Soviet Movies: Aleksandr Sokurov - The Dialogues with Solzhenitsyn (1999)

This is a two-part video portrait of the outstanding Russian writer, Alexander Solzhenitsyn, author of famous novels about the Russian revolution and the acclaimed study of the Soviet concentration camps, "The Gulag Archipelago". Solzhenitsyn is of more interest to the filmmaker for his attitudes, thoughts and present life, than for his legendary past. Rather than interviewing some important person, Sokurov creates a monumental image before our eyes.

This remarkable portrait shows us the inner world of this great author whilst his outer world is seen merely through several visual landscapes: park, study, library, and the room in which the writer’s wife work.

Director Alexander Sokurov interprets the acclaimed writer s life based on two lengthy talks with Solzhenitsyn and his wife. Dialogues is not a straightforward biography but instead focuses on Solzhenitsyn s monologues and his discussions with Sokurov about Russian literature, folklore, history, and language. The result is a portrait of a Russian legend through his own words.