I was surprised to see how people here are in the same boat as me by finding this a bit boring. Judi Dench is great but much better in Ibsens “Ghosts.” It’s also available here on YT. Maybe Chekhov isn’t for me.
The Russian soul is so morose. All those years of serfdom? Must be because fate is such a burden and there is nothing to be done. No wonder Putin is in power.
That is what was the market in Russia. Masybe if those that literature appealled to were not after that type then others would have come forth. And remember that many of the well known writers came from a group that did not necessarily have to rely on cheerful lit 2 make a living. Or maybe all that vodka and French champaigne deadened the spirit so to say?
old post but still relevant. One thing to consider is that in the USA slavery and that form of Antebellum society only existed in a few places and it wreaked havoc on our country and is still impacting culture today. In Imperial Russia the ENTIRE SOCIETY was based on slavery and landowners and was done away with all at once. Centuries of neglect of the serfs and decadence of the landowners didn't just go away... Alot of 20th century Russian history is blamed on socialism, some of it rightly so, but it was far more complex as Americans and Brits who went to live in the USSR in that timeframe found out. The revolution, and purges, were only partly about socialism.
Umm .... Guys? Chekhov meant this to be a comedy. In fact, the first performance of it, people laughed and laughed. It was meant to be a PARODY of the aristocrats. Subsequent directors during Chekhov's time changed the tone of the play to a tragic feel, MUCH to his great irritation, as he wanted the ex serf to be the hero of the play, not the villain, and Judy Dench's character a self absorbed, spoiled, selfish, debauched person. This iteration of the play is in that "tragic" tradition, which is why it feels "morose". Imagine, if you will, this being set in the post Civil War South, with the serf as a black former slave, and Judy Dench's character the daughter of the former slaveholder. The play would have a VERY different sense to it, and the subtle social relationships would become much clearer.
Maybe in your eyes. I guess you just do not have the right pheramones to be appealing? Next time I chat with her she can give her opinion of your physicalness on film?
