| The Thief | |
|---|---|
) | |
| Directed by | Pavel Chukhray |
| Produced by | Igor Bortnikov Sergei Kozlov Igor Tolstunov |
| Written by | Pavel Chukhray |
| Starring |
|
| Music by | Vladimir Dashkevich |
| Cinematography | Vladimir Klimov |
| Edited by | Marina Dobryanskaya Natalya Kucherenko |
Release date |
|
Running time | 96 minutes |
| Country | Russia |
| Language | Russian |
| Budget | $2 million |
| Box office | $1.1 million (US) |
The Thief (Russian: Вор, Vor) is a 1997 Russian drama film written and directed by Pavel Chukhray. It was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film[1] and won the Nika Award for Best Picture and Best Directing. Also winner of the International Youth Jury's prize, the President of the Italian Senate's Gold Medal, and the UNICEF Award at the 1997 Venice Film Festival.
The film is about a young woman, Katya (Yekaterina Rednikova), and her 6-year-old son Sanya (Misha Philipchuk), who, in 1952, meet a veteran Soviet officer named Tolyan (Vladimir Mashkov). Katya falls in love with Tolyan, who turns out to be a small time criminal, but who also becomes a father figure to Sanya.
Plot
Katya, a poor and desperate widow, and her young son Sanya try to survive in the post-World War II Soviet Union during the early 1950s. While on a train, the two meet a handsome, rakish officer, Tolyan, who seduces the mother. Katya stays with Tolyan, who pretends to be her husband and acts as a stepfather to Sanya, who is at first highly distrustful of the man, resenting his presence and authority. There are several allusions to Hamlet.
Through his good looks, apparent generosity, and his status as a war veteran, Tolyan charms his way into a variety of situations that enable him rob people. Katya and Sanya both realize the harsh and increasingly abusive nature of the new head of their family, but, although alarmed, neither mother nor child seem willing to leave the man. The extent of Tolyan's love for his new family remains ambiguous throughout the film and provides one of the more compelling elements of the story.
Cast
- Vladimir Mashkov as Tolyan
- Yekaterina Rednikova as Katya
- Misha Philipchuk as Sanya (as Misha Filipchuk)
- Amaliya Mordvinova as the doctor's wife
- Lidiya Savchenko as Baba Tanya
- Yuliya Artamonova as the engineer's wife
- Yury Belyayev as Sanya (at 48 years old)
- Dmitri Chigaryov as Sanya (at 12 years old)
- Anton Tabakov (as A. Tabakov)
Reception
Critical response
The Thief has an approval rating of 88% on review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, based on 24 reviews, and an average rating of 6.99/10.The website's critical consensus states,"As beautiful to look at as it is thought-provoking, The Thief interrogates Europe's past through the experiences of a family in crisis".[2]
Awards
Won
- Sozvezdie 1997:
- Best Actor - Vladimir Mashkov
- Venice Film Festival 1997:
- Prize of the International Youth Jury - Pavel Chukhray
- President of the Italian Senate's Gold Medal - Pavel Chukhray
- UNICEF Award - Pavel Chukhray
- Open CIS and Baltik Film Festival 1997:
- Best Actor - Vladimir Mashkov
- Best Director - Pavel Chukhray
- Prize of the Distributors Jury - Pavel Chukhray
- Nika Awards 1998:
- Best Actor - Vladimir Mashkov
- Best Actress - Ekaterina Rednikova
- Best Director - Pavel Chukhray
- Best Film - Pavel Chukhray and Igor Tolstunov
- Best Music - Vladimir Dashkevich
- Young Artist Award 1998:
- Best Young Performer in a Foreign Film - Misha Philipchuk
Nominated
- Venice Film Festival 1997:
- Golden Lion - Pavel Chukhray
- European Film Awards 1997:
- Best Film - Igor Tolstunov
- Golden Globe Award
- Golden Globe for Best Foreign Language Film - Russia
- Academy Award 1998:
- Oscar Award for Best Foreign Language Film - Russia
- Nika Awards 1998:
- Best Cinematographer - Vladimir Klimov
- Best Costume Designer - Natalya Moneva
- Best Production Designer - Viktor Petrov
- Best Screenplay - Pavel Chukhray
- Best Sound - Yuliya Yegorova
- Goya Awards 1999:
- Best European Film - Pavel Chukhray
See also
- List of submissions to the 70th Academy Awards for Best Foreign Language Film
- List of Russian submissions for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film
References
- ^ "The 70th Academy Awards (1998) Nominees and Winners". oscars.org. Retrieved 13 October 2015.
- ^ https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/vor-the-thief
External links
- The Thief at AllMovie
- The Thief at Box Office Mojo
- The Thief at Rotten Tomatoes
- The Thief at IMDb