The essential Russian movies list
Few days ago I ran into a list of the essential Soviet Union (and by extension, Russian) movies to watch. I don’t think it’s an actual top, though the first 10 movies in the list are spot-on. No external links, research and download them on your favorite websites.
#1 THE MIRROR
Andrei Tarkovsky, Soviet Union, 1975
#2 MAN WITH A MOVIE CAMERA
Dziga Vertov, Soviet Union, 1929
#3 COME AND SEE
Elem Klimov, Soviet Union, 1985
#4 TALE OF TALES
Yuri Norstein, Soviet Union, 1979
#5 ANDREI RUBLEV
Andrei Tarkovsky, Soviet Union, 1966
#6 STALKER
Andrei Tarkovsky, Soviet Union, 1979
#7 BATTLESHIP POTEMKIN
Sergei Eisenstein, Soviet Union, 1925
#8 THE COLOR OF POMEGRANATES
Sergei Parajanov, Soviet Union, 1969
#9 THE ASCENT
Larisa Shepitko, Soviet Union, 1977
#10 I AM CUBA
Mikhail Kalatozov, Cuba, 1964
#11 THE RETURN
Andrey Zvyagintsev, Russia, 2003
#12 THE WISHING TREE
Tengiz Abuladze, Soviet Union, 1976
#13 STRIKE
Sergei Eisenstein, Soviet Union, 1925
#14 BED AND SOFA
Abram Room, Soviet Union, 1927
#15 EARTH
Aleksandr Dovzhenko, Soviet Union, 1930
#16 HAPPINESS
Aleksandr Medvedkin, Soviet Union, 1935
#17 BY THE BLUEST OF SEAS
Boris Barnet, Soviet Union, 1936
#18 ALEXANDER NEVSKY
Sergei Eisenstein, Soviet Union, 1938
#19 THE CHILDHOOD OF MAXIM GORKY
Mark Donskoy, Soviet Union, 1938
#20 IVAN THE TERRIBLE, PART I
Sergei Eisenstein, Soviet Union, 1944
#21 THE CRANES ARE FLYING
Mikhail Kalatozov, Soviet Union, 1957
#22 IVAN THE TERRIBLE, PART II
Sergei Eisenstein, Soviet Union, 1958
#23 IVAN'S CHILDHOOD
Andrei Tarkovsky, Soviet Union, 1962
#24 I AM TWENTY
Marlen Khutsiev, Soviet Union, 1965
#25 SHADOWS OF FORGOTTEN ANCESTORS
Sergei Parajanov, Soviet Union, 1965
#26 WINGS
Larisa Shepitko, Soviet Union, 1966
#27 THE COMMISSAR
Aleksandr Askoldov, Soviet Union, 1967
#28 THE PLEA
Tengiz Abuladze, Soviet Union, 1967
#29 WAR AND PEACE
Sergei Bondarchuk, Soviet Union, 1967
#30 THE EVE OF IVAN KUPALO
Yuri Ilyenko, Soviet Union, 1968
#31 PIROSMANI
Giorgi Shengelaya, Soviet Union, 1969
#32 THE DEBUT
Gleb Panfilov, Soviet Union, 1970
#33 ONCE UPON A TIME THERE WAS A SINGING BLACKBIRD
Otar Iosseliani, Soviet Union, 1970
#34 KING LEAR
Grigori Kozintsev, Soviet Union, 1971
#35 THE LONG FAREWELL
Kira Muratova, Soviet Union, 1971
#36 SOLARIS
Andrei Tarkovsky, Soviet Union, 1972
#37 HEDGEHOG IN THE FOG
Yuri Norstein, Soviet Union, 1975
#38 SEASONS OF THE YEAR
Artavazd Peleshian, Soviet Union, 1975
#39 UNFINISHED PIECE FOR MECHANICAL PIANO
Nikita Mikhalkov, Soviet Union, 1977
#40 REPENTANCE
Tengiz Abuladze, Soviet Union, 1984
#41 MY FRIEND IVAN LAPSHIN
Aleksei German, Soviet Union, 1985
#42 JULY
Darezhan Omirbayev, Soviet Union, 1988
#43 FREEZE, DIE, COME TO LIFE
Vitali Kanevsky, Soviet Union, 1990
#44 MOTHER AND SON
Aleksandr Sokurov, Russia, 1997
#45 RUSSIAN ARK
Aleksandr Sokurov, Russia, 2002
#46 LEVIATHAN
Andrey Zvyagintsev, Russia, 2014
#47 BEANPOLE
Kantemir Balagov, Russia, 2019
#48 WET SAND
Elene Naveriani, Georgia, 2021
#49 THE NIGHT BEFORE CHRISTMAS
Wladyslaw Starewicz, Russia, 1913
#50 TWILIGHT OF A WOMAN'S SOUL
Yevgeni Bauer, Russia, 1913
#51 CHILD OF THE BIG CITY
Yevgeni Bauer, Russia, 1914
#52 DAYDREAMS
Yevgeni Bauer, Russia, 1915
#53 AELITA: QUEEN OF MARS
Yakov Protazanov, Soviet Union, 1924
#54 THE EXTRAORDINARY ADVENTURES OF MR. WEST IN THE LAND OF THE BOLSHEVIKS
Lev Kuleshov, Soviet Union, 1924
#55 KINO EYE
Dziga Vertov, Soviet Union, 1924
#56 BY THE LAW
Lev Kuleshov, Soviet Union, 1926
#57 MOTHER
Vsevolod Pudovkin, Soviet Union, 1926
#58 THE OVERCOAT
Leonid Trauberg, Grigori Kozintsev, Soviet Union, 1926
#59 THE END OF ST. PETERSBURG
Vsevolod Pudovkin, Mikhail Doller, Soviet Union, 1927
#60 THE FALL OF THE ROMANOV DYNASTY
Esfir Shub, Soviet Union, 1927
#61 THE GIRL WITH THE HAT BOX
Boris Barnet, Soviet Union, 1927
#62 OCTOBER (TEN DAYS THAT SHOOK THE WORLD)
Sergei Eisenstein, Grigori Aleksandrov, Soviet Union, 1927
#63 CAUCASIAN LOVE
Nikoloz Shengelaia, Soviet Union, 1928
#64 THE ELEVENTH YEAR
Dziga Vertov, Soviet Union, 1928
#65 THE HOUSE ON TRUBNAYA SQUARE
Boris Barnet, Soviet Union, 1928
#66 STORM OVER ASIA
Vsevolod Pudovkin, Soviet Union, 1928
#67 ZVENIGORA
Aleksandr Dovzhenko, Soviet Union, 1928
#68 ARSENAL
Aleksandr Dovzhenko, Soviet Union, 1929
#69 FRAGMENT OF AN EMPIRE
Fridrikh Ermler, Soviet Union, 1929
#70 IN SPRING
Mikhail Kaufman, Soviet Union, 1929
#71 MY GRANDMOTHER
Kote Mikaberidze, Soviet Union, 1929
#72 THE NEW BABYLON
Grigori Kozintsev, Leonid Trauberg, Soviet Union, 1929
#73 TURKSIB
Victor Turin, Soviet Union, 1929
#74 ENTHUSIASM
Dziga Vertov, Soviet Union, 1930
#75 SALT FOR SVANETIA
Mikhail Kalatozov, Soviet Union, 1930
#76 ROAD TO LIFE
Nikolai Ekk, Soviet Union, 1931
#77 IVAN
Aleksandr Dovzhenko, Soviet Union, 1932
#78 SONG OF HEROES
Joris Ivens, Soviet Union, 1932
#79 LAST CRUSADERS
Siko Dolidze, Soviet Union, 1933
#80 NIGHT ON BALD MOUNTAIN
Alexander Alexeieff, Claire Parker, France, 1933
#81 OUTSKIRTS
Boris Barnet, Soviet Union, 1933
#82 CHAPAYEV
Sergei Vasilyev, Georgi Vasilyev, Soviet Union, 1934
#83 JOLLY FELLOWS
Grigori Aleksandrov, Soviet Union, 1934
#84 THE NEW GULLIVER
Aleksandr Ptushko, A. Vanichkin, Soviet Union, 1935
#85 PEASANTS
Fridrikh Ermler, Soviet Union, 1935
#86 A SEVERE YOUNG MAN
Abram Room, Soviet Union, 1935
#87 THE YOUTH OF MAXIM
Leonid Trauberg, Grigori Kozintsev, Soviet Union, 1935
#88 CIRCUS
Grigori Aleksandrov, I. Simkov, Soviet Union, 1936
#89 VOLGA - VOLGA
Grigori Aleksandrov, Soviet Union, 1938
#90 MY APPRENTICESHIP
Mark Donskoy, Soviet Union, 1939
#91 MASHENKA
Yuli Raizman, Soviet Union, 1942
#92 MAGDANA'S DONKEY
Rezo Chkheidze, Tengiz Abuladze, Soviet Union, 1955
#93 CARNIVAL NIGHT
Eldar Ryazanov, Soviet Union, 1956
#94 THE FORTY-FIRST
Grigori Chukhrai, Soviet Union, 1956
#95 SPRING ON ZARECHNAYA STREET
Marlen Khutsiev, Feliks Mironer, Soviet Union, 1956
#96 THE WRESTLER AND THE CLOWN
Boris Barnet, Konstantin Yudin, Soviet Union, 1957
#97 POEM OF THE SEA
Yuliya Solntseva, Soviet Union, 1958
#98 BALLAD OF A SOLDIER
Grigori Chukhrai, Soviet Union, 1959
#99 DESTINY OF A MAN
Sergei Bondarchuk, Soviet Union, 1959
#100 THE LADY WITH THE LITTLE DOG
Iosif Kheifits, Soviet Union, 1960
