Days of Eclipse
| Days of Eclipse | |
|---|---|
 Film poster | |
| Directed by | Aleksandr Sokurov |
| Written by |
Yuri Arabov Pyotr Kadochnikov Arkady and Boris Strugatsky |
| Music by |
Yuri Khanin (original score) Vladimir Persov (sound) |
| Cinematography | Sergei Yurizditsky |
| Edited by | Leda Semyonova |
| Distributed by |
Lenfilm Studio Troitskiy Most Prodimag (2005) (Spain, DVD) |
Release dates |
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Running time | 133 minutes |
| Country | Soviet Union |
| Language | Russian |
Days of Eclipse (Russian: Дни затмения) (or, The Days of Eclipse, Dni Zatmenija, Días de eclipse) is an award winning 1988 Soviet film directed by Aleksandr Sokurov. The screenplay is by Yuri Arabov and Pyotr Kadochnikov based on a screenplay by Arkady and Boris Strugatsky, which is in turn based on their novel Definitely Maybe (Billion years to the end of the world, Russian: «За миллиард лет до конца света»).
Plot
A recently qualified medical doctor, Dmitri Malyanov, has taken a posting to a remote and very poor part of Soviet Turkmenistan. On top of his day job as a pediatrician Malyanov is undertaking research into the effects of religious practice on human health. His research has drawn the politically incorrect conclusion that religious faith does indeed improve health. However, as he attempts to write up his thesis various sorts of improbable, bizarre events take place one after another. Malyanov perceives that some force is preventing him from completing his research.
In the novel, the protagonist who works on research in astrophysics is similarly confounded by a mysterious force trying to interfere and impede the research. The movie is filmed using unusual cinematographic techniques. In a half-documentary manner, where black-and-white frames are mixed with color, Sokurov pictured the life of wretched town in Turkmenia, sick children, psychiatric clinic and the Desert, which is populated with a mix of sounds in the background - radio retranslations, symphonic music and multilingual voices.
Cast
The film features a cast of non-professionals.
- Aleksei Ananishnov as Malyanov
- Eskender Umarov as Vecherovsky
- Irina Sokolova as Malyanov's Sister
- Vladimir Zamansky as Snegovoy
- Kirill Dudkin as Gluchov
- Aleksei Yankovsky as Snegovoy's Father
- Viktor Belovolsky as Gubar
- Sergei Krylov as Little Boy
Awards
- European Film Awards (Special Award for Best Music) of European Film Academy of 1988 to the composer Yuri Khanin
- Nika Award of the Union of Cinematographers of USSR for the best 1989 sound work to Vladimir Persov
- Composer Yuri Khanin was also nominated for 1989 Nika for the best music.
External links
- Days of Eclipse at the Internet Movie Database
- (Russian) Days of Eclipse commentary by Irina Graschenkova
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