Никита Михалков (Nikita Mikhalkov) is a famous Russian film director, probably one of the best-known outside our country. His prestige allowed him to shoot the film “Сибирский цирюльник” (The Barber of SIberia) in 1998, with an international cast: Julia Ormond, Richard Harris, Oleg Menshikov, Vladimir Ilyin, Alexey Petrenko.
The Premise
In 1885, a rich American entrepreneur and his beautiful assistant, Jane, arrive in Russia to try to sell a new invention. Jane soon falls in love with a young Russian officer. But jealousy drives the young officer to behave foolishly, and he is sent to Siberia.
When Nikita Mikhalkov began shooting the film, he said: “Я надеюсь, что зрители во время фильма будут и смеяться и плакать, но они не должны знать, почему они смеются или плачут. И ещё я хочу, чтобы это был русский фильм” (I hope the audience will laugh and cry while watching it, but they don't need to know why they laugh or cry. I want it to be a real Russian Film).
Some Interesting Facts
When the time came to shoot the episode of Maslenitsa, the farewell holiday to winter, the weather was unusually warm and there was no snow in Moscow, so Mikhalkov had to buy hundred of tons of salt to simulate snow.
The filming took place in Siberia, in Prague, in Moscow, and even in Portugal. All these extravagances from the director brought the cost of the film close to $ 26 millions. This is one of the most expensive films in Russian history.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uVNHuULHHpo
Патимат Котикова
