Documentary on how composer Dmitri Shostakovich used his Fourth to Ninth Symphony as a silent protest against the crimes of Stalin.Documentary on how composer Dmitri Shostakovich used his Fourth to Ninth Symphony as a silent protest against the crimes of Stalin.Documentary on how composer Dmitri Shostakovich used his Fourth to Ninth Symphony as a silent protest against the crimes of Stalin.
Photos
Graham Haley
- Shostakovich
- (voice)
Dmitri Shostakovich
- Self
- (archive footage)
Joseph Stalin
- Self
- (archive footage)
- (as Iosif Stalin)
Mariinsky Theatre Orchestra
- Themselves - Orchestra (Opera "Lady MacBeth of Mtsensk District")
- (as The Orchestra of the Mariinsky Theatre)
Karen Khachaturyan
- Self - Composer
- (as Karen Khachaturian)
Storyline
Did you know
- Crazy creditsDedicated to the memory of 'Veniamin Basner' who passed away during the making of this film.
- ConnectionsFeatures Vstrechnyy (1932)
- SoundtracksLady MacBeth of Mtsensk District
Performed by Irina Loskutova (Katerina), Bulat Minzhilkiev (Boris)
Mariinsky Theatre Orchestra
Valery Gergiev, conductor
Featured review
Fascinating and keeps you riveted all the way through
One of those documentaries where you learn such a lot from but also can get emotionally invested in. The War Symphonies: Shostakovich Against Stalin easily could have been pandering and insensitive, but it wasn't any of these things, and it treats the subject matter with intelligence and care not to skim the surfaces too much. The archival footage included is powerful and often heart-wrenching, and to have survivors of the purge as well as the musicians, friends and fellow composers are an inspired touch and added a touch of honesty. And this is to the extent that even when you know something about Stalin's regime(which saw a lot of murder, totalitarianism and repression), what is said by the participants goes into much depth that you think "maybe I didn't know about it as much as I thought I did", and for the survivors it in some ways must have been painful to relive. The documentary also focuses on the plight and struggles to fight against the regime with the fear of being caught(anybody else thinking of George Orwell's 1984 here?) of Shostakovich himself, and here you relate to the composer every step of the way. The documentary is very well shot, while Shostakovich's music in the foreground and background has such intensity and somewhat reflective too. They come through loud and clear, and with so much feeling, in the orchestral playing and Valery Gergiev's- one of the best conductors working today- authoritative and very intelligent conducting(certainly didn't feel like a recording/Gergiev promotion to me). Gergiev is also one of the main participants and he shows himself to be very knowledgeable as well as thoughtful, though you do wish that he wasn't being interviewed from the back of a moving car. The archival footage, the music and documentary interviews as well as Shostakovich's plight and struggles are meshed beautifully and flow seamlessly, no obvious signs of disjointedness. Overall, The War Symphonies: Shostakovich Against Stalin is both riveting and fascinating. If there was anything to criticise it for, it was that it was so powerful and absorbing that you wish that it could have been longer. 10/10 Bethany Cox
- TheLittleSongbird
- Oct 18, 2013
- Permalink
Details
- Release date
- Countries of origin
- Languages
- Also known as
- Симфония войны
- Filming locations
- Production companies
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
- Runtime1 hour 17 minutes
- Color
- Sound mix
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Top Gap
By what name was The War Symphonies: Shostakovich Against Stalin (1997) officially released in Canada in English?
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