Agony
UW Cinematheque 821 University Ave., UW Vilas Hall, Room 4070, Madison, Wisconsin
press release:
Soviet Union | 1981 | 35mm | 151 min. | Russian with English subtitles
Director: Elem Klimov
Cast: Aleksey Petrenko, Anatoliy Romashin, Velta Line
Alternating between pre-revolution documentary footage and newly filmed color material, Klimov delivers a hypnotic, one-of-a-kind portrait of Grigori Rasputin (Petrenko), that pulls no punches when depicting the legendary mad monk’s penchant for deviancy, depravity and destruction. Often shown in heavily edited forms, this is the uncut version that fully restores Klimov’s original vision. Presented with the support of the UW Madison’s Center for Russia, East Europe and Central Asia (CREECA).
SUMMER SELECTIONS: For your summer viewing pleasure, the Cinematheque programming team has carefully curated this selection of international film classics and rediscovered gems, plus a restored Marx Bros. masterpiece and the first local area screening of a great new documentary.
All Cinematheque screenings are free and open to the public.