The Chekist
| The Chekist | |
|---|---|
 Film poster | |
| Directed by | Aleksandr Rogozhkin |
| Written by |
Jacques Baynac André Milbet |
| Starring | Igor Sergeyev |
| Cinematography | Valeri Myulgaut |
| Edited by | Tamara Denisova |
Release dates |
|
Running time | 91 minutes |
| Country | Russia |
| Language | Russian |
The Chekist (Russian: Чекист) is a 1992 Russian drama film directed by Aleksandr Rogozhkin. It was screened in the Un Certain Regard section at the 1992 Cannes Film Festival.[1] The film is currently not in distribution.
The film depicts the Cheka executions during the Russian Civil War (1917–1923) through the eyes of a senior officer of the Cheka in a small Russian town. Most of the film is taken up by the unrelenting and merciless series of executions, carried out in the basement of a slaughterhouse. We also see lightning interrogations and dozens of summary death sentences pronounced by Chekist troikas.
Piers Handling, director of the Toronto International Film Festival, said of the film:
"Rogozhkin eventually penetrates into the psychotic mind of the Chekist with a moment of sublime insight, reminiscent of Bertolucci's equally disturbing portrait of the fascist killer in The Conformist. The Chekist is an overwhelming cry in the face of such madness."[2]
Cast
- Igor Sergeyev as Andrey Srubov
- Aleksei Poluyan as Pepel
- Mikhail Vasserbaum as Isaac Katz
- Sergey Isavnin as Khudonogov
- Vasili Domrachyov as Solomin
- Aleksandr Medvedev as Mudynya
- Aleksandr Kharashkevich as Boje
- Igor Golovin as The Commandant
- Nina Usatova as The Cleaner
- Viktor Khozyainov (as V. Khozyajnov)
- Ivan Shvedoff
- Tatjana Zhuravleva
- Sergey Migitsko
References
- ↑ "Tchekiste" [The Chekist]. Cannes Film Festival (in French). Retrieved 16 August 2009.
- ↑ "Rogozhkin". cinemaparallel.com. Retrieved 23 June 2015.