For Better and for Worse

1975 2h 47m RU

😐

5.8

MID

★5.8TMDB · 22

DramaRomanceHistory

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

In December 1825, distinguished members of the Russian military, most of whom were quite affluent and of noble lineage, took it upon themselves to stir revolution against the autocratic and tyrannical Czar Nikolai I in the wake of his not honoring the drafting of a constitution for the Russian people. The revolution failed miserably and the conspirators (known as the Decembrists) were weeded out by the czar himself. One by one, each of the conspirators confess and are systematically exiled to the harsh winters of Siberia, slated to work and wither in a prison/mine. The wives of the conspirators are faced with the prospect of leaving the bosom of wealth and family (including their own children) to be with their husbands in the brutal Siberian locale. If they agree to this, they face having their illustrious social stations stripped away and certain disdain from everyone around them...

“Some stories are better left unspoiled.”

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Cast

Oleg Strizhenov
Князь Волконский
Aleksey Batalov
Князь Трубецкой
Natalya Bondarchuk
Княгиня Волконская
Irina Kupchenko
Княгиня Трубецкая
Igor Kostolevskiy
Иван Анненков
Oleg Yankovskiy
Кондратий Рылеев
Ewa Szykulska
Aleksandr Porokhovshchikov
Павел Пестель

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Vladimir Motyl
Writers: Oleg Osetinsky, Vladimir Motyl, Mark Zakharov
Languages: Russian, French
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 / 8

RUNTIME

Did you know

Clocks in at 167 minutes — on the longer side of feature-length cinema.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

51 years old — a genuine piece of film history.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

Dialogue crosses 2 languages: Russian, French.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Vladimir Motyl, shot by Dimitri Meskhishvili. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

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

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

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

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Oleg Strizhenov and Aleksey Batalov and Natalya Bondarchuk carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0073933 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Vladimir Motyl directs. Dimitri Meskhishvili behind the camera. Isaac Schwarts scores. Ye. Sadovskaya cuts. A long sit — settle in. Produced in Soviet Union. Dialogue in Russian, French.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Clocks in at 167 minutes — on the longer side of feature-length cinema.
251 years old — a genuine piece of film history.
3Dialogue crosses 2 languages: Russian, French.
4Directed by Vladimir Motyl, shot by Dimitri Meskhishvili. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
5Original score by Isaac Schwarts. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
6Editor Ye. Sadovskaya shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
7Oleg Strizhenov and Aleksey Batalov and Natalya Bondarchuk carry the top of the cast.
8IMDB entry: tt0073933 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
9Only 22 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.