The Barber of Siberia

"He's Russian. That explains a lot."

1998 3h 0m RU

👍

7.1

SOLID

🥫

13%

ROTTEN

⭐

7.7

IMDB

★7.1TMDB · 164🥫13%Rotten Tomatoes★7.7IMDB · 12,943

ComedyDramaRomanceHistory

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

Douglas is a foreign entrepreneur, who ventures to Russia in 1885 with dreams of selling a new, experimental steam-driven timber harvester in the wilds of Siberia. Jane is his assistant. On her travels, she meets two men who would change her life forever: a handsome young cadet Andrej Tolstoy with whom she shares a fondness for opera, and the powerful General Radlov who is entranced by her beauty and wants to marry her.

“He's Russian. That explains a lot.”

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Cast

Julia Ormond
Jane Callahan
Oleg Menshikov
André Tolstoi
Aleksey Petrenko
General Radlov
Richard Harris
Douglas McCraken
Vladimir Ilin
Captain Mokine
Marat Basharov
Polievsky
Georgiy Dronov
Nazarov
Nikita Tatarenkov
Alibekov

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Nikita Mikhalkov
Writers: Nikita Mikhalkov, Rospo Pallenberg, Rustam Ibragimbekov
Languages: English, German, Russian
Countries: France, Russia

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 / 8

RUNTIME

Did you know

At 180 minutes, this is a three-hour-plus commitment — longer than 95% of films ever made.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

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

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

Dialogue crosses 3 languages: English, German, Russian.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

International production across 2 countries: France, Russia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Nikita Mikhalkov, shot by Pavel Lebeshev. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

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

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

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

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Julia Ormond and Oleg Menshikov and Aleksey Petrenko carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Nikita Mikhalkov directs. Pavel Lebeshev behind the camera. Eduard Artemyev scores. Enzo Meniconi cuts. A long sit — settle in. Produced in France, Russia. Dialogue in English, German, Russian.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1At 180 minutes, this is a three-hour-plus commitment — longer than 95% of films ever made.
228 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.
3Dialogue crosses 3 languages: English, German, Russian.
4International production across 2 countries: France, Russia.
5Directed by Nikita Mikhalkov, shot by Pavel Lebeshev. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
6Original score by Eduard Artemyev. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
7Editor Enzo Meniconi shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
8Julia Ormond and Oleg Menshikov and Aleksey Petrenko carry the top of the cast.
9Marketing tagline: "He's Russian. That explains a lot.".
10IMDB entry: tt0120125 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.