite episodes?

Composer and musician Juliet Merchant joins host Ally Pitts to discuss some of the silent films she has written scores for. 

At the time of recording, six of the films Juliet has composed scores for are available on the streaming service Klassiki, which is available in the UK, the US, and the Republic of Ireland.

Here’s a link to a 30-day free trial: https://klassiki.online/arussiansovietmoviepodcast/ 

If you use the code RUPOD50, you can get 50% off an annual subscription.

The films are: Aelita: Queen of Mars (Yakov Protazanov; 1924)

The Extraordinary Adventures of Mr West in the Land of the Bolsheviks (Lev Kuleshov; 1924)

Girl with the Hatbox (Boris Barnet; 1927)

House on a Volcano (Hamo Bek-Nazaryan; 1929)

Love's Berries (Oleksandr Dovzhenko; 1926)

A Life for a Life (Yevgeny Bauer; 1916) 

Links mentioned/alluded to in the episode:

julietmerchantmusic.com/

The Golden Silent Films podcast

HippCast: The Hippodrome Silent Film Festival podcast 

Ally Pitts on Media-eval: a medieval pop-culture podcast with Dr Sarah Ifft-Decker: The Passion of Joan of Arc (Carl Theodor Dreyer; 1928) 

Ally Pitts on The Top 100 podcast with Tim Coleman: Man with a Movie Camera (Dziga Vertov; 1929)

Contact us/socials:

All the links for a Russian & Soviet Movie Podcast you're ever likely to want or need: linktr.ee/russiansovietmoviepodcast

Letterboxd: https://letterboxd.com/Ally_Pitts/ https://letterboxd.com/ally_pitts/films/reviews/  https://letterboxd.com/ally_pitts/list/enjoy-the-silents-my-silent-film-recommendations/  https://letterboxd.com/ally_pitts/list/silent-films-with-scores-by-juliet-merchant/ 

We've changed the name of the show, but the social handles/contacts are a bit of a mishmash.

Email: russophilesunite@gmail.com

Twitter (or 'X', if you really insist): @RussophilesU

Listen to Ally's other podcast appearances on Podchaser

Host Ally Pitts highlights several Soviet silent comedy films screening at Slapstick Festival 2025 in Bristol, UK, and makes some podcast recommendations.

Links mentioned/alluded to in the episode:

https://slapstick.org.uk/slapstick-festival-2025/ 

https://pamhutch.wordpress.com/about/ 

Pamela Hutchinson's podcast appearances 

https://www.annabogutskaya.com/ 

https://gulpfictionbooks.com/ Streaming service free trials:

For a 30-day free trial of Klassiki: https://klassiki.online/arussiansovietmoviepodcast/

If you use the code RUPOD50, you can get 50% off an annual subscription. For a 30-day free trial of MUBI: https://mubi.com/russiansovietpod 

Contact us/socials:

All the links for a Russian & Soviet Movie Podcast you're ever likely to want or need: linktr.ee/russiansovietmoviepodcast

We changed the name of the show a little while back, but the social handles/contacts are a bit of a mishmash.

Email: russophilesunite@gmail.com

Letterboxd: https://letterboxd.com/Ally_Pitts/

Listen to Ally's other podcast appearances on Podchaser

The Lighthouse [AKA Mayak] (Maria Saakyan; 2006) Blu-ray Giveaway on Twitter

A new restoration of Maria Saakyan’s stunning film The Lighthouse AKA Mayak is out on Blu-ray on 27th September 2021! To celebrate, we've teamed up with Second Run to give away 2 copies of the Blu-ray. To enter: 1) Follow @RussophilesU & @SecondRunDVD on Twitter.

2) Retweet the tweet about the competition (You'll find it at this link).

3) Tag a friend in the replies, or in a quote tweet.

Terms & Conditions:

1. By entering into the competition, all entrants agree to be bound by the terms and conditions.

2. This competition is only open to entrants over 16 years of age.

3. The two winners will receive one of two copies of the region-free The Lighthouse (Mayak) Blu-ray. Please see this link for more details about the release.

4. The closing date for the competition is 8.59pm British Summer Time Monday 27th September 2021. Late entries will not be counted.

5. By entering this competition, you accept that you are prepared to provide a postal address to Second Run for them to send the Blu-ray in the event that you are selected as one of the two winners.

6. Winners will be selected at random from among the entrants. 

7. Winners will be notified by direct message on Twitter.

8. If no reply is received, an alternate winner will be picked at random.

9. The judge’s decision as to the identity of the winners shall be at their sole discretion and shall be final.  

10. In accordance with Twitter’s guidance on competitions, anyone found to have used multiple accounts to enter will not be eligible to win.

11. If you are a relative to Russophiles Unite host Alistair Pitts, or of any employee of Second Run, you will not be eligible to win one of the prizes.

12. Neither Russophiles Unite nor Second Run will disclose your email or postal address to third parties.

More information on the The Lighthouse (Mayak) Blu-ray can be found at this link.

Petrov's Flu film screening times: https://www.odeon.co.uk/films/petrovs-flu/HO00002609/ 

Petrov's Flu + Q&A with Kirill Serebrennikov film screening times:: https://www.odeon.co.uk/films/petrovs-flu--qa/HO00002626/ 

In your home and maybe in your town?

Links mentioned/alluded to in the episode:

All the links for a Russian & Soviet Movie Podcast you're ever likely to want or need: linktr.ee/russiansovietmoviepodcast

For a 30-day free trial of the streaming service Klassiki: https://klassiki.online/arussiansovietmoviepodcast/

If you use the code RUPOD50, you can get 50% off an annual subscription.

https://kinoteka.org.uk/programme 

https://www.instagram.com/gulpfictionbooks/ 

https://letterboxd.com/ally_pitts/list/my-10-favourite-polish-films/ 

https://letterboxd.com/ally_pitts/list/my-klassiki-recommendations-updated-regularly/detail/ 

https://www.secondrundvd.com/index.html 

Contact us/socials:

All the links for a Russian & Soviet Movie Podcast you're ever likely to want or need: linktr.ee/russiansovietmoviepodcast

We changed the name of the show a little while back, but the social handles/contacts are a bit of a mishmash.

Email: russophilesunite@gmail.com

Letterboxd: https://letterboxd.com/Ally_Pitts/

Listen to Ally's other podcast appearances on Podchaser

Film historian and Hamo Bek-Nazarov Project co-founder Daniel Bird joins Ally Pitts to discuss this astonishing debut feature by the late Armenian-Russian director Maria Saakyan. 

To celebrate the release of the new restoration the film on region-free Blu-ray, Second Run are offering 10% off the list price of The Lighthouse and/or any other Blu-ray or DVD on Secondrundvd.com. coupon code RUSSOPHILES at check-out. PLEASE NOTE: this discount covers the Blu-rays & DVDs at secondrundvd.com only, and does not apply to delivery charges. The offer is available until 28th April 2022.

Mayak is also streaming on MUBI. You can claim your free 30-day trial of their incredible film streaming service by visiting: www.mubi.com/russophiles

Ways You Can Support the Show:

If you enjoyed this episode, please follow and rate us on Podchaser: www.podchaser.com/russophilesunitemoviepodcast

If you're listening from the UK, you can pick up a book from our uk.bookshop.org affiliate store; 10% of the sale will go towards the running of the show, and another 10% will go towards supporting independent bookshops around the country.

There's also our www.rusandsov.com affiliate store where you can get t-shirts, wall posters, coffee mugs, and more with a Russian and or Soviet theme. If you use the promo code RUSSOPHILESUNITE at check out, you'll get 10% off, and they ship locally in the US, the EU, and Australia.

Music Credits:

The show's intro music is Cold by Sasha Ilyukevich and the Highly Skilled Migrants.

You can find more of their music at: https://thehighlyskilledmigrants.bandcamp.com/ or on Spotify.

Contact Us

If you'd like to get in touch and tell us what you thought of the film and/or the podcast episode, it would be great to hear from you! Here are some ways you can do that:

Twitter: @RussophilesU

Email: russophilesunite@gmail.com

Facebook: www.facebook.com/groups/russophilesunite

Instagram: www.instagram.com/russophiles_unite/

Letterboxd: https://letterboxd.com/Ally_Pitts/

Find Ally's other podcast appearances at: https://www.podchaser.com/creators/alistair-pitts-107ZzmUqmI

Links mentioned in the episode:

Cinemas screening Tchaikovsky's Wife (UK and Republic of Ireland): sovereignfilms.co.uk/tchaikovskyswife

The Guardian's Pjotr Sauer interviews Kirill Serebrennikov

BBFC content advice for Tchaikovsky's Wife

To receive a 50% discount on an annual subscription to Klassiki, please use the code RUPOD50 at checkout.

Visit Klassiki.Online and sign up for a free trial!

Contact us:

(We've changed the name of the show, but the social handles are staying the same for now).

Email: russophilesunite@gmail.com

Instagram: www.instagram.com/russophiles_unite/

Letterboxd: https://letterboxd.com/Ally_Pitts/

The platform formerly known as Twitter: @RussophilesU

Listen to Ally's other podcast appearances on Podchaser

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 mysterious bird of prey.

Episode Sponsor:

You can watch The Lord Eagle, along with many other films from Eastern Europe, the Caucasus, and Central Asia on the streaming service Klassiki Online.

Read uk.bookshop.org affiliate store; 10% of the sale will go towards the running of the show, and another 10% will go towards supporting independent bookshops around the country.

There's also our www.rusandsov.com affiliate store where you can get t-shirts, wall posters, coffee mugs, and more with a Russian and or Soviet theme. If you use the promo code RUSSOPHILESUNITE at check out, you'll get 10% off, and they ship locally in the US, the EU, and Australia.

If you enjoyed this episode, please follow and rate us on Podchaser: www.podchaser.com/russophilesunitemoviepodcast

Music:

The show's intro music is Cold by Sasha Ilyukevich and the Highly Skilled Migrants.

You can find more of their music at: https://thehighlyskilledmigrants.bandcamp.com/ or on Spotify.

Contact Us:

Twitter: @RussophilesU

Email: russophilesunite@gmail.com

Facebook: www.facebook.com/groups/russophilesunite

Instagram: www.instagram.com/russophiles_unite/

Letterboxd: https://letterboxd.com/Ally_Pitts/

Find Ally's other podcast appearances at: https://www.podchaser.com/creators/alistair-pitts-107ZzmUqmI

Lyn Seren, host of Gentlemen Don't Get Caught: An R.E.M. Podcast, joins Ally Pitts to discuss this appropriately dark exploration of a relationship between two traumatised young women living in Leningrad in the aftermath of World War II. SPOILERS from about 20 minutes in until the end. CONTENT WARNING: the film discussed contains many upsetting scenes, including some containing sexual violence.

At the time of writing, Beanpole is available to watch on MUBI.

- Get a 30-day free trial of MUBI

- Ally's MUBI recommendations

Support the show/fund Ally's caffeine habit at: ko-fi.com/russophilesunite

Listeners in the UK can help the show by picking up a book from our uk.bookshop.org affiliate store.

There's also www.rusandsov.com, where you can get t-shirts, wall posters, coffee mugs, and more with a Russian and or Soviet theme. If you use the promo code RUSSOPHILESUNITE at check out, you'll get 10% off, and they ship locally in the US, the EU, and Australia.

If you enjoyed this episode, please follow and rate us on Podchaser: www.podchaser.com/russophilesunitemoviepodcast

The show's intro music is Cold by Sasha Ilyukevich and the Highly Skilled Migrants.

You can find more of their music at: https://thehighlyskilledmigrants.bandcamp.com/ or on Spotify.

If you'd like to get in touch and tell us what you thought of the film and/or the podcast episode, it would be great to hear from you! Here are some ways you can do that:

Twitter: @RussophilesU

Email: russophilesunite@gmail.com

Facebook: www.facebook.com/groups/russophilesunite

Letterboxd: https://letterboxd.com/Ally_Pitts/

Find Ally's other podcast appearances at: https://www.podchaser.com/creators/alistair-pitts-107ZzmUqmI

Ally Pitts and Lyn Seren are hosting podcast where they discuss the music of alternative rock legends R.E.M. one track at a time. It's called Gentlemen Don't Get Caught, and we think you should listen to it! You can find the show at this link. 

Samantha Berkhead, Moscow Times editor and bad movie enthusiast, joins Ally Pitts to discuss this extremely ill-judged pre-teen fish-out-of-water/time-travel comedy which features the doomed Romanov princess as its main character.  Listeners in the UK can support the show by picking up a book via our online affiliate bookshop. 10% of the sale will go towards covering the costs of running the show and you'll also be helping out independent bookshops! Visit our uk.bookshop.org affiliate store here!

If you enjoyed this episode, please follow and rate us on Podchaser: www.podchaser.com/russophilesunitemoviepodcast

Support the show/fund Ally's caffeine habit at: ko-fi.com/russophilesunite

The show's intro music is Cold by Sasha Ilyukevich and the Highly Skilled Migrants.

You can find more of their music at: https://thehighlyskilledmigrants.bandcamp.com/ or on Spotify.

If you'd like to get in touch and tell us what you thought of the film and/or the podcast episode, it would be great to hear from you! Here are some ways you can do that:

Twitter: @RussophilesU

Email: russophilesunite@gmail.com

Facebook: www.facebook.com/groups/russophilesunite

Instagram: www.instagram.com/russophiles_unite/

Letterboxd: https://letterboxd.com/Ally_Pitts/

Find Ally's other podcast appearances at: https://www.podchaser.com/creators/alistair-pitts-107ZzmUqmI

Ally Pitts introduces an episode of The Projection Booth he guested on in 2022.

Links mentioned in the episode:

Listen to the rest of Ally's guest appearances on The Projection Booth.

Contact us:

(We've changed the name of the show, but the social handles are staying the same for now).

Email: russophilesunite@gmail.com

Letterboxd: https://letterboxd.com/Ally_Pitts/

The platform formerly known as Twitter: @RussophilesU

Listen to Ally's other podcast appearances on Podchaser

International(?) man of mystery Lyn Seren joins Ally Pitts to discuss Andrei Tarkovsky's penultimate film. We also talk about rückenfigurs and Milton Keynes artists Boyd & Evans a bit!

Links mentioned/alluded to in the episode:

International Association for Suicide Prevention’s directory: https://www.iasp.info/suicidalthoughts/ 

UK: https://www.samaritans.org/ 

US: https://988lifeline.org/ 

All the links for a Russian & Soviet Movie Podcast you're ever likely to want or need: linktr.ee/russiansovietmoviepodcast

For a 30-day free trial of the streaming service Klassiki: https://klassiki.online/arussiansovietmoviepodcast/

If you use the code RUPOD50, you can get 50% off an annual subscription.

Milton Keynes-based artists Boyd & Evans: https://www.boydandevans.com/  

British-Russian comedian Olga Koch: https://www.rocknrolga.com/ 

Oxford Comedy Festival: https://oxfordcomedyfestival.co.uk/ 

Contact us/socials:

We've changed the name of the show, but the social handles are a bit of a mishmash.

Email: russophilesunite@gmail.com

Twitter (or 'X', if you really insist): @RussophilesU

Letterboxd: https://letterboxd.com/Ally_Pitts/

Listen to Ally's other podcast appearances on Podchaser

Saint Audio Podcast Festival is happening over the late May Bank Holiday Weekend (that's 23-26 May), in Oxford, UK! See you there, maybe?

Links mentioned in the episode:

Saintaudiopodcastfestival.com 

Screening of Spice World (1997) at the Ultimate Picture Palace, presented by The Flop House podcast.

Contact us/socials:

(We've changed the name of the show, but the social handles are a bit of a mishmash).

Email: russophilesunite@gmail.com

Twitter (or 'X', if you really insist): @Russophiles

Instagram: instagram.com/russiansovietmoviepodcast/

Letterboxd: https://letterboxd.com/Ally_Pitts/

Listen to Ally's other podcast appearances on Podchaser

Professor Catriona Kelly will be discussing her new book Russian Food Since 1800: Empire at Table with previous guest on this show, Alissa Timoshkina at Pushkin House in London on Friday 15th March 2024.

It's an in-person & online hybrid event, which will from 6.30 to 8.00 pm GMT.

Find out more about the event and buy tickets at pushkinhouse.org

Our episode on Little Vera (dir. Vasily Pichul; 1988).

Contact us:

(We've changed the name of the show, but the social handles are staying the same for now).

Email: russophilesunite@gmail.com

Letterboxd: https://letterboxd.com/Ally_Pitts/

The platform formerly known as Twitter: @RussophilesU

Listen to Ally's other podcast appearances on Podchaser

Probably not the best place to start if you're arriving at this feed for the first time.

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 Sokurov: Russian Ark by Birgit Beumers via our uk.bookshop.org affiliate link. 10% of the sale will go towards covering the costs of running the show and you'll also be helping out independent bookshops. Visit our uk.bookshop.org affiliate store here!

Expect SPOILERS from about 38 minutes in until the end. Russian Ark stars Sergei Dreiden. If you enjoyed this episode, please follow and rate us on Podchaser: www.podchaser.com/russophilesunitemoviepodcast Support the show/fund Ally's caffeine habit at: https://ko-fi.com/russophilesunite

Find Jonny Tickle on Twitter at: @jonnytickle Visit Jonny's YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCKvzrcnSazCp5gYNbEaFHyg

Aleksandr Sokurov, Russian Ark by Birgit Beumers: hwww.intellectbooks.com/aleksandr-sokurov 

Publish with Intellect Books: www.intellectbooks.com/why-publish-with-us The show's intro music is Cold by Sasha Ilyukevich and the Highly Skilled Migrants.

You can find more of their music at:

https://thehighlyskilledmigrants.bandcamp.com/

Or: https://open.spotify.com/artist/1cXWmfhuDWyfKfsYADk96F

If you'd like to get in touch and tell us what you thought of the film and/or the podcast episode, it would be great to hear from you! Here are some ways you can do that:

Twitter: @RussophilesU

Email: russophilesunite@gmail.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/russophilesunite

Instagram: www.instagram.com/russophiles_unite/

Letterboxd: https://letterboxd.com/Ally_Pitts/

Find Ally's other podcast appearances at: https://www.podchaser.com/creators/alistair-pitts-107ZzmUqmI

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 Podchaser's #Reviews4Good campaign.

Here's Podchaser's FAQ about #Reviews4Good. Contact Us:

Twitter: @RussophilesU

Email: russophilesunite@gmail.com

Facebook: www.facebook.com/groups/russophilesunite

Instagram: www.instagram.com/russophiles_unite/

Classic episode re-release, featuring music by composer Juliet Merchant.

In this episode, originally released in August 2018, Sarah Roberts, artist and podcaster, joins Ally Pitts to discuss this early Soviet silent sci-fi adventure.

SPOILERS from about 16 minutes in until the end. CONTENT WARNING: discussion of the film's depiction of abusive relationships and violence against women.

Links mentioned/alluded to in the episode:

Art by guest Sarah Roberts: https://sarahkathleenroberts.com/

Composer Juliet Merchant's live performance dates: julietmerchantmusic.com/ 

Ally Pitts on The Top 100 podcast with Tim Coleman: Man with a Movie Camera (Dziga Vertov; 1929)

Ally Pitts on Media-Eval: A Medieval Pod Culture Podcast with Dr. Sarah Ifft-Decker Ally's silent film recommendations on Letterboxd

klassiki.online/yuliya-solntseva-hidden-history-soviet-queen-of-film/ 

klassiki.online/podcast/

For a 30-day free trial of the streaming service Klassiki: https://klassiki.online/arussiansovietmoviepodcast/

If you use the code RUPOD50, you can get 50% off an annual subscription.

www.royalacademy.org.uk/exhibition/eye-of-the-storm 

www.royalacademy.org.uk/article/start-here-modernism-in-ukraine 

slaviclitpod.com/aelita-1924-by-protazanov/ 

theukrainianmuseum.org/alexandra-exter-the-stage-is-a-world/ 

Aelita screening 9th November 2024 @ St. Hilda's College, Oxford, UK with live performance by Juliet Merchant 

Aelita screening 20th October 2024 @ the Fine Arts Building, Chicago

Didn't mention this in the episode, but we should have: it's Silent Movie Day 2024 on 29th September.

Contact us/socials:

All the links for a Russian & Soviet Movie Podcast you're ever likely to want or need: linktr.ee/russiansovietmoviepodcast

We've changed the name of the show, but the social handles/contacts are a bit of a mishmash.

Email: russophilesunite@gmail.com

Twitter (or 'X', if you really insist): @RussophilesU

Letterboxd: https://letterboxd.com/Ally_Pitts/

Listen to Ally's other podcast appearances on Podchaser

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!

At the time of recording, this film was on MUBI. At the time of this update (Nov '24) it isn't but try out MUBI for free for 30 days with our referral link anyway! www.mubi.com/russiansovietpod  Here are some recommendations! Ally's MUBI recommendations on Letterboxd

If you're listening from the UK, you can pick up a book from our uk.bookshop.org affiliate store; 10% of the sale will go towards the running of the show, and another 10% will go towards supporting independent bookshops around the country.

There's also our www.rusandsov.com affiliate store where you can get t-shirts, wall posters, coffee mugs, and more with a Russian and or Soviet theme. If you use the promo code RUSSOPHILESUNITE at check out, you'll get 10% off, and they ship locally in the US, the EU, and Australia.

If you enjoyed this episode, please follow and rate us on Podchaser: www.podchaser.com/russophilesunitemoviepodcast

The show's intro music is Cold by Sasha Ilyukevich and the Highly Skilled Migrants.

You can find more of their music at: https://thehighlyskilledmigrants.bandcamp.com/ or on Spotify.

If you'd like to get in touch and tell us what you thought of the film and/or the podcast episode, it would be great to hear from you! Here are some ways you can do that:

Twitter: @RussophilesU

Email: russophilesunite@gmail.com

Facebook: www.facebook.com/groups/russophilesunite

Instagram: www.instagram.com/russophiles_unite/

Letterboxd: https://letterboxd.com/Ally_Pitts/

Find Ally's other podcast appearances at: https://www.podchaser.com/creators/alistair-pitts-107ZzmUqmI

Ally Pitts introduces a conversation between Sean Guillory and Maria Belodubrovskaya that was originally recorded for the SRB Podcast. Find it wherever you listen to this podcast.

Note: the SRB Podcast is now the Eurasian Knot. 

There's also a brief update on what's happening with the show.

Also, Feedspot added us to their 100 best movie podcasts list, which is pretty awesome! 

Contact Us:

Twitter: @RussophilesU

Email: russophilesunite@gmail.com

Letterboxd: https://letterboxd.com/Ally_Pitts/

Find Ally's other podcast appearances at: https://www.podchaser.com/creators/alistair-pitts-107ZzmUqmI

Phil Manchester, former Moscow resident and pub quizmaster extraordinaire, joins Ally Pitts to discuss this adaptation of the first of Martin Cruz Smith's Arkady Renko detective novels, set in early 1980s Moscow. CONTENT WARNING: The film includes violence and gore, including violence against women.

SPOILERS for both the book and the film (and indeed subsequent Renko books) from about 23 minutes in until the end.

Support the show/fund Ally's caffeine habit at: ko-fi.com/russophilesunite

Listeners in the UK can help the show by picking up a book from our uk.bookshop.org affiliate store. The selection includes Gorky Park and the rest of Martin Cruz Smith's Arkady Renko novels.

There's also our www.rusandsov.com affiliate store where you can get t-shirts, wall posters, coffee mugs, and more with a Russian and or Soviet theme. If you use the promo code RUSSOPHILESUNITE at check out, you'll get 10% off, and they ship locally in the US, the EU, and Australia.

If you enjoyed this episode, please follow and rate us on Podchaser: www.podchaser.com/russophilesunitemoviepodcast

The show's intro music is Cold by Sasha Ilyukevich and the Highly Skilled Migrants.

You can find more of their music at: https://thehighlyskilledmigrants.bandcamp.com/ or on Spotify.

If you'd like to get in touch and tell us what you thought of the film and/or the podcast episode, it would be great to hear from you! Here are some ways you can do that:

Twitter: @RussophilesU

Email: russophilesunite@gmail.com

Facebook: www.facebook.com/groups/russophilesunite

Instagram: www.instagram.com/russophiles_unite/

Letterboxd: https://letterboxd.com/Ally_Pitts/

Find Ally's other podcast appearances at: https://www.podchaser.com/creators/alistair-pitts-107ZzmUqmI

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 depictions of an abusive relationship, self-harm, and suicidal behaviour.

Anna stars Sasha Luss, Helen Mirren, Cillian Murphy, Luke Evans, and Lera Abova.

Support the show/fund Ally's caffeine habit at: https://ko-fi.com/russophilesunite

If you enjoyed this episode, please follow and rate us on Podchaser: www.podchaser.com/russophilesunitemoviepodcast

The show's intro music is Cold by Sasha Ilyukevich and the Highly Skilled Migrants.

You can find more of their music at:

https://thehighlyskilledmigrants.bandcamp.com/

Or: https://open.spotify.com/artist/1cXWmfhuDWyfKfsYADk96F

If you'd like to get in touch and tell us what you thought of the film and/or the podcast episode, it would be great to hear from you! Here are some ways you can do that:

Twitter: @RussophilesU

Email: russophilesunite@gmail.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/russophilesunite

Instagram: www.instagram.com/russophiles_unite/

Letterboxd: https://letterboxd.com/Ally_Pitts/

Find Ally's other podcast appearances at: https://www.podchaser.com/creators/alistair-pitts-107ZzmUqmI

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 misogynistic violence and consent issues.

Attraction stars Irina Starshenbaum, Alexander Petrov, Rinal Mukhametov, Evgeny Mikheev and Oleg Menshikov.

If you enjoyed this episode, please follow and rate us on Podchaser: www.podchaser.com/russophilesunitemoviepodcast

Support the show/fund Ally's caffeine habit at: ko-fi.com/russophilesunite

The show's intro music is Cold by Sasha Ilyukevich and the Highly Skilled Migrants.

You can find more of their music at: https://thehighlyskilledmigrants.bandcamp.com/ or on Spotify.

If you'd like to get in touch and tell us what you thought of the film and/or the podcast episode, it would be great to hear from you! Here are some ways you can do that:

Twitter: @RussophilesU

Email: russophilesunite@gmail.com

Facebook: www.facebook.com/groups/russophilesunite

Instagram: www.instagram.com/russophiles_unite/

Letterboxd: https://letterboxd.com/Ally_Pitts/

Find Ally's other podcast appearances at: https://www.podchaser.com/creators/alistair-pitts-107ZzmUqmI

Host Ally Pitts shares news about the BFI's Béla Tarr retrospective season Will Heaven Fall Upon Us?

Ally's local, the Ultimate Picture Palace in Oxford is one of the participating UK cinemas.

Links mentioned/alluded to in the episode:

Béla Tarr retrospective Season at the Ultimate Picture Palace in Oxford 

For a 30-day free trial of the streaming service Klassiki: https://klassiki.online/a-russian-soviet-movie-podcast/

The Top 100 podcast with Tim Coleman  

Peter Bradshaw's interview with Béla Tarr for the Guardian  

https://www.criterion.com/films/33388-werckmeister-harmonies  

The British Film Institute's Béla Tarr retrospective season 

Ally's Klassiki recommendations on Letterboxd 

  Damnation blu-ray from Arbelos  

Calvert Journal article on Béla Tarr by Carmen Gray

Some UK independent cinemas taking part in the Béla Tarr retrospective:

https://tynesidecinema.co.uk/film-seasons/bela-tarr-retrospective/  https://www.showroomworkstation.org.uk/belatarrcollection

https://www.riocinema.org.uk/movie/will-heaven-fall-upon-us 

All the links for a Russian & Soviet Movie Podcast you're ever likely to want or need: linktr.ee/russiansovietmoviepodcast

Contact us/socials:

We've changed the name of the show, but the social handles are a bit of a mishmash.

Email: russophilesunite@gmail.com

Twitter (or 'X', if you really insist): @RussophilesU

Letterboxd: https://letterboxd.com/Ally_Pitts/

Listen to Ally's other podcast appearances on Podchaser

Caroline Ridler, academic and musician, joins Ally Pitts to discuss this musical/drama/biopic which follows the growth of the Leningrad rock scene in the early 1980s, with a particular focus on one of its most famous members, Kino frontman Viktor Tsoi.

Listeners in the UK can buy Everything Was Forever, Until It Was No More by Alexei Yurchak from Princeton University Press via our uk.bookshop.org affiliate link. 10% of the sale will go towards covering the costs of running the show and you'll also be helping out independent bookshops! Visit our uk.bookshop.org affiliate store here! Expect SPOILERS from about 32 minutes in until the end.

Leto stars Teo Yoo, Roman Bilyk, and Irina Starshenbaum.

If you enjoyed this episode, please follow and rate us on Podchaser: www.podchaser.com/russophilesunitemoviepodcast Support the show/fund Ally's caffeine habit at: ko-fi.com/russophilesunite

Check out Caroline's bass covers of Kino songs over at her YouTube channel. The show's intro music is Cold by Sasha Ilyukevich and the Highly Skilled Migrants.

You can find more of their music at: https://thehighlyskilledmigrants.bandcamp.com/ or on Spotify.

If you'd like to get in touch and tell us what you thought of the film and/or the podcast episode, it would be great to hear from you! Here are some ways you can do that:

Twitter: @RussophilesU

Email: russophilesunite@gmail.com

Facebook: www.facebook.com/groups/russophilesunite

Instagram: www.instagram.com/russophiles_unite/

Letterboxd: https://letterboxd.com/Ally_Pitts/

Find Ally's other podcast appearances at: https://www.podchaser.com/creators/alistair-pitts-107ZzmUqmI

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 Red Army commander.

Listeners in the UK can buy Chapaev by Julian Graffy from Bloomsbury Books, via our uk.bookshop.org affiliate link. 10% of the sale will go towards covering the costs of running the show and you'll also be helping out independent bookshops! Visit our uk.bookshop.org affiliate store here!

CONTENT WARNING:

The film briefly depicts a sexual assault (it is not framed as such, but certainly reads that way to modern audiences). Ally and Martin didn't actually discuss this scene in the episode, however.

Expect SPOILERS from about 39 minutes in until the end.

Hear more of Martin on Flixwise: Canada: http://flixwise.com/category/episodes/flixwise-canada/

If you'd like to get in touch and tell us what you thought of the film and/or the podcast episode, it would be great to hear from you! Here are some ways you can do that:

Twitter: @RussophilesU

Email: russophilesunite@gmail.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/russophilesunite

Instagram: www.instagram.com/russophiles_unite/

Letterboxd: https://letterboxd.com/Ally_Pitts/

Support the show/fund Ally's caffeine habit at: https://ko-fi.com/russophilesunite

Listen to Ally's other podcast appearances at: https://www.podchaser.com/creators/alistair-pitts-107ZzmUqmI

Carrie & Ally Pitts discuss a Khrushchev Thaw-era musical satirical comedy from the director of Soviet New Year staple The Irony of Fate, or Enjoy Your Bath!.

Some Ways You Can Support the Show:

First of all, please subscribe on your podcatcher of choice, if you haven't already!

If you're listening from the UK, you can pick up a book from our uk.bookshop.org affiliate store; 10% of the sale will go towards the running of the show, and another 10% will go towards supporting independent bookshops around the country.

There's also our www.rusandsov.com affiliate store where you can get t-shirts, wall posters, coffee mugs, and more with a Russian and or Soviet theme. If you use the promo code RUSSOPHILESUNITE at check out, you'll get 10% off, and they ship locally in the US, the EU, and Australia.

If you enjoyed this episode, please follow and rate us on Podchaser: www.podchaser.com/russophilesunitemoviepodcast

The show's intro music is Cold by Sasha Ilyukevich and the Highly Skilled Migrants.

You can find more of their music at: https://thehighlyskilledmigrants.bandcamp.com/ or on Spotify.

If you'd like to get in touch and tell us what you thought of the film and/or the podcast episode, it would be great to hear from you! Here are some ways you can do that:

Twitter: @RussophilesU

Email: russophilesunite@gmail.com

Facebook: www.facebook.com/groups/russophilesunite

Instagram: www.instagram.com/russophiles_unite/

Letterboxd: https://letterboxd.com/Ally_Pitts/

Find Ally's other podcast appearances at: https://www.podchaser.com/creators/alistair-pitts-107ZzmUqmI

Ally Pitts announces a screening of Lev Kuleshov’s By the Law; 3pm on Sunday 24th November '24 at the Barbican Cinema, and a screening of Sergei Eisenstein's Battleship Potemkin at the Winter Gardens in Morecambe in Lancashire on at 7.15pm on Saturday 30th November '24.

Links mentioned/alluded to in the episode:

https://www.barbican.org.uk/whats-on/2024/event/silent-film-live-music-by-the-law 

https://www.northernsilents.com/whats-on/battleship-potemkin-morecambe 

https://www.northernsilents.com/silents-by-the-sea 

Ally Pitts on The Top 100 podcast with Tim Coleman: Man with a Movie Camera (Dziga Vertov; 1929)

Contact us/socials:

All the links for a Russian & Soviet Movie Podcast you're ever likely to want or need: linktr.ee/russiansovietmoviepodcast

We've changed the name of the show, but the social handles/contacts are a bit of a mishmash.

Email: russophilesunite@gmail.com

Twitter (or 'X', if you really insist): @RussophilesU

Letterboxd: https://letterboxd.com/Ally_Pitts/ https://letterboxd.com/ally_pitts/films/reviews/  https://letterboxd.com/ally_pitts/list/enjoy-the-silents-my-silent-film-recommendations/  https://letterboxd.com/ally_pitts/list/silent-films-with-scores-by-juliet-merchant/ 

Listen to Ally's other podcast appearances on Podchaser

Olivia Capozzalo & Smith Freeman, hosts of the She's in Russia podcast, join Ally Pitts to discuss this late 1960s crime caper. Expect SPOILERS from about 39 minutes in until the end.

The Diamond Arm stars Yuri Nikulin, Andrei Mironov, Nonna Mordyukova, Anatoly Papanov, Nina Grebeshkova, and Svetlana Svetlichnaya.

If you enjoyed this episode, please follow and rate us on Podchaser: www.podchaser.com/russophilesunitemoviepodcast

Support the show/fund Ally's caffeine habit at: ko-fi.com/russophilesunite

The show's intro music is Cold by Sasha Ilyukevich and the Highly Skilled Migrants.

You can find more of their music at: https://thehighlyskilledmigrants.bandcamp.com/ or on Spotify.

If you'd like to get in touch and tell us what you thought of the film and/or the podcast episode, it would be great to hear from you! Here are some ways you can do that:

Twitter: @RussophilesU

Email: russophilesunite@gmail.com

Facebook: www.facebook.com/groups/russophilesunite

Instagram: www.instagram.com/russophiles_unite/

Letterboxd: https://letterboxd.com/Ally_Pitts/

Find Ally's other podcast appearances at: https://www.podchaser.com/creators/alistair-pitts-107ZzmUqmI

Host Ally Pitts looks back at some highlights of 2024 and looks ahead to 2025. Note from Ally: Unfortunately, the audio for this episode is not up to the usual standard due to a mistake on my part. On balance I thought it was better to release it now as is rather than defer a week until I'd have time to re-record. Thanks for understanding, and please excuse the sound being a little rougher than I'd like on this occasion.

Links mentioned/alluded to in the episode:

Support the show and Ally's other movie-related projects at ko-fi.com

Issue 48 of Film Stories magazine, featuring Ally's article on The Point in Milton Keynes, the UK's first multiplex cinema/movie theater.

Ally on The Top 100 podcast with Tim Coleman: Man with a Movie Camera (Dziga Vertov; 1929)

Ally on The Pink Smoke podcast with Martin Kessler: The Queen of Spades (Thorold Dickinson; 1949)

The Ultimate Picture Palace, Oxford's independent cinema

The Fright Pub horror movie podcast 

Ally's notes on Lawrence of Arabia for the Danger Close war movie podcast

https://letterboxd.com/ally_pitts/list/my-top-10-first-time-watches-of-2024/detail/ 

https://letterboxd.com/ally_pitts/list/my-top-5-re-watches-of-2024/detail/ 

https://letterboxd.com/ally_pitts/list/my-top-10-klassiki-watches-of-2024/detail/ 

https://letterboxd.com/ally_pitts/list/my-top-10-mubi-watches-of-2024/detail/ Streaming service free trials:

For a 30-day free trial of Klassiki: https://klassiki.online/arussiansovietmoviepodcast/

If you use the code RUPOD50, you can get 50% off an annual subscription. For a 30-day free trial of MUBI: https://mubi.com/russiansovietpod 

Contact us/socials:

All the links for a Russian & Soviet Movie Podcast you're ever likely to want or need: linktr.ee/russiansovietmoviepodcast

We changed the name of the show a little while back, but the social handles/contacts are a bit of a mishmash.

Email: russophilesunite@gmail.com

Letterboxd: https://letterboxd.com/Ally_Pitts/

Listen to Ally's other podcast appearances on Podchaser

Lydia Kapp, writer, actor, and artist, joins Ally Pitts to discuss this dark, violent London-set crime drama.

CONTENT WARNING: the movie discussed on this episode contains depictions of sexual violence; human trafficking, and graphic violence. For more information, please visit: https://www.bbfc.co.uk/releases/eastern-promises-2007 

SPOILERS from about 24 minutes in until the end. Eastern Promises stars Naomi Watts, Viggo Mortensen, Vincent Cassell, and Armin Mueller-Stahl.

Lydia wrote and starred in the short film Clarence, directed by Rob Thomson, which can be viewed here. Find Lydia on Twitter: https://twitter.com/TallKapp

Or on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tallkapp/?hl=en

The show's intro music is Cold by Sasha Ilyukevich and the Highly Skilled Migrants.

You can find more of their music at:

https://thehighlyskilledmigrants.bandcamp.com/

Or: Spotify.

If you'd like to get in touch and tell us what you thought of the film and/or the podcast episode, it would be great to hear from you! Here are some ways you can do that:

Twitter: @RussophilesU

Email: russophilesunite@gmail.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/russophilesunite

Instagram: www.instagram.com/russophiles_unite/

Letterboxd: https://letterboxd.com/Ally_Pitts/

Support the show/fund Ally's caffeine habit at: https://ko-fi.com/russophilesunite

Find Ally's other podcast appearances at: https://www.podchaser.com/creators/alistair-pitts-107ZzmUqmI

Malcolm Nygard, writer and podcaster, joins Ally Pitts to discuss this Soviet take on one of the most famous Sherlock Holmes stories.

SPOILERS from about 34 minutes in until the end.

The Hound of the Baskervilles stars Vasily Livanov, Viktor Solomin and Nikita Mikhalkov, and was directed by Igor Maslennikov.

SIGNIFICANT SPOILERS from about 34 minutes in until the end.

If you enjoyed this episode, please follow and rate us on Podchaser: www.podchaser.com/russophilesunitemoviepodcast

Support the show/fund Ally's caffeine habit at: ko-fi.com/russophilesunite

Check out Malcolm's film reviews over on Letterboxd.

The show's intro music is Cold by Sasha Ilyukevich and the Highly Skilled Migrants.

You can find more of their music at: https://thehighlyskilledmigrants.bandcamp.com/ or on Spotify.

If you'd like to get in touch and tell us what you thought of the film and/or the podcast episode, it would be great to hear from you! Here are some ways you can do that:

Twitter: @RussophilesU

Email: russophilesunite@gmail.com

Facebook: www.facebook.com/groups/russophilesunite

Instagram: www.instagram.com/russophiles_unite/

Letterboxd: https://letterboxd.com/Ally_Pitts/

Find Ally's other podcast appearances at: https://www.podchaser.com/creators/alistair-pitts-107ZzmUqmI

For the last episode of this batch, it's Window to Paris from 1993.

It stars Sergey Dreyden, Agnes Soral, and Viktor Mikhaylov, and was directed by Yuri Mamin.

Joining Ally to discuss the film are Carrie, & Lyn, who you may remember from such episodes as Irony of Fate, Loveless, Stalker, and Lady Macbeth.

SPOILERS from about 6 minutes in until the end.

If you'd like to get in touch and tell us what you thought of the film and/or the podcast episode, here are some ways you can do that:

Twitter: @RussophilesU

Email: russophilesunite@gmail.com

Facebook: www.facebook.com/russophilesunite/

Lyn Seren, man who likes interesting films and appreciator of dogs, joins Ally Pitts to discuss this historical epic/unconventional biopic of the famous Russian icon painter.

Expect SPOILERS from about 7 minutes in until the end.

If you enjoyed this episode, please follow and rate us on Podchaser: www.podchaser.com/russophilesunitemoviepodcast

Support the show/fund Ally's caffeine habit at: ko-fi.com/russophilesunite

Find out more about #PodRevDay, a way to support your favourite podcasts: www.stephfuccio.com/podrevday

The show's intro music is Cold by Sasha Ilyukevich and the Highly Skilled Migrants.

You can find more of their music at: thehighlyskilledmigrants.bandcamp.com/ or: open.spotify.com/artist/1cXWmfhuDWyfKfsYADk96F

If you'd like to get in touch and tell us what you thought of the film and/or the podcast episode, it would be great to hear from you! Here are some ways you can do that:

Twitter: @RussophilesU

Email: russophilesunite@gmail.com

Facebook: www.facebook.com/groups/russophilesunite

Instagram: www.instagram.com/russophiles_unite/

Letterboxd: https://letterboxd.com/Ally_Pitts/

Find Ally's other podcast appearances at: www.podchaser.com/creators/alistair-pitts-107ZzmUqmI

Tracy Tanoff, podcaster, literature fan, and period drama connoisseur, joins Ally Pitts to discuss this sprawling late 1990s epic from the director of the 1994 Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film winner Burnt by the Sun.  The Barber of Siberia stars Julia Ormond, Oleg Menshikov, Alexei Petrenko, and Richard Harris. 

SPOILERS from about 12 minutes in until the end.

CONTENT WARNING: a rape, while not depicted on screen, is a plot element.

If you enjoyed this episode, please follow and rate us on Podchaser: www.podchaser.com/russophilesunitemoviepodcast

Support the show/fund Ally's caffeine habit at: ko-fi.com/russophilesunite

Please check out Tracy's blog here: http://pleasureinagoodnovel.blogspot.co.uk/

Russophiles Unite's intro music is Cold by Sasha Ilyukevich and the Highly Skilled Migrants.

You can find more of their music at: thehighlyskilledmigrants.bandcamp.com/ or: open.spotify.com/artist/1cXWmfhuDWyfKfsYADk96F

If you'd like to get in touch and tell us what you thought of the film and/or the podcast episode, it would be great to hear from you! Here are some ways you can do that:

Twitter: @RussophilesU

Email: russophilesunite@gmail.com

Facebook: www.facebook.com/groups/russophilesunite

Instagram: www.instagram.com/russophiles_unite/

Letterboxd: https://letterboxd.com/Ally_Pitts/

Find Ally's other podcast appearances at: www.podchaser.com/creators/alistair-pitts-107ZzmUqmI

Joel Torres, podcaster and film fan, joins Ally Pitts to discuss this unconventional biopic that focuses on Emperor Hirohito's response to Japan's defeat in World War II.

SPOILERS from about 23 minutes in until the end.

The Sun stars Issei Ogata and Robert Dawson.

If you enjoyed this episode, please follow and rate us on Podchaser: www.podchaser.com/russophilesunitemoviepodcast

Support the show/fund Ally's caffeine habit at: ko-fi.com/russophilesunite

The show's intro music is Cold by Sasha Ilyukevich and the Highly Skilled Migrants.

You can find more of their music at: https://thehighlyskilledmigrants.bandcamp.com/ or on Spotify.

If you'd like to get in touch and tell us what you thought of the film and/or the podcast episode, it would be great to hear from you! Here are some ways you can do that:

Twitter: @RussophilesU

Email: russophilesunite@gmail.com

Facebook: www.facebook.com/groups/russophilesunite

Instagram: www.instagram.com/russophiles_unite/

Letterboxd: https://letterboxd.com/Ally_Pitts/

Find Ally's other podcast appearances at: https://www.podchaser.com/creators/alistair-pitts-107ZzmUqmI

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 Sergei Murzin.

CONTENT WARNING: In the film, it is implied that a male character rapes a female character off-screen. SPOILERS from about 32 minutes in until the end.

Mark's book Thief in Law, which is a guide to the tattoos and culture of Russian-speaking organised criminal gangs is available from Schiffer Books in the United States: www.schifferbooks.com/thief-in-law-a-guide-to-russian-prison-tattoos-and-russian-speaking-organized-crime-6499.html

Support the show/fund Ally's caffeine habit at: ko-fi.com/russophilesunite

The show's intro music is Cold by Sasha Ilyukevich and the Highly Skilled Migrants.

You can find more of their music at: https://thehighlyskilledmigrants.bandcamp.com/ or on Spotify.

If you'd like to get in touch and tell us what you thought of the film and/or the podcast episode, it would be great to hear from you! Here are some ways you can do that:

Twitter: @RussophilesU

Email: russophilesunite@gmail.com

Facebook: www.facebook.com/groups/russophilesunite

Instagram: www.instagram.com/russophiles_unite/

Letterboxd: https://letterboxd.com/Ally_Pitts/

Find Ally's other podcast appearances at: https://www.podchaser.com/creators/alistair-pitts-107ZzmUqmI

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 whole bunch of times, but please don't hold that against it.

Expect SPOILERS from about 13 minutes in until the end.

CONTENT WARNING: Please be aware that the film depicts a character being rape (mostly off-screen), and that we discuss this incident during the course of the podcast. Moscow does not Believe in Tears stars Vera Alentova, Irina Muravyova, Raisa Ryazanova, and Aleksei Batalov.

If you enjoyed this episode, please follow and rate us on Podchaser: www.podchaser.com/russophilesunitemoviepodcast

Find Jenny on Twitter at: @JennySheltonCam

World Film Locations Moscow, edited by Birgit Beumers: www.intellectbooks.com/world-film-locations-moscow

World Film Locations series from Intellect Books: https://www.intellectbooks.com/world-film-locations

The show's intro music is Cold by Sasha Ilyukevich and the Highly Skilled Migrants.

You can find more of their music at:

https://thehighlyskilledmigrants.bandcamp.com/

Or: https://open.spotify.com/artist/1cXWmfhuDWyfKfsYADk96F

If you'd like to get in touch and tell us what you thought of the film and/or the podcast episode, it would be great to hear from you! Here are some ways you can do that:

Twitter: @RussophilesU

Email: russophilesunite@gmail.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/russophilesunite

Instagram: www.instagram.com/russophiles_unite/

Letterboxd: https://letterboxd.com/Ally_Pitts/

Support the show/fund Ally's caffeine habit at: https://ko-fi.com/russophilesunite

Find Ally's other podcast appearances at: https://www.podchaser.com/creators/alistair-pitts-107ZzmUqmI

Carrie Pitts, former Moscow resident and self-described 'emergency back-up guest', joins Ally to discuss this late '80s Russian cult favourite. 

We were fortunate enough to see it on the big screen as Kino Klassika put it on as part of their #YouthOnTheMarch season of Soviet New Wave films.

Expect SPOILERS from about 9 minutes in until the end. 

CONTENT WARNING: the movie features scenes domestic violence, and, as we discuss during this episode, an extremely insensitive casting decision.

Assa stars Tatyana Drubich, Stanislav Govorukhin, and Sergei 'Afrika' Bugaev. It also features a memorable cameo by Kino frontman Viktor Tsoi. Much of the soundtrack was written by another Russian rock star, Boris Grebenshchikov.

Support the show/fund Ally's caffeine habit at: ko-fi.com/russophilesunite

The show's intro music is Cold by Sasha Ilyukevich and the Highly Skilled Migrants.

You can find more of their music at: https://thehighlyskilledmigrants.bandcamp.com/ or on Spotify.

If you'd like to get in touch and tell us what you thought of the film and/or the podcast episode, it would be great to hear from you! Here are some ways you can do that:

Twitter: @RussophilesU

Email: russophilesunite@gmail.com

Facebook: www.facebook.com/groups/russophilesunite

Instagram: www.instagram.com/russophiles_unite/

Letterboxd: https://letterboxd.com/Ally_Pitts/

Find Ally's other podcast appearances at: https://www.podchaser.com/creators/alistair-pitts-107ZzmUqmI

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 on the episode).

To discuss the film, Ally is joined by Russian language and literature grad and former Moscow resident Carrie Pitts.

This episode is mildly SPOILER-y from 20 minutes in until the end.

The show's intro music is Cold by Sasha Ilyukevich and the Highly Skilled Migrants.

You can find more of their music at:

https://thehighlyskilledmigrants.bandcamp.com/

Or: https://open.spotify.com/artist/1cXWmfhuDWyfKfsYADk96F

If you'd like to get in touch and tell us what you thought of the film and/or the podcast episode, it would be great to hear from you! Here are some ways you can do that:

Twitter: @RussophilesU

Email: russophilesunite@gmail.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/russophilesunite

Instagram: www.instagram.com/russophiles_unite/

Letterboxd: https://letterboxd.com/Ally_Pitts/

Support the show/fund Ally's caffeine habit at: https://ko-fi.com/russophilesunite

Find Ally's other podcast appearances at: https://www.podchaser.com/creators/alistair-pitts-107ZzmUqmI

Happy New Year, druzya! For our first film pick of 2018, we're watching historical drama Tsar from 2009, directed by Pavel Lungin and starring Pyotr Mamonov and Oleg Yankovskiy.

To discuss the film, Ally is joined by co-host of High & Low: A Kurosawa Podcast and Russian history super-fan Spencer Seams.

This episode contains moderate SPOILERs from 19 minutes in until the end.

It also includes (at least) one significant factual error about Russian history by Ally.

For. Shame. No actual prizes for spotting it(/them), but kudos if you do.

If you'd like to get in touch and tell us what you thought of the film and/or the podcast episode, here are some options:

Twitter: @RussophilesU

Email: russophilesunite@gmail.com

Facebook: www.facebook.com/russophilesunite/

Outro music: Grubiy Zakat by Zvuki Mu (fronted by Pyotr Mamonov).

Lyn Seren, film enthusiast, cat admirer, and car owner, joins Ally Pitts to discuss British film Lady Macbeth, which features a star-making performance by Florence Pugh.

The screenplay is an adaptation of Nikolai Leskov's 19th century novella Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk District by Alice Birch.

Expect SIGNIFICANT SPOILERS from 4 minutes in until the end. CONTENT WARNING: If you're planning to watch the film, you should be aware that it contains scenes of domestic violence and sexual assault. As you'll hear in the episode, we recorded this when the film had its initial run in UK cinemas back in 2017, before R. Kelly's sexual abuse against minors was as widely known as it is now. 

Our intro music is Cold by Sasha Ilyukevich and the Highly Skilled Migrants.

You can find more of their music at: thehighlyskilledmigrants.bandcamp.com/ or: open.spotify.com/artist/1cXWmfhuDWyfKfsYADk96F

If you'd like to get in touch and tell us what you thought of the film and/or the podcast episode, it would be great to hear from you! Here are some ways you can do that:

Twitter: @RussophilesU

Email: russophilesunite@gmail.com

Facebook: www.facebook.com/groups/russophilesunite

Letterboxd: https://letterboxd.com/Ally_Pitts/

Find Ally's other podcast appearances at: www.podchaser.com/creators/alistair-pitts-107ZzmUqmI

This time around we're watching Stalingrad, from 2013 and directed by Fyodor Bondarchuk.

The film stars  Mariya Smolyakina, Yanina Studilina, Pyotr Fyodorov, Thomas Kretschmann, Sergey Bondarchuk, Dmitri Lysenkov, Andrey Smolyakov, Aleksey Barabash, and Oleg Volku. It was Russia's entry for Best Film in the 87th Oscars, but it ultimately wasn't nominated.

To discuss the film, Ally is joined by former A-level film studies student and Chuckle Brother Award co-winner (2004) Patrick Say.

This episode contains SPOILERS from 20 minutes in until the end. 

If you'd like to get in touch and tell us what you thought of the film and/or the podcast episode, here are some options:

Twitter: @RussophilesU

Email: russophilesunite@gmail.com

Facebook: www.facebook.com/russophilesunite/

As a special Valentine's Day treat, we're watching Andrei Zvyagintsev's latest film, Loveless from 2017.

The film stars Maryana Spivak, Aleksey Rozin, and Matvey Novikov. It has been nominated for a Bafta for Best Film Not in the English Language, and the Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film.

To discuss the film, Ally is joined by former Moscow resident and self-described emergency back-up guest Carrie Pitts.

We've tried to avoid SPOILERS but be aware that they may occur from about 6 minutes in until the end. 

If you'd like to get in touch and tell us what you thought of the film and/or the podcast episode, here are some options:

Twitter: @RussophilesU

Email: russophilesunite@gmail.com

Facebook: www.facebook.com/russophilesunite/

Matt Billingsley, editor and Iannucci aficionado, joins Ally Pitts to discuss this black comedy satire. It was effectively banned in Russia, but well-reviewed by Russian critics (if you don't read Russian, just count the thumbs-up). 

CONTENT WARNING: the movie depicts multiple executions and implied sexual assault off-screen. 

SPOILERS from about 10 minutes in until the end, although some things should be fairly easy to anticipate...

The movie stars Steve Buscemi, Simon Russell Beale, Jeffrey Tambor, Michael Palin, Andrea Riseborough, Rupert Friend and Jason Isaacs (hello to Jason Isaacs, obviously).

The show's intro music is Cold by Sasha Ilyukevich and the Highly Skilled Migrants.

You can find more of their music at:

https://thehighlyskilledmigrants.bandcamp.com/

Or: https://open.spotify.com/artist/1cXWmfhuDWyfKfsYADk96F

If you'd like to get in touch and tell us what you thought of the film and/or the podcast episode, it would be great to hear from you! Here are some ways you can do that:

Twitter: @RussophilesU

Email: russophilesunite@gmail.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/russophilesunite

Instagram: www.instagram.com/russophiles_unite/

Letterboxd: https://letterboxd.com/Ally_Pitts/

Support the show/fund Ally's caffeine habit at: https://ko-fi.com/russophilesunite

Find Ally's other podcast appearances at: https://www.podchaser.com/creators/alistair-pitts-107ZzmUqmI

Teegan Johnson, industrial psychologist and sci-fi fan, joins Ally Pitts to discuss this early 1980s curiosity.

Listeners in the UK can support the show by picking up a book via our online affiliate bookshop. 10% of the sale will go towards covering the costs of running the show and you'll also be helping out independent bookshops! Visit our uk.bookshop.org affiliate store here!

If you enjoyed this episode, please follow and rate us on Podchaser: www.podchaser.com/russophilesunitemoviepodcast

Support the show/fund Ally's caffeine habit at: ko-fi.com/russophilesunite

The show's intro music is Cold by Sasha Ilyukevich and the Highly Skilled Migrants.

You can find more of their music at: https://thehighlyskilledmigrants.bandcamp.com/ or on Spotify.

If you'd like to get in touch and tell us what you thought of the film and/or the podcast episode, it would be great to hear from you! Here are some ways you can do that:

Twitter: @RussophilesU

Email: russophilesunite@gmail.com

Facebook: www.facebook.com/groups/russophilesunite

Instagram: www.instagram.com/russophiles_unite/

Letterboxd: https://letterboxd.com/Ally_Pitts/

Find Ally's other podcast appearances at: https://www.podchaser.com/creators/alistair-pitts-107ZzmUqmI

Sarah Roberts, artist and podcaster,, joins Ally Pitts to discuss this early Soviet silent sci-fi adventure.

SPOILERS from about 11 minutes in until the end. Aelita stars Nikolai Tsereteli, Valentina Kuindzhi, Yuliya Solntseva, Nikolai Batalov, and Pavel Pol.

Check out Sarah's artwork here: http://sarahkathleenroberts.com/

The outro music is by Gamers in Exile, from their alternative soundtrack to the film and is used with their kind permission. The full version can be found here: https://youtu.be/CBnlTge6S4o Support the show/fund Ally's caffeine habit at: https://ko-fi.com/russophilesunite

The show's intro music is Cold by Sasha Ilyukevich and the Highly Skilled Migrants.

You can find more of their music at:

https://thehighlyskilledmigrants.bandcamp.com/

Or: https://open.spotify.com/artist/1cXWmfhuDWyfKfsYADk96F

If you'd like to get in touch and tell us what you thought of the film and/or the podcast episode, it would be great to hear from you! Here are some ways you can do that:

Twitter: @RussophilesU

Email: russophilesunite@gmail.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/russophilesunite

Instagram: www.instagram.com/russophiles_unite/

Letterboxd: https://letterboxd.com/Ally_Pitts/

Find Ally's other podcast appearances at: https://www.podchaser.com/creators/alistair-pitts-107ZzmUqmI

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 sustained depictions of atrocities, including rape and mass murder. It's a very, very tough watch. SPOILERS from about 49 minutes in until the end.

You can watch the film at Russian Hub.

If you enjoyed this episode, please follow and rate us on Podchaser: www.podchaser.com/russophilesunitemoviepodcast

Support the show/fund Ally's caffeine habit at: ko-fi.com/russophilesunite

The show's intro music is Cold by Sasha Ilyukevich and the Highly Skilled Migrants.

You can find more of their music at: https://thehighlyskilledmigrants.bandcamp.com/ or on Spotify.

If you'd like to get in touch and tell us what you thought of the film and/or the podcast episode, it would be great to hear from you! Here are some ways you can do that:

Twitter: @RussophilesU

Email: russophilesunite@gmail.com

Facebook: www.facebook.com/groups/russophilesunite

Instagram: www.instagram.com/russophiles_unite/

Letterboxd: https://letterboxd.com/Ally_Pitts/

Find Ally's other podcast appearances at: https://www.podchaser.com/creators/alistair-pitts-107ZzmUqmI

Alex Taylor, writer and performer, joins Ally Pitts to discuss this big screen version of the beloved stage musical, itself an adaptation of a story by Russian-Jewish writer Sholem Aleichem.

Expect SPOILERS from about 15 minutes in until the end. 

CONTENT WARNING: the movie depicts anti-Semitic attacks and persecution.

Fiddler on the Roof stars Topol, Norma Crane, Leonard Frey, Molly Picon, Paul Mann, Rosalind Harris, Michele Marsh, Neva Small, Paul Michael Glaser, and Raymond Lovelock.

If you enjoyed this episode, please follow and rate us on Podchaser: www.podchaser.com/russophilesunitemoviepodcast

Support the show/fund Ally's caffeine habit at: ko-fi.com/russophilesunite

The show's intro music is Cold by Sasha Ilyukevich and the Highly Skilled Migrants.

You can find more of their music at: https://thehighlyskilledmigrants.bandcamp.com/ or on Spotify.

If you'd like to get in touch and tell us what you thought of the film and/or the podcast episode, it would be great to hear from you! Here are some ways you can do that:

Twitter: @RussophilesU

Email: russophilesunite@gmail.com

Facebook: www.facebook.com/groups/russophilesunite

Instagram: www.instagram.com/russophiles_unite/

Letterboxd: https://letterboxd.com/Ally_Pitts/

Find Ally's other podcast appearances at: https://www.podchaser.com/creators/alistair-pitts-107ZzmUqmI

Esther Jolliffe, film Studies masters graduate, joins Ally Pitts to discuss this biopic of the first tsar of Muscovy, which was voted 102nd greatest film of all time in the 2012 Sight and Sound Critics' Poll. Listeners in the UK can buy This Thing of Darkness: Eisenstein's Ivan the Terrible in Stalin's Russia by Dr Joan Neuberger from Cornell University Press, via our uk.bookshop.org affiliate link. 10% of the sale will go towards covering the costs of running the show and you'll also be helping out independent bookshops! Visit our uk.bookshop.org affiliate store here!

Expect SPOILERS from about 13 minutes in until the end. Ivan the Terrible: part I stars Nikolai Cherkasov, Lyudmila Tselikovskaya, Serafima Birman, and Mikhail Nazvanov.

If you enjoyed this episode, please follow and rate us on Podchaser: www.podchaser.com/russophilesunitemoviepodcast

Support the show/fund Ally's caffeine habit at: ko-fi.com/russophilesunite

A list of podcast episodes in which Dr Joan Neuberger discusses This Thing of Darkness can be found here.

Find out more about #PodRevDay, a way to support your favourite podcasts: www.stephfuccio.com/podrevday

The show's intro music is Cold by Sasha Ilyukevich and the Highly Skilled Migrants.

You can find more of their music at: thehighlyskilledmigrants.bandcamp.com/ or: open.spotify.com/artist/1cXWmfhuDWyfKfsYADk96F

If you'd like to get in touch and tell us what you thought of the film and/or the podcast episode, it would be great to hear from you! Here are some ways you can do that:

Twitter: @RussophilesU

Email: russophilesunite@gmail.com

Facebook: www.facebook.com/groups/russophilesunite

Instagram: www.instagram.com/russophiles_unite/

Letterboxd: https://letterboxd.com/Ally_Pitts/

Find Ally's other podcast appearances at: www.podchaser.com/creators/alistair-pitts-107ZzmUqmI

Lyn Seren, Russophiles Unite regular and Bill & Ted enthusiast, joins Ally Pitts to discuss this knockabout time-travel comedy caper.

Expect SPOILERS from about 7 minutes in until the end.

Ivan Vasilyevich Changes Profession stars Yuri Yakovlev, Alexandr Demyanenko, Leonid Kuravlyov, and Natalya Seleznyova.

Support the show/fund Ally's caffeine habit at: ko-fi.com/russophilesunite

The show's intro music is Cold by Sasha Ilyukevich and the Highly Skilled Migrants.

You can find more of their music at: thehighlyskilledmigrants.bandcamp.com/ or: open.spotify.com/artist/1cXWmfhuDWyfKfsYADk96F

If you'd like to get in touch and tell us what you thought of the film and/or the podcast episode, it would be great to hear from you! Here are some ways you can do that:

Twitter: @RussophilesU

Email: russophilesunite@gmail.com

Facebook: www.facebook.com/groups/russophilesunite

Instagram: www.instagram.com/russophiles_unite/

Letterboxd: https://letterboxd.com/Ally_Pitts/

Find Ally's other podcast appearances at: www.podchaser.com/creators/alistair-pitts-107ZzmUqmI

Spencer Seams, podcaster & writer, joins Ally Pitts to discuss Andrei Tarkovsky's full-length debut. Expect SPOILERS from about 16 minutes in until the end.

Ivan's Childhood stars Nikolai Burlyayev, Valentin Zubkov, Nikolai Grinko, Yevgeny Zharikov, Irma Rausch, and Valentina Malyavina.

If you enjoyed this episode, please follow and rate us on Podchaser: www.podchaser.com/russophilesunitemoviepodcast

Support the show/fund Ally's caffeine habit at: ko-fi.com/russophilesunite

Spencer and fellow previous guest Joel Torres host We Cut Heads: A Spike Lee Podcast.

Russophiles Unite's intro music is Cold by Sasha Ilyukevich and the Highly Skilled Migrants.

You can find more of their music at: thehighlyskilledmigrants.bandcamp.com/ or: open.spotify.com/artist/1cXWmfhuDWyfKfsYADk96F

If you'd like to get in touch and tell us what you thought of the film and/or the podcast episode, it would be great to hear from you! Here are some ways you can do that:

Twitter: @RussophilesU

Email: russophilesunite@gmail.com

Facebook: www.facebook.com/groups/russophilesunite

Instagram: www.instagram.com/russophiles_unite/

Letterboxd: https://letterboxd.com/Ally_Pitts/

Find Ally's other podcast appearances at: www.podchaser.com/creators/alistair-pitts-107ZzmUqmI

Marilag Angway and Meghan Griffin podcasters and fairy tale super-fans, join Ally Pitts to discuss this loose modern-day adaptation of Hans Christian Andersen's The Little Mermaid.

Expect SPOILERS from about 19 minutes in until the end.

CONTENT WARNING: suicide is a recurring theme of the film and there's also some nudity.

Mermaid stars Mariya Shalayeva, Evgeniy Tsyganov, Mariya Sokova, Irina Skrinichenko, Albina Evtushevskaya, and Veronika Skugina.

If you enjoyed this episode, please follow and rate us on Podchaser: www.podchaser.com/russophilesunitemoviepodcast

Support the show/fund Ally's caffeine habit at: ko-fi.com/russophilesunite

Check out Marilag and Meghan's podcast Fableulous Retellings at https://fableulousretellingspodcast.wordpress.com!

The show's intro music is Cold by Sasha Ilyukevich and the Highly Skilled Migrants.

You can find more of their music at: https://thehighlyskilledmigrants.bandcamp.com/ or on Spotify.

If you'd like to get in touch and tell us what you thought of the film and/or the podcast episode, it would be great to hear from you! Here are some ways you can do that:

Twitter: @RussophilesU

Email: russophilesunite@gmail.com

Facebook: www.facebook.com/groups/russophilesunite

Instagram: www.instagram.com/russophiles_unite/

Letterboxd: https://letterboxd.com/Ally_Pitts/

Find Ally's other podcast appearances at: https://www.podchaser.com/creators/alistair-pitts-107ZzmUqmI

Martin Kessler, filmmaker and host of Flixwise: Canada joins Ally Pitts to discuss this 1930s-set film that is part memoir, part crime drama.

CONTENT WARNING: the film depicts a suicide attempt.

SPOILERS from about 23 minutes in until the end.

Martin has also written a series of in-depth essays on Aleksei German Sr. and his films published by film site The Pink Smoke. My Friend Ivan Lapshin stars Andrei Boltnev, Nina Ruslanova, and Andrey Mironov. If you enjoyed this episode, please follow and rate us on Podchaser: www.podchaser.com/russophilesunitemoviepodcast

Support the show/fund Ally's caffeine habit at: https://ko-fi.com/russophilesunite

The show's intro music is Cold by Sasha Ilyukevich and the Highly Skilled Migrants.

You can find more of their music at: https://thehighlyskilledmigrants.bandcamp.com/ or on Spotify.

If you'd like to get in touch and tell us what you thought of the film and/or the podcast episode, it would be great to hear from you! Here are some ways you can do that:

Twitter: @RussophilesU

Email: russophilesunite@gmail.com

Facebook: www.facebook.com/groups/russophilesunite

Instagram: www.instagram.com/russophiles_unite/

Letterboxd: https://letterboxd.com/Ally_Pitts/

Find Ally's other podcast appearances at: https://www.podchaser.com/creators/alistair-pitts-107ZzmUqmI

Ayna Niyazova, artist and illustrator, joins Ally Pitts to discuss this Oscar-winning epic period drama that depicts the series of calamities that led to the downfall of the Romanov dynasty.

SPOILERS from about 25 minutes in until the end. Nicholas & Alexandra stars Michael Jayston, Janet Suzman, Laurence Olivier, John McEnery, Michael Bryant, and Tom Baker.

Support the show/fund Ally's caffeine habit at: https://ko-fi.com/russophilesunite The show's intro music is Cold by Sasha Ilyukevich and the Highly Skilled Migrants. You can find more of their music at: https://thehighlyskilledmigrants.bandcamp.com/ Or: https://open.spotify.com/artist/1cXWmfhuDWyfKfsYAD… If you'd like to get in touch and tell us what you thought of the film and/or the podcast episode, it would be great to hear from you! Here are some ways you can do that: Twitter: @RussophilesU Email: russophilesunite@gmail.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/russophilesunite Instagram: www.instagram.com/russophiles_unite/ Letterboxd: https://letterboxd.com/Ally_Pitts/

Find Ally's other podcast appearances at: https://www.podchaser.com/creators/alistair-pitts-…

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. 

CONTENT WARNING: the film contains very brief but fairly graphic violence.

Onegin stars Ralph Fiennes, Liv Tyler, Toby Stephens, and Lena Headey.

If you enjoyed this episode, please follow and rate us on Podchaser: www.podchaser.com/russophilesunitemoviepodcast

Support the show/fund Ally's caffeine habit at: ko-fi.com/russophilesunite

The show's intro music is Cold by Sasha Ilyukevich and the Highly Skilled Migrants.

You can find more of their music at: https://thehighlyskilledmigrants.bandcamp.com/ or on Spotify.

If you'd like to get in touch and tell us what you thought of the film and/or the podcast episode, it would be great to hear from you! Here are some ways you can do that:

Twitter: @RussophilesU

Email: russophilesunite@gmail.com

Facebook: www.facebook.com/groups/russophilesunite

Instagram: www.instagram.com/russophiles_unite/

Letterboxd: https://letterboxd.com/Ally_Pitts/

Find Ally's other podcast appearances at: https://www.podchaser.com/creators/alistair-pitts-107ZzmUqmI

Nadia Bee, writer and filmmaker, joins Ally Pitts to discuss this beloved 1960s Soviet comedy.

Expect SPOILERS from 15 minutes in until the end.

CONTENT WARNING: bride-kidnapping is central to the plot.

Kidnapping, Caucasian Style stars Alexander Demyanenko, Natalya Varley, Vladimir Etush, Frunzik Mkrtchyan, Yuri Nikulin, Yevgeny Morgunov, and Georgy Vitsin.

If you enjoyed this episode, please follow and rate us on Podchaser: www.podchaser.com/russophilesunitemoviepodcast

Support the show/fund Ally's caffeine habit at: ko-fi.com/russophilesunite

You can read reviews and interviews by Nadia at: https://kinefile.com/about/, https://www.scenesjournal.com/interviews/, and https://www.myfilmclub.co.uk/.

The show's intro music is Cold by Sasha Ilyukevich and the Highly Skilled Migrants.

You can find more of their music at: https://thehighlyskilledmigrants.bandcamp.com/ or on Spotify.

If you'd like to get in touch and tell us what you thought of the film and/or the podcast episode, it would be great to hear from you! Here are some ways you can do that:

Twitter: @RussophilesU

Email: russophilesunite@gmail.com

Facebook: www.facebook.com/groups/russophilesunite

Instagram: www.instagram.com/russophiles_unite/

Letterboxd: https://letterboxd.com/Ally_Pitts/

Find Ally's other podcast appearances at: https://www.podchaser.com/creators/alistair-pitts-107ZzmUqmI

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 Woll from Bloomsbury Books, via our uk.bookshop.org affiliate link. 10% of the sale will go towards covering the costs of running the show and you'll also be helping out independent bookshops! Visit our uk.bookshop.org affiliate store here!

SPOILERS from about 18 mins in until the end.

CONTENT WARNING: a rape is strongly implied to have taken place off screen.

The Cranes are Flying stars Tatyana Samoylova, Alexei Batalov, Aleksandr Shvorin, Vasiliy Merkurev, and Svetlana Kharitonova.

If you enjoyed this episode, please follow and rate us on Podchaser: www.podchaser.com/russophilesunitemoviepodcast

Support the show/fund Ally's caffeine habit at: ko-fi.com/russophilesunite

The show's intro music is Cold by Sasha Ilyukevich and the Highly Skilled Migrants.

You can find more of their music at: https://thehighlyskilledmigrants.bandcamp.com/ or on Spotify.

If you'd like to get in touch and tell us what you thought of the film and/or the podcast episode, it would be great to hear from you! Here are some ways you can do that:

Twitter: @RussophilesU

Email: russophilesunite@gmail.com

Facebook: www.facebook.com/groups/russophilesunite

Instagram: www.instagram.com/russophiles_unite/

Letterboxd: https://letterboxd.com/Ally_Pitts/

Find Ally's other podcast appearances at: https://www.podchaser.com/creators/alistair-pitts-107ZzmUqmI

Edward Evans, English language teacher, lapsed chemist, occasional YouTuber and long-time Moscow resident, joins Ally Pitts to discuss this 'Red Western'/'Eastern'. 

SPOILERS from about 19 minutes in until the end.

The White Sun of the Desert stars Anatoly Kuznetsov, Spartak Mishulin, Pavel Luspekayev, Kakhi Kavsadze, and Lidiya Smirnova.

If you enjoyed this episode, please follow and rate us on Podchaser: www.podchaser.com/russophilesunitemoviepodcast

Support the show/fund Ally's caffeine habit at: ko-fi.com/russophilesunite

The show's intro music is Cold by Sasha Ilyukevich and the Highly Skilled Migrants.

You can find more of their music at: https://thehighlyskilledmigrants.bandcamp.com/ or on Spotify.

If you'd like to get in touch and tell us what you thought of the film and/or the podcast episode, it would be great to hear from you! Here are some ways you can do that:

Twitter: @RussophilesU

Email: russophilesunite@gmail.com

Facebook: www.facebook.com/groups/russophilesunite

Instagram: www.instagram.com/russophiles_unite/

Letterboxd: https://letterboxd.com/Ally_Pitts/

Find Ally's other podcast appearances at: https://www.podchaser.com/creators/alistair-pitts-107ZzmUqmI

Adam Roche of The Secret History of Hollywood, Attaboy, Clarence!, joins Ally Pitts to discuss this Hollywood adaptation of Leo Tolstoy's epic, which stars Audrey Hepburn.

Expect SPOILERS from about 22 minutes in until the end.

War and Peace also stars Henry Fonda, Mel Ferrer, Vittorio Gassman, Anita Ekberg, Oskar Homolka, Helmut Dantine, and Jeremy Brett.

If you enjoyed this episode, please follow and rate us on Podchaser: www.podchaser.com/russophilesunitemoviepodcast

Support the show/fund Ally's caffeine habit at: ko-fi.com/russophilesunite

Find out more about Adam's podcasts at: www.attaboyclarence.com

The show's intro music is Cold by Sasha Ilyukevich and the Highly Skilled Migrants.

You can find more of their music at: https://thehighlyskilledmigrants.bandcamp.com/ or on Spotify.

If you'd like to get in touch and tell us what you thought of the film and/or the podcast episode, it would be great to hear from you! Here are some ways you can do that:

Twitter: @RussophilesU

Email: russophilesunite@gmail.com

Facebook: www.facebook.com/groups/russophilesunite

Instagram: www.instagram.com/russophiles_unite/

Letterboxd: https://letterboxd.com/Ally_Pitts/

Find Ally's other podcast appearances at: https://www.podchaser.com/creators/alistair-pitts-107ZzmUqmI

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 Russian Folk Tales, translated by Netta Peacock and The Story of Synko-Filipko and other Russian Folk Tales, (both Fontanka Press), translated by Dr Louise Hardiman via our affiliate links here and here. 10% of the sale will go towards covering the costs of running the show and you'll also be helping out independent bookshops! Visit our uk.bookshop.org affiliate store here to see the rest of our Russia-themed book selection.

If you enjoyed this episode, please follow and rate us on Podchaser: www.podchaser.com/russophilesunitemoviepodcast

Support the show/fund Ally's caffeine habit at: ko-fi.com/russophilesunite

Morozko is available for free and with English subtitles at russianfilmhub.com.

The show's intro music is Cold by Sasha Ilyukevich and the Highly Skilled Migrants.

You can find more of their music at: https://thehighlyskilledmigrants.bandcamp.com/ or on Spotify.

If you'd like to get in touch and tell us what you thought of the film and/or the podcast episode, it would be great to hear from you! Here are some ways you can do that:

Twitter: @RussophilesU

Email: russophilesunite@gmail.com

Facebook: www.facebook.com/groups/russophilesunite

Instagram: www.instagram.com/russophiles_unite/

Letterboxd: https://letterboxd.com/Ally_Pitts/

Find Ally's other podcast appearances at: https://www.podchaser.com/creators/alistair-pitts-107ZzmUqmI

Ally Pitts introduces an episode of All the Best Lines, hosted by Smokey and Adam Roche, that he guested on in 2021.

Links mentioned in the episode:

Listen to more All the Best Lines episodes.

Listen to our episode on War & Peace with Adam Roche.

Listen to The Projection Booth on Ninotchka.

Contact Us:

(We've changed the name of the show, but the social handles are staying the same for now).

Twitter: @RussophilesU

Email: russophilesunite@gmail.com

Instagram: www.instagram.com/russophiles_unite/

Letterboxd: https://letterboxd.com/Ally_Pitts/

Listen to Ally's other podcast appearances on Podchaser

Host Ally Pitts shares news about two exhibitions running in 2024 that feature the work of artist Alexandra Exter. He also discusses a previous film covered on the podcast, Aelita, which she worked on as a costume designer and set decorator. 

The Royal Academy of Art's exhibition is In the Eye of the Storm: Modernism in Ukraine from 1900 to the 1930s. That's in London and runs until 13th October 2024

The Ukrainian Museum's exhibition is Alexandra Exter: The Stage is a World. That's in New York City and is running from 27th September 2024 until 19 January 2025

Links mentioned in the episode: https://www.royalacademy.org.uk/exhibition/eye-of-the-storm 

https://www.royalacademy.org.uk/article/start-here-modernism-in-ukraine 

Art by previous guest Sarah Roberts:https://sarahkathleenroberts.com/ 

https://slaviclitpod.com/aelita-1924-by-protazanov/ 

https://www.theukrainianmuseum.org/alexandra-exter-the-stage-is-a-world/ 

https://klassiki.online/yuliya-solntseva-hidden-history-soviet-queen-of-film/ 

https://klassiki.online/podcast/ For a 30-day free trial of the streaming service Klassiki: https://klassiki.online/arussiansovietmoviepodcast/

If you use the code RUPOD50, you can get 50% off an annual subscription.

Contact us/socials:

All the links for a Russian & Soviet Movie Podcast you're ever likely to want or need: linktr.ee/russiansovietmoviepodcast

We've changed the name of the show, but the social handles are a bit of a mishmash.

Email: russophilesunite@gmail.com

Twitter (or 'X', if you really insist): @RussophilesU

Letterboxd: https://letterboxd.com/Ally_Pitts/

Listen to Ally's other podcast appearances on Podchaser

In the spirit of High Fidelity, Ally Pitts brings you an audio listicle of some awesome movies he saw for the first time in 2023.

They are, in the order they appear on the episode:

- Conscience (Volodymr Denisenko; 1968)

- Fright Night (Tom Holland; 1985)

- Chameleon Street (Wendell B. Harris Jr; 1989)

- The Queen of Spades (Thorold Dickinson;1949)

- The Afterlight (Charlie Shackleton; 2021)

Honourable mentions to: 

The Ascent (Larisa Shepitko; 1977)

Links mentioned in the episode:

- Ally's Letterboxd page

- Get a 30-day free trial of MUBI

- Ally's MUBI recommendations

- Klassiki (there’s a free 7-day trial available via their website, and you can get 50% off an annual subscription, with the code RUPOD50)

- The Ultimate Picture Palace in Oxford

- MK Horror's Facebook group

Contact us:

(We've changed the name of the show, but the social handles are staying the same for now).

Email: russophilesunite@gmail.com

Letterboxd: https://letterboxd.com/Ally_Pitts/

The platform formerly known as Twitter: @RussophilesU

Listen to Ally's other podcast appearances on Podchaser

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 off-screen suicide , extremely brief nudity, and violence. This content is mentioned during the show.

How I Ended This Summer stars Grigory Dobrygin and Sergey Puskepalis.

If you enjoyed this episode, please follow and rate us on Podchaser: www.podchaser.com/russophilesunitemoviepodcast

Support the show/fund Ally's caffeine habit at: ko-fi.com/russophilesunite

Check out Caroline's bass covers of Kino songs over at her YouTube channel.

The show's intro music is Cold by Sasha Ilyukevich and the Highly Skilled Migrants.

You can find more of their music at: https://thehighlyskilledmigrants.bandcamp.com/ or on Spotify.

If you'd like to get in touch and tell us what you thought of the film and/or the podcast episode, it would be great to hear from you! Here are some ways you can do that:

Twitter: @RussophilesU

Email: russophilesunite@gmail.com

Facebook: www.facebook.com/groups/russophilesunite

Instagram: www.instagram.com/russophiles_unite/

Letterboxd: https://letterboxd.com/Ally_Pitts/

Find Ally's other podcast appearances at: https://www.podchaser.com/creators/alistair-pitts-107ZzmUqmI

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 shows up briefly as a jerk at a party.

CONTENT WARNING: The film's plot includes the death of a parent. SPOILERS from about 22 minutes in until the end.

Support the show/fund Ally's caffeine habit at: ko-fi.com/russophilesunite

Listeners in the UK can help the show by picking up a book from our uk.bookshop.org affiliate store.

There's also our www.rusandsov.com affiliate store where you can get t-shirts, wall posters, coffee mugs, and more with a Russian and or Soviet theme. If you use the promo code RUSSOPHILESUNITE at check out, you'll get 10% off, and they ship locally in the US, the EU, and Australia.

If you enjoyed this episode, please follow and rate us on Podchaser: www.podchaser.com/russophilesunitemoviepodcast

The show's intro music is Cold by Sasha Ilyukevich and the Highly Skilled Migrants.

You can find more of their music at: https://thehighlyskilledmigrants.bandcamp.com/ or on Spotify.

If you'd like to get in touch and tell us what you thought of the film and/or the podcast episode, it would be great to hear from you! Here are some ways you can do that:

Twitter: @RussophilesU

Email: russophilesunite@gmail.com

Facebook: www.facebook.com/groups/russophilesunite

Instagram: www.instagram.com/russophiles_unite/

Letterboxd: https://letterboxd.com/Ally_Pitts/

Find Ally's other podcast appearances at: https://www.podchaser.com/creators/alistair-pitts-107ZzmUqmI

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 Innokenty Smoktunovsky.

If you enjoyed this episode, please follow and rate us on Podchaser: www.podchaser.com/russophilesunitemoviepodcast

Support the show/fund Ally's caffeine habit at: ko-fi.com/russophilesunite

The show's intro music is Cold by Sasha Ilyukevich and the Highly Skilled Migrants.

You can find more of their music at: https://thehighlyskilledmigrants.bandcamp.com/ or on Spotify.

If you'd like to get in touch and tell us what you thought of the film and/or the podcast episode, it would be great to hear from you! Here are some ways you can do that:

Twitter: @RussophilesU

Email: russophilesunite@gmail.com

Facebook: www.facebook.com/groups/russophilesunite

Instagram: www.instagram.com/russophiles_unite/

Letterboxd: https://letterboxd.com/Ally_Pitts/

Find Ally's other podcast appearances at: https://www.podchaser.com/creators/alistair-pitts-107ZzmUqmI

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 Union collapsed. Listeners in the UK can buy Salt and Time via our uk.bookshop.org affiliate link. 10% of the sale will go towards covering cost of running the show and you'll also be helping out independent bookshops. Visit our uk.bookshop.org affiliate store here!

Expect SPOILERS from about 55 minutes in until the end.

CONTENT WARNING: During the film it is revealed that one of the characters had a sexual relationship with an adult when they were 15 or 16 years old. There is also a fairly explicit sex scene.

Little Vera stars Natalya Negoda, Andrey Sokolov, Yuri Nazarov, Lyudmila Zaytseva, and Alexandra Tabakova.

Check out Alissa's amazing culinary creations at: www.instagram.com/borsch_and_no_tears/ Listen to her podcast MotherFood: www.podchaser.com/podcasts/motherfood-1073298

If you enjoyed this episode, please follow and rate us on Podchaser: www.podchaser.com/russophilesunitemoviepodcast

Support the show/fund Ally's caffeine habit at: ko-fi.com/russophilesunite

The show's intro music is Cold by Sasha Ilyukevich and the Highly Skilled Migrants.

You can find more of their music at: https://thehighlyskilledmigrants.bandcamp.com/ or on Spotify.

If you'd like to get in touch and tell us what you thought of the film and/or the podcast episode, it would be great to hear from you! Here are some ways you can do that:

Twitter: @RussophilesU

Email: russophilesunite@gmail.com

Facebook: www.facebook.com/groups/russophilesunite

Instagram: www.instagram.com/russophiles_unite/

Letterboxd: https://letterboxd.com/Ally_Pitts/

Find Ally's other podcast appearances at: https://www.podchaser.com/creators/alistair-pitts-107ZzmUqmI

Dr Sarah Ifft Decker, professional historian and host of Media-eval: A Medieval Pop Culture Podcast, joins Ally Pitts to discuss an epic drama/war movie based on the early career of one of the most (in)famous military leaders in history.

CONTENT WARNING: a character in the film is raped off-screen, there is also several violent battle scenes. This episode also contains some discussion of historical atrocities.

Expect SPOILERS from about 48 minutes in until the end.

Mongol stars Tanobu Asano, Sun Honglei, and Khulan Chuluun.

If you enjoyed this episode, please follow and rate us on Podchaser: www.podchaser.com/russophilesunitemoviepodcast

You can listen to the episode of Media-eval: A Medieval Pop Culture Podcast that Ally guested on here: www.podchaser.com/podcasts/media-eval-a-medieval-pop-cult-754405/episodes/vikings-season-1-47983231 If you like talking about medieval stuff, you may want to pay a visit to the Media-eval Facebook group: www.facebook.com/groups/1117991018383250  The show's intro music is Cold by Sasha Ilyukevich and the Highly Skilled Migrants.

You can find more of their music at:

https://thehighlyskilledmigrants.bandcamp.com/

Or: https://open.spotify.com/artist/1cXWmfhuDWyfKfsYADk96F

If you'd like to get in touch and tell us what you thought of the film and/or the podcast episode, it would be great to hear from you! Here are some ways you can do that:

Twitter: @RussophilesU

Email: russophilesunite@gmail.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/russophilesunite

Instagram: www.instagram.com/russophiles_unite/

Letterboxd: https://letterboxd.com/Ally_Pitts/

Support the show/fund Ally's caffeine habit at: https://ko-fi.com/russophilesunite

Find Ally's other podcast appearances at: https://www.podchaser.com/creators/alistair-pitts-107ZzmUqmI

Carrie joins Ally once again, this time to discuss a fantastical rom-com in which Sasha (Anna Starshenbaum), a student, meets Serafim (Artur Smolyaninov), a celestial visitor in Moscow on New Year's Eve. CONTENT WARNING: As we discuss in this episode, this film contains extreme racial insensitivity and also outright racism. Expect SPOILERS from about 17 minutes until the end. My Boyfriend is an Angel also stars Olga Popova, Nikita Efremov, Sergey Puskepalis, Ivan Makarevich,  The show's intro music is by Sasha Ilyukevich and the Highly Skilled Migrants.

You can find more of their music at: https://thehighlyskilledmigrants.bandcamp.com/ Or: https://open.spotify.com/artist/1cXWmfhuDWyfKfsYADk96F

If you'd like to get in touch and tell us what you thought of the film and/or the podcast episode, it would be great to hear from you! Here are some ways you can do that:

Twitter: @RussophilesU

Email: russophilesunite@gmail.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/russophilesunite

Instagram: www.instagram.com/russophiles_unite/

Letterboxd: https://letterboxd.com/Ally_Pitts/

Support the show/fund Ally's caffeine habit at: https://ko-fi.com/russophilesunite

Listen to Ally's other podcast appearances at: https://www.podchaser.com/creators/alistair-pitts-107ZzmUqmI

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 Berdy via our uk.bookshop.org affiliate link. 10% of the sale will go towards covering the running costs of the show and you'll also be helping out independent bookshops. Visit our uk.bookshop.org affiliate store here!

Expect SPOILERS from about 42 minutes in until the end.

Office Romance also stars Oleg Basilashvili, Svetlana Nemolyaeva, and Liya Akhedzhakova.

Listen to Michele Berdy's The Word's Worth at: http://wordsworth.themoscowtimes.com/ 

If you'd like to get in touch and tell us what you thought of the film and/or the podcast episode, it would be great to hear from you! Here are some ways you can do that:

Twitter: @RussophilesU

Email: russophilesunite@gmail.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/russophilesunite

Instagram: www.instagram.com/russophiles_unite/

Letterboxd: https://letterboxd.com/Ally_Pitts/

Support the show/fund Ally's caffeine habit at: https://ko-fi.com/russophilesunite

Listen to Ally's other podcast appearances at: https://www.podchaser.com/creators/alistair-pitts-107ZzmUqmI

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.

Many thanks to Owen Choules and Chris Mead of Classic Schmassic for their inspiration (and let's face it, essentially their format).

If you'd like to get in touch, the Twitter handle is @RussophilesU and for longer messages, please email me at russophilesunite@gmail.com

Carrie Pitts, Russian language and literature graduate, joins Ally again as World War II casts its long shadow over the podcast once more. 

Expect SPOILERS from about 12 minutes in until the end.

Sunflower stars Sophia Loren, Marcello Mastroianni, and Ludmila Savelyeva.

If you enjoyed this episode, please follow and rate us on Podchaser: www.podchaser.com/russophilesunitemoviepodcast

Support the show/fund Ally's caffeine habit at: ko-fi.com/russophilesunite

The show's intro music is Cold by Sasha Ilyukevich and the Highly Skilled Migrants.

You can find more of their music at: https://thehighlyskilledmigrants.bandcamp.com/ or on Spotify.

If you'd like to get in touch and tell us what you thought of the film and/or the podcast episode, it would be great to hear from you! Here are some ways you can do that:

Twitter: @RussophilesU

Email: russophilesunite@gmail.com

Facebook: www.facebook.com/groups/russophilesunite

Instagram: www.instagram.com/russophiles_unite/

Letterboxd: https://letterboxd.com/Ally_Pitts/

Find Ally's other podcast appearances at: https://www.podchaser.com/creators/alistair-pitts-107ZzmUqmI

Lyn Seren, host of Gentlemen Don't Get Caught: An R.E.M. Podcast joins Ally Pitts to discuss this suitably epic adaptation of Lev Tolstoy's famous masterpiece.

Support the show/fund Ally's caffeine habit at: ko-fi.com/russophilesunite

Listeners in the UK can buy War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy and Bondarchuk's War and Peace': Literary Classic to Soviet Cinematic Epic by Professor Denise J. Youngblood via our uk.bookshop.org affiliate links. 10% of the sale will go towards covering the costs of running the show and you'll also be helping out independent bookshops! Visit our uk.bookshop.org affiliate store here to see the rest of our Russia-themed book selection. As you might expect, there is a section on Classics of Russian Literature.

If you enjoyed this episode, please follow and rate us on Podchaser: www.podchaser.com/russophilesunitemoviepodcast

The show's intro music is Cold by Sasha Ilyukevich and the Highly Skilled Migrants.

You can find more of their music at: https://thehighlyskilledmigrants.bandcamp.com/ or on Spotify.

If you'd like to get in touch and tell us what you thought of the film and/or the podcast episode, it would be great to hear from you! Here are some ways you can do that:

Twitter: @RussophilesU

Email: russophilesunite@gmail.com

Facebook: www.facebook.com/groups/russophilesunite

Instagram: www.instagram.com/russophiles_unite/

Letterboxd: https://letterboxd.com/Ally_Pitts/

Find Ally's other podcast appearances at: https://www.podchaser.com/creators/alistair-pitts-107ZzmUqmI

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 end.

Welcome, or No Trespassing stars Viktor Kosykh, Evgeny Evstignyev, Aleksei Smirnov, Lidiya Smirnova, and Arina Aleynikova. 

If you enjoyed this episode, please follow and rate us on Podchaser: www.podchaser.com/russophilesunitemoviepodcast

Support the show/fund Ally's caffeine habit at: ko-fi.com/russophilesunite

You can follow Tanya on Instagram: www.instagram.com/tanya_lucky/

And check out her YouTube series Russian Something: www.youtube.com/channel/UCaq-2DyBRU6OM7ot4G6cM0A

The show's intro music is Cold by Sasha Ilyukevich and the Highly Skilled Migrants.

You can find more of their music at: https://thehighlyskilledmigrants.bandcamp.com/ or on Spotify.

If you'd like to get in touch and tell us what you thought of the film and/or the podcast episode, it would be great to hear from you! Here are some ways you can do that:

Twitter: @RussophilesU

Email: russophilesunite@gmail.com

Facebook: www.facebook.com/groups/russophilesunite

Instagram: www.instagram.com/russophiles_unite/

Letterboxd: https://letterboxd.com/Ally_Pitts/

Find Ally's other podcast appearances at: https://www.podchaser.com/creators/alistair-pitts-107ZzmUqmI

Carrie Pitts, former Moscow resident, expert heckler, and Georgian food advocate joins Ally to discuss this slice of seasonal schmaltz.

Expect SPOILERS from about 23 minutes in until the end.

Six Degrees of Celebration stars Ivan Urgant, Sergey Svetlakov, Elena Plaksina, Vera Brezhneva, Aleksandr Golovin, Kristina Asmus, Dato Bakhtadze, Sergey Garmash, and Mariya Poroshina.

If you enjoyed this episode, please follow and rate us on Podchaser: www.podchaser.com/russophilesunitemoviepodcast

Support the show/fund Ally's caffeine habit at: ko-fi.com/russophilesunite

The show's intro music is Cold by Sasha Ilyukevich and the Highly Skilled Migrants.

You can find more of their music at: https://thehighlyskilledmigrants.bandcamp.com/ or on Spotify.

If you'd like to get in touch and tell us what you thought of the film and/or the podcast episode, it would be great to hear from you! Here are some ways you can do that:

Twitter: @RussophilesU

Email: russophilesunite@gmail.com

Facebook: www.facebook.com/groups/russophilesunite

Instagram: www.instagram.com/russophiles_unite/

Letterboxd: https://letterboxd.com/Ally_Pitts/

Find Ally's other podcast appearances at: https://www.podchaser.com/creators/alistair-pitts-107ZzmUqmI