Elegy

The second “Elegia” from a series of poetic and visual essays from 20 to 90 minutes long that Sokúrov began in 1978. A tribute to legendary Russian classical singer Fiodor Shaliapin (1873-1938), the film revolves around the transfer of his body from the cemetery of Batignolles in Paris to Novo-Devitchye, in Moscow, in the year 1986 - an event of diplomatic proportion, a “beau geste” intended as a celebration of the jubilee of the relationship between Russia and France. In his lifetime, Shaliapin was censored publicly for immigrating from Russia to the west. In a typically Sokúrov-like approach, the reproducing of the file of personal images of the protagonist is completely out of chronological sequence and is subject to the logic of his subjective individual experience. The troubled historical context of the early twenties is not presented in an objective way, but consonant to the slight chaos predominant in the memories of the singer. Sokúrov worked on with no state or private funding and, when Leningrad Documentary Films attempted to make the film legal, the Russian cinema State Department answered: “Shaliapin was not forgiven”.

Was born in 1951 in the city of Podorvikha, Russia. His work, even as a student, was unacceptable to Russian bureaucracy, and he was accused of formalism and of assuming "anti-Soviet views". His first feature, The Lonely Human Voice (1978, 26th Mostra) was refused as a graduating project by the VGIK, the Russian Cinema Institute. Sokurov`s films were shown in Brazil since 1997, at the 21st Mostra, with Mother and Son. He had a retrospective of 33 of his films at 26th Mostra, when was also released the first book in Portuguese about his work, Aleksandr Sokúrov, by publishing house Cosac Naify. Among his most important films are Dolce (1999, 24th Mostra), Elegy of a Voyage (2001, 25th Mostra), The Russian Arc (2002, 26th Mostra), Father and Son (2003, 27th Mostra) Alexandra (2007, 32nd Mostra), in addition to the films that complete the Power Tetralogy: Moloch (1999, 23rd Mostra) about Hitler; Taurus, about Lenin (2001, 26th Mostra), and The Sun, about the Japanese emperor Hirohito (2005, 30th Mostra).

43ª MOSTRA INTERNACIONAL DE CINEMA

43ª MOSTRA INTERNACIONAL DE CINEMA