Heart of a Dog

1988 2h 16m RU

🙌

7.9

BANGER

★7.9TMDB · 207

DramaComedyScience FictionTV Movie

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

In 1920s Moscow, shortly after the October Revolution, a stray dog named Sharik is taken in by Professor Preobrazhensky, a wealthy and respected surgeon. The professor performs a daring medical experiment on the dog that changes him into a human being. As the newly transformed Sharikov begins to navigate life in the professor’s apartment, his crude behavior and revolutionary ideas turn the household upside down.

“Some stories are better left unspoiled.”

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Cast

Evgeniy Evstigneev
Professor Filipp Preobrazhenskyy
Boris Plotnikov
Doctor Bormental
Vladimir Tolokonnikov
Sharikov
Nina Ruslanova
Darya Petrovna
Olga Melikhova
Zinochka
Aleksei Mironov
Fyodor
Roman Kartsev
Shvonder
Anzhelika Nevolina
Vasnetsova

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Vladimir Bortko
Writers: Nataliya Bortko
Languages: Russian
Countries: Soviet Union

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 6

ERA

Did you know

38 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 6

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Vladimir Bortko, shot by Yuriy Shaygardanov. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 6

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Vladimir Dashkevich. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 6

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Leda Semyonova shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 6

CAST

Did you know

Evgeniy Evstigneev and Boris Plotnikov and Vladimir Tolokonnikov carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 6

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0096126 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Vladimir Bortko directs. Yuriy Shaygardanov behind the camera. Vladimir Dashkevich scores. Leda Semyonova cuts. Produced in Soviet Union. Dialogue in Russian.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

138 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.
2Directed by Vladimir Bortko, shot by Yuriy Shaygardanov. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
3Original score by Vladimir Dashkevich. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
4Editor Leda Semyonova shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
5Evgeniy Evstigneev and Boris Plotnikov and Vladimir Tolokonnikov carry the top of the cast.
6IMDB entry: tt0096126 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

The technical file

Cinematography: Yuriy Shaygardanov
Original score: Vladimir Dashkevich
Editing: Leda Semyonova
Production design: Vladimir Svetozarov
Costume design: Lidiya Kryukova
Makeup / hair: Vadim Khalaimov
Runtime: 136 min · 2h 16m
Status: Released
Original language: RU
IMDB: Heart of a Dog (1988)

Also by

Vladimir Bortko

Community reviews

What people are saying

Tonis2025-02-28
★ 8/10
The story centers on Professor Filipp Filippovich Preobrazhensky, a brilliant but arrogant surgeon, who believes he can improve humanity through scientific intervention. He performs an experimental operation, transplanting the pituitary gland and testicles of a recently deceased human alcoholic and criminal, Klim Chugunkin, into a stray dog named Sharik. The experiment is initially a success, as Sharik transforms into a humanoid creature, named Polygraph Polygraphovich Sharikov. However, Sharikov embodies the worst aspects of his human donor: he is crude, aggressive, and opportunistic. He quickly becomes a disruptive force in Professor Preobrazhensky's life and the surrounding communal apartment. Sharikov, fueled by his newfound human status and a rudimentary understanding of revolutionary rhetoric, becomes a member of the local housing committee, empowered by the zealous and equally inept Comrade Shvonder. He abuses his position, wreaking havoc and threatening the professor's comfortable lifestyle. Professor Preobrazhensky, horrified by the monster he has created, realises the catastrophic consequences of his hubris. He ultimately reverses the experiment, transforming Sharikov back into a dog. The film vividly portrays the chaos and uncertainty of post-revolutionary Russia. The old social order is crumbling, and new, often ill-prepared, individuals are thrust into positions of power. The housing committee and Sharikov's rise symbolize the dangers of unchecked authority and the erosion of traditional values. Bulgakov's satire exposes the inherent flaws in human nature, regardless of social class or political ideology. Sharikov's transformation reveals the animalistic instincts that can lurk beneath the surface of human behaviour. The story serves as a cautionary tale against the dangers of attempting to radically transform society through artificial means. The film demonstrates that forcibly altering human nature can have unforeseen and disastrous consequences. The film suggests that tampering with the natural order can have unintended and destructive results. That you cannot create a "new man" by simply changing external factors. ##This review has been created with Gemini 2.0 Flash

Production companies