Neskolko dney iz zhizni I.I. Oblomova (1980)

Director:

Nikita Mikhalkov

Writers:

Aleksandr Adabashyan (screenplay)
Ivan Goncharov (novel)
(more)

Release Date:

8 September 1980 (Soviet Union)

Genre:

Comedy | Drama | Romance

Plot:

St. Petersburg, mid 19th century: the indolent, middle-aged Oblomov lives in a flat with his older servant...

Plot Keywords:

Love | Businessman | Estate | Servant | Rain

Awards:

1 win

Cast

Oleg Tabakov	...	Ilya Ilyich Oblomov
Yuri Bogatyryov	...	Andrei Ivanovich Stoltz
Andrei Popov	...	Zakhar
Yelena Solovey	...	Olga
Avangard Leontyev	...	Alexeyev
Andrei Razumovsky	...	Ilya as a child
Oleg Kozlov	...	Stoltz as a child
Yelena Kleshchevskaya	...	Katya (as Ye. Kleshchevskaya)
Galina Shostko	...	Olga's aunt (as G. Shostko)
Gleb Strizhenov	...	The Baron (as G. Strizhenov)
Yevgeni Steblov	...	Oblomov's father (as Ye. Steblov)
Yevgeniya Glushenko	...	Oblomov's mother (as Ye. Glushenko)
Nikolai Pastukhov	...	Stoltz's father (as N. Pastukhov)
Oleg Basilashvili		(as O. Basilashvili)
Ruslan Akhmetov		(as R. Akhmetov)
Andrei Kharitonov		(as A. Kharitonov)
Viktor Gogolev		(as V. Gogolev)
Lyubov Sokolova		(as L. Sokolova)
Nonna Terentyeva		(as N. Terentyeva)
Igor Kashintsev		(as I. Kashintsev)
Nikolay Burlyaev		(as N. Burlyayev)
N. Kadochnikov
Aleksandr Ovchinnikov		(as A. Ovchinnikov)
N. Tengayev
Vera Novikova		(as V. Novikova)
Ernst Romanov		(as E. Romanov)
Mikhail Dorofeyev		(as M. Dorofeyev)
Nikolai Gorlov
K. Mikhajlova
Fyodor Stukov		(as Fedya Stukov)
Anatoli Romashin	...	Narrator (voice) (as A. Romashin)

Directed by
Nikita Mikhalkov

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Aleksandr Adabashyan		screenplay (as A. Adabashyan)
Ivan Goncharov		novel "Oblomov"
Nikita Mikhalkov		screenplay (as N. Mikhalkov)

Original Music by
Eduard Artemyev		(as E. Artemyev)

Non-Original Music by
Vincenzo Bellini		(from opera "Norma")

Cinematography by
Pavel Lebeshev

Film Editing by
Eleonora Praksina		(as E. Praksina)

Production Design by
Aleksandr Adabashyan
Aleksandr Samulekin

Costume Design by
Maya Abar-Baranovskaya		(as M. Abar-Baranovskaya)

Makeup Department
N. Minayeva	....	makeup artist

Production Management
V. Fridman	....	production manager
Willie Geller	....	production manager (as Willi Geller)

Sound Department
Valentin Bobrovsky	....	sound engineer (as V. Bobrovsky)

Special Effects by
Yu. Chekmaryov	....	special effects coordinator
D. Pletnikov	....	special effects operator

Camera and Electrical Department
Eduard Gimpel	....	camera operator (as E. Gimpel)
B. Yelyan	....	camera operator

Music Department
Yuri Serebryakov	....	conductor (as Yu. Serebryakov)

Other crew
O. Kozlova	....	script supervisor
M. Mertsalova	....	consultant
I. Sautov	....	consultant
L. Svobodin	....	literary consultant

Production Companies

• Mosfilm
• Satra
• Sovexportfilm

Distributors

• International Film Exchange (IFEX) (1981) (USA) (theatrical) (subtitled)
• Kino Video (2004) (USA) (DVD)
• Sovexportfilm (????) (Argentina) (theatrical)
• Filmmarket (2006) (Ukraine) (DVD)
• Kinema (????) (Argentina) (VHS)

Also Known As:

Oblomov (Australia) (USA)
Несколько дней из жизни И. И. Обломова (Soviet Union: Russian title)
A Few Days from the Life of I.I. Oblomov
A Few Days in the Life of I.I. Oblomov
Quelques jours de la vie
Alcuni giorni della vita di I.I. Oblomov (Italy) [it]
Algunos días en la vida de Oblomov (Argentina) [es]
Kilka dni z zycia Oblomowa (Poland) [pl]
Merikes meres apo tin zoi tou Oblomov (Greece) [el]
Några dagar i Oblomovs liv (Sweden) (informal alternative title) [sv]
Några dagar ur I.I. Oblomovs liv (Sweden) (informal literal title) [sv]
Oblomov (Italy) [it]
Oblomov (Finland) [fi]
Oblomov (Sweden) [sv]
Oblomow (West Germany) (TV title) [de]
Quelques jours de la vie d'Oblomov (France) (new title) [fr]
Tage aus dem Leben Ilja Oblomows (East Germany) [de]

Runtime:

140 min

Country:

Soviet Union

Language:

Russian

Color:

Color (Sovcolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Sweden:Btl | Australia:G | Argentina:13 | Chile:14 | Finland:S | USA:Unrated

Company:

Mosfilm

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: When Oblomov is writing his farewell letter to Olga, the candles are nearly blown out by the wind, but the light shed remains the same.

First half-hour is tough; the rest is a gem!

I tried to read Goncharov's novel while in high school after having polished off books by Dostoyevsky, Tolstoy, and others, but Oblomov defeated me in the first few pages. It was just real tough to get into a story about a middle-aged, semi-retired government clerk who doesn't want to get out of bed all day. Now that I am middle-aged myself, I can relate to Oblomov's condition more. I still thought the first part of the movie (of which he actually does spend a good portion in bed) was slow, but after seeing the rest, I regretted never having finished the book. This is one of the greatest movies ever in any language describing what it is like to be depressed - afraid to make decisions and without energy to carry them out, and then what the consequences are of failing to act. With the help of his best friend, Stoltz, and his slogan "now or never" Oblomov manages to get out of his St. Petersburg apartment and begins to rebuild his life. Stoltz even introduces him to a young lady friend, Olga, and (while claiming she is "just a child") tells Oblomov that she and her aunt care take care of him (by keeping Oblomov from crawling back into bed) while he (Stoltz) is off to England. By Part II of the movie, Oblomov has shed 30 pounds and apparently 20 years, and has moved to the country, next door to Olga and her aunt. At this point the movie deals with romantic love from the point of view of a very shy, somewhat older man for a vibrant young woman, and it is this bitter-sweet part that is most moving and interesting. This is one of Nikita Mikhalkov's Soviet-period films, and while it is set is Czarist days and almost fondly lingers on the details of the opulent houses of the upper class, it also slips in several (mostly tongue-in-cheek) comments and observations about the inequality between classes and the uselessness of the aristocracy. For example, Oblomov, from his bed, chides his servant for doing nothing all day long. The cinematography is gorgeous. When Oblomov lazes in the grass among the birch trees, you can almost smell the countryside. This movie is slow to get started, but rewards the viewer's patience greatly by the end. Highly recommended!