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PODCAST

A Russian & Soviet Movie Podcast with Ally Pitts

Cinephile, history fan, and one-time Muscovite Ally Pitts explores contemporary and Soviet-era Russian language cinema one film at a time! The show combines interviews and movie discussion, and features expert guests including authors, journalists, stand-up comedians, and indie podcasters. From time to time, it also tackles Hollywood’s attempts to bring aspects of Russian culture, literature, and history to the Silver Screen.

tv & film film reviews

All Episodes

02:46

Announcement: Gentlemen Don't Get Caught, an R.E.M....

A Russian & Soviet Movie Podcast with Ally Pitts ·

2021/08/08

Ally Pitts and Lyn Seren are hosting podcast where they discuss the music of alternative rock legends R.E.M. one track at a time. It's called Gentlemen Don't Get Caught, and we think you should listen to it! You can find the show at this link.

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01:16:36

STATE FUNERAL (Sergei Loznitsa; 2019)

A Russian & Soviet Movie Podcast with Ally Pitts ·

2021/05/21

Kristaps Andrejsons, journalist and host of The Eastern Border podcast, joins Ally Pitts to discuss this documentary which provides a startling insight into the cult of personality surrounding Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin. STATE FUNERAL is now showing on MUBI. You can claim your free 30-day trial of their incredible film streaming service by visiting: https://mubi.com/russiansovietpod - Ally's MUBI recommendations CONTENT WARNING: In this episode, we discuss the violence of the Soviet state under

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01:23:46

Gorky Park (Michael Apted; 1983)

A Russian & Soviet Movie Podcast with Ally Pitts ·

2021/05/02

Phil Manchester, former Moscow resident and pub quizmaster extraordinaire, joins Ally Pitts to discuss this adaptation of the first of Martin Cruz Smith's Arkady Renko detective novels, set in early 1980s Moscow. CONTENT WARNING: The film includes violence and gore, including violence against women. SPOILERS for both the book and the film (and indeed subsequent Renko books) from about 23 minutes in until the end. Support the show/fund Ally's caffeine habit at: ko-fi.com/russophilesunite Listeners

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17:01

Khraniteli (Soviet TV version of The Lord of the Rings)

A Russian & Soviet Movie Podcast with Ally Pitts ·

2021/04/12

Against their better judgement, Ally & Carrie Pitts decided to watch this extremely low-budget adaptation of JRR Tolkien's classic fantasy. Here are a few of their thoughts. If you'd like to get in touch, it would be great to hear from you! Here are some ways you can do that: Twitter: @RussophilesU Email: russophilesunite@gmail.com Facebook: www.facebook.com/groups/russophilesunite Instagram: www.instagram.com/russophiles_unite/ Letterboxd: https://letterboxd.com/Ally_Pitts/ Find Ally's other

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36:57

Interview with Alex Christofi, author of Dostoevsky...

A Russian & Soviet Movie Podcast with Ally Pitts ·

2021/04/07

Author and publisher Alex Christofi joins Ally Pitts to discuss the tumultuous life of Fyodor Dostoevsky, who is the subject of his fascinating new biography, Dostoevsky in Love, published by Bloomsbury Continuum. Listeners in the UK can pick up a copy of Dostoevsky in Love via our uk.bookshop.org affiliate link. 10% of the sale will go towards covering the costs of running the show and you'll also be helping out independent bookshops! Visit our uk.bookshop.org affiliate store here to see the rest

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01:26:01

I am Twenty (Marlen Khutsiev; 1965)

A Russian & Soviet Movie Podcast with Ally Pitts ·

2021/04/04

Nadja Bee, film critic and co-founder of KinoSelect, joins Ally Pitts to discuss a sprawling drama from the 1960s in which a group of friends navigate the trials, tribulations, and joys of young adulthood. Oh, and a youthful Andrei Tarkovsky shows up briefly as a jerk at a party. CONTENT WARNING: The film's plot includes the death of a parent. SPOILERS from about 22 minutes in until the end. Support the show/fund Ally's caffeine habit at: ko-fi.com/russophilesunite Listeners in the UK can help the

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01:06:49

A Russian Youth (Alexander Zolotukhin; 2019)

A Russian & Soviet Movie Podcast with Ally Pitts ·

2021/03/07

Lyn Seren, host of Gentlemen Don't Get Caught: An R.E.M. Podcast, joins Ally Pitts to discuss this depiction of an adolescent conscript's experience of the First World War, which features an unusual (and perhaps not wholly successful) artistic twist. SPOILERS from about 8 minutes in until the end. CONTENT WARNING: the film discussed contains violence and nudity. Support the show/fund Ally's caffeine habit at: ko-fi.com/russophilesunite Listeners in the UK can help the show by picking up a book

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01:20:31

Beanpole (Kantemir Balagov; 2019)

A Russian & Soviet Movie Podcast with Ally Pitts ·

2021/02/07

Lyn Seren, host of Gentlemen Don't Get Caught: An R.E.M. Podcast, joins Ally Pitts to discuss this dark exploration of a relationship between two young women living in Leningrad in the aftermath of World War II. SPOILERS from about 20 minutes in until the end. CONTENT WARNING: the film discussed contains many upsetting scenes, including some containing sexual violence. At the time of writing, Beanpole is available to watch on MUBI. - Get a 30-day free trial of MUBI - Ally's MUBI

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42:37

Interview with Kino Klassika season manager Olga...

A Russian & Soviet Movie Podcast with Ally Pitts ·

2021/01/25

Kino Klassika is a UK non-profit organisation that highlights films from Russia, the Caucasus, and Central Asia. Shortly before the launch of Klassiki, Kino Klassika's new streaming service, Ally Pitts spoke to season manager Olga Doletskaya. Find out more about Kino Klassika: https://www.kinoklassikafoundation.org/ Find out more about Klassiki: https://klassiki.online/ If you enjoyed this episode, please follow and rate us on Podchaser: www.podchaser.com/russophilesunitemoviepodcast If you'd like

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01:15:40

War and Peace (Sergei Bondarchuk; 1966)

A Russian & Soviet Movie Podcast with Ally Pitts ·

2021/01/03

Lyn Seren, host of Gentlemen Don't Get Caught: An R.E.M. Podcast joins Ally Pitts to discuss this suitably epic adaptation of Lev Tolstoy's famous masterpiece. Support the show/fund Ally's caffeine habit at: ko-fi.com/russophilesunite Listeners in the UK can buy War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy and Bondarchuk's War and Peace': Literary Classic to Soviet Cinematic Epic by Professor Denise J. Youngblood via our uk.bookshop.org affiliate links. 10% of the sale will go towards covering the costs of running

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44:26

Morozko [AKA Frosty AKA Father Frost AKA Jack...

A Russian & Soviet Movie Podcast with Ally Pitts ·

2020/12/27

Carrie Pitts, Russian language & literature graduate, joins Ally Pitts to discuss this festive fairy tale adventure featuring winter wizard Ded Moroz and notorious witch Baba Yaga. Listeners in the UK can buy Why the Bear Has No Tail: And other Russian Folk Tales, translated by Netta Peacock and The Story of Synko-Filipko and other Russian Folk Tales, (both Fontanka Press), translated by Dr Louise Hardiman via our affiliate links here and here. 10% of the sale will go towards covering the costs

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01:06:22

Anastasia: Once Upon a Time (Blake Harris; 2020)

A Russian & Soviet Movie Podcast with Ally Pitts ·

2020/12/06

Samantha Berkhead, Moscow Times editor and bad movie enthusiast, joins Ally Pitts to discuss this extremely ill-judged pre-teen fish-out-of-water/time-travel comedy which features the doomed Romanov princess as its main character. Listeners in the UK can support the show by picking up a book via our online affiliate bookshop. 10% of the sale will go towards covering the costs of running the show and you'll also be helping out independent bookshops! Visit our uk.bookshop.org affiliate store

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01:38:51

Leto (Kirill Serebrennikov; 2018)

A Russian & Soviet Movie Podcast with Ally Pitts ·

2020/11/22

Caroline Ridler, academic and musician, joins Ally Pitts to discuss this musical/drama/biopic which follows the growth of the Leningrad rock scene in the early 1980s, with a particular focus on one of its most famous members, Kino frontman Viktor Tsoi. Listeners in the UK can buy Everything Was Forever, Until It Was No More by Alexei Yurchak from Princeton University Press via our uk.bookshop.org affiliate link. 10% of the sale will go towards covering the costs of running the show and you'll also

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01:25:12

Brief Encounters (Kira Muratova; 1967)

A Russian & Soviet Movie Podcast with Ally Pitts ·

2020/11/02

Bianca Garner, film critic and editor and founder of In Their Own League, a website focusing on female filmmakers, joins Ally Pitts to discuss this 1960s romantic drama co-starring legendary Soviet bard Vladimir Vysotsky. Listeners in the UK can buy Kira Muratova by Jane Taubman from Bloomsbury Books via our uk.bookshop.org affiliate link. 10% of the sale will go towards covering the costs of running the show and you'll also be helping out independent bookshops! Visit our uk.bookshop.org affiliate

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02:55:34

Mongol: The Rise to Power of Genghis Khan (Sergei...

A Russian & Soviet Movie Podcast with Ally Pitts ·

2020/11/01

Dr Sarah Ifft Decker, professional historian and host of Media-eval: A Medieval Pop Culture Podcast, joins Ally Pitts to discuss an epic drama/war movie based on the early career of one of the most (in)famous military leaders in history. CONTENT WARNING: a character in the film is raped off-screen, there is also several violent battle scenes. This episode also contains some discussion of historical atrocities. Expect SPOILERS from about 48 minutes in until the end. Mongol stars Tanobu Asano, Sun

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01:29:26

Russian Ark (Aleksandr Sokurov; 2002)

A Russian & Soviet Movie Podcast with Ally Pitts ·

2020/04/02

Jonny Tickle, Moscow resident and YouTuber, joins Ally Pitts to discuss this meandering, mysterious walk through Russian history and Saint Petersberg's Hermitage Museum, filmed in a single continuous take. Listeners in the UK can buy Alexander Sokurov: Russian Ark by Birgit Beumers via our uk.bookshop.org affiliate link. 10% of the sale will go towards covering the costs of running the show and you'll also be helping out independent bookshops. Visit our uk.bookshop.org affiliate store here! Expect

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01:09:04

My Boyfriend is an Angel (Vera Storozheva; 2011)

A Russian & Soviet Movie Podcast with Ally Pitts ·

2020/02/13

Carrie joins Ally once again, this time to discuss a fantastical rom-com in which Sasha (Anna Starshenbaum), a student, meets Serafim (Artur Smolyaninov), a celestial visitor in Moscow on New Year's Eve. CONTENT WARNING: As we discuss in this episode, this film contains extreme racial insensitivity and also outright racism. Expect SPOILERS from about 17 minutes until the end. My Boyfriend is an Angel also stars Olga Popova, Nikita Efremov, Sergey Puskepalis, Ivan Makarevich, The show's intro

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01:32:59

Office Romance (Eldar Ryazanov; 1977)

A Russian & Soviet Movie Podcast with Ally Pitts ·

2020/01/09

Michele Berdy, Moscow Times columnist, translator, and The Word's Worth podcast host, joins Ally to discuss this Brezhnev-era rom-com starring Alisa Freyndlikh and Andrei Myagkov. Listeners in the UK can buy The Russian Word's Worth by Michele Berdy via our uk.bookshop.org affiliate link. 10% of the sale will go towards covering the running costs of the show and you'll also be helping out independent bookshops. Visit our uk.bookshop.org affiliate store here! Expect SPOILERS from about 42 minutes in

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01:35:09

Chapaev (Sergey & Georgy Vasilyev; 1934)

A Russian & Soviet Movie Podcast with Ally Pitts ·

2019/12/05

Martin Kessler, filmmaker and Flixwise: Canada host, returns to discuss this Russian Civil War set proto-action film. It has the dubious distinction of being one of Joseph Stalin's favourite movies, and it stars Boris Babochkin as the eponymous Red Army commander. Listeners in the UK can buy Chapaev by Julian Graffy from Bloomsbury Books, via our uk.bookshop.org affiliate link. 10% of the sale will go towards covering the costs of running the show and you'll also be helping out independent

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01:20:30

Anna (Luc Besson; 2019)

A Russian & Soviet Movie Podcast with Ally Pitts ·

2019/11/07

Lyn Seren, veteran of the podcast and possible 6th Element, joins Ally Pitts to discuss this slightly Cold War-flavoured espionage/action film Expect SPOILERS from about 19 minutes in until the end. CONTENT WARNING: the film includes depictions of an abusive relationship, self-harm, and suicidal behaviour. Anna stars Sasha Luss, Helen Mirren, Cillian Murphy, Luke Evans, and Lera Abova. Support the show/fund Ally's caffeine habit at: https://ko-fi.com/russophilesunite If you enjoyed this episode,

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