Eastern Promises (David Cronenberg; 2007)

Host Ally Pitts highlights the 40th anniversary of Come and See, directed by Elem Klimov, shares news about a season of films on the theme of anti-fascism at the Ultimate Picture Palace in Oxford, and brings attention to a couple of other anti-fascist/anti-totalitarian/anti-cult of personality films.  Links mentioned/alluded to in the episode: Antifa on screen at the Ultimate Picture Palace in Oxford https://uppcinema.com/show_type/classic-season-antifa-on-screen/ Klassiki For a 30-day free trial of the streaming service Klassiki: klassiki.online/arussiansovietmoviepodcast/  If you use the code RUPOD50, you can get 50% off an annual subscription. Ally’s Klassiki recommendations  Come and See & Elem Klimov https://www.podchaser.com/podcasts/a-russian-soviet-movie-podcast-594862/episodes/come-and-see-elem-klimov-1985-41611107  https://uppcinema.com/show/come-and-see/ https://letterboxd.com/thetop100/list/the-greatest-films-ever-made-as-selected/  https://www.criterion.com/films/28895-come-and-see https://princecharlescinema.com/whats-on/   The Cremator & Juraj Herz https://uppcinema.com/show/the-cremator/ Sun 11th and Mon 12th MAY https://uppcinema.com/show_type/classic-season-antifa-on-screen/  https://www.secondrundvd.com/release_cremator_bd.html  https://klassiki.online/caught-by-the-night-gothic-visions-juraj-herz-podcast/  The Great Dictator, Charlie Chaplin, Pamela Hutchinson, and Eccentricism in Leningrad https://uppcinema.com/show/the-great-dictator/  https://pamhutch.wordpress.com/in-person/ https://www.bfi.org.uk/lists/10-great-films-1925 Includes The Gold Rush and Battleship Potemkin https://klassiki.online/ian-christie-eccentrism-soviet-avant-garde-podcast/  Ordinary Fascism & Mikhail Romm https://letterboxd.com/ally_pitts/film/triumph-over-violence/  Repentance & Tengiz Abuladze  https://letterboxd.com/film/repentance/  https://films.klassiki.online/repentance Contact us/socials: All the links for a Russian & Soviet Movie Podcast and Ally Pitts you're ever likely to want or need: linktr.ee/russiansovietmoviepodcast linktr.ee/ally_pitts  We changed the name of the show a little while back, but the social handles/contacts are a bit of a mishmash. Email: russophilesunite@gmail.com Letterboxd: letterboxd.com/Ally_Pitts/ Instagram: instagram.com/russiansovietmoviepodcast/  instagram.com/ally_pitts_movies_etc/  Listen to Ally's other podcast appearances on Podchaser

27 Apr 6min

Host Ally Pitts discusses the 2024 documentary Grand Theft Hamlet, directed by Pinny Grylls and Sam Crane, shares how Hamlet became his favourite Shakespeare play, and explores its connection to and influence on two of Russian culture's most famous figures, Boris Pasternak and Andrei Tarkovsky. And he talks about Withnail and I. Again. Not necessarily in that order.  Links mentioned/alluded to in the episode: mubi.com/russiansovietpod mubi.com/en/gb/films/grand-theft-hamlet letterboxd.com/ally_pitts/list/my-mubi-recommendations-updated-regularly/ letterboxd.com/ally_pitts/list/my-genre-recommendations-documentary/detail/  podchaser.com/podcasts/gentlemen-dont-get-caught-1554501  podchaser.com/podcasts/mubi-podcast-1906950/episodes/grand-theft-hamlet-how-shakesp-243200018   miltonkeynesmuseum.org.uk/under-the-grid-podcast/  podchaser.com/podcasts/under-the-grid-2346988/episodes/stony-stratford-159334015 dangerclosepod.com/doctor-zhivago  dangerclosepod.com/articles/surplusordnance-episode-24 flixwise.com/2018/08/19/flixwise-canada-ep-22-withnail-and-i/  mkpulse.co.uk/withnail-i/  Contact us/socials: All the links for a Russian & Soviet Movie Podcast and Ally Pitts you're ever likely to want or need: linktr.ee/russiansovietmoviepodcast linktr.ee/ally_pitts  We changed the name of the show a little while back, but the social handles/contacts are a bit of a mishmash. Email: russophilesunite@gmail.com Letterboxd: letterboxd.com/Ally_Pitts/ Instagram: instagram.com/russiansovietmoviepodcast/  instagram.com/ally_pitts_movies_etc/  Listen to Ally's other podcast appearances on Podchaser

23 Apr 11min

Matthew Chadourne, stand-up comedian, executive producer and creative director of the Oxford Comedy Festival, and co-host of the Saint Misbehavin' podcast joins host Ally Pitts to talk about his various comedy and movie-related projects. This is designed to serve as an appetizer for an upcoming episode on Grigory Chukrai’s Ballad of a Soldier with Matthew as the guest, which will be released on this feed as soon as it's edited. Links mentioned/alluded to in the episode: https://oxfordcomedyfestival.co.uk/our-acts  https://oxfordcomedyfestival.co.uk/shows https://qedcomedylab.co.uk/saintmisbehavinpod  https://www.secondrundvd.com/index.html https://www.magd.ox.ac.uk/magdalen-monday-movies/  All the Best Lines Ninotchka episode with Ally as the guest Contact us/socials: All the links for a Russian & Soviet Movie Podcast you're ever likely to want or need: linktr.ee/russiansovietmoviepodcast We changed the name of the show a little while back, but the social handles/contacts are a bit of a mishmash. Email: russophilesunite@gmail.com Letterboxd: https://letterboxd.com/Ally_Pitts/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/russiansovietmoviepodcast/  https://www.instagram.com/ally_pitts_movies_etc/  Listen to Ally's other podcast appearances on Podchaser

6 Apr 47min

To celebrate the Latvian film Flow winning the best animation category at the 2025 Oscars, Ally Pitts introduces an episode from previous guest Kristaps Andrejsons, which was originally published on his show, The Eastern Border. Links mentioned/alluded to in the episode: https://www.podchaser.com/podcasts/a-russian-soviet-movie-podcast-594862/episodes/state-funeral-sergei-loznitsa-91766026  https://theeasternborder.lv/about https://uppcinema.com/show/flow/  https://dukeslancaster.org/whats-on/cinema/flow-u https://www.watershed.co.uk/whatson/13080/flow Milton Keynes Gallery: https://mkgallery.org/event/the-4-30-club-away-u/ https://mkgallery.org/event/flow-u/  https://mkgallery.org/event/away-u/  https://www.thegardencinema.co.uk/film/flow/  Not technically an indie cinema, but still, this interview Picturehouse cinemas did with Gints Zilbalodis is worth a read. https://www.picturehouses.com/blog/the-movies-me-gints-zilbalodis Contact us/socials: All the links for a Russian & Soviet Movie Podcast you're ever likely to want or need: linktr.ee/russiansovietmoviepodcast We changed the name of the show a little while back, but the social handles/contacts are a bit of a mishmash. Email: russophilesunite@gmail.com Letterboxd: https://letterboxd.com/Ally_Pitts/ Listen to Ally's other podcast appearances on Podchaser

30 Mar 21min

In your home and maybe in your town? Links mentioned/alluded to in the episode: All the links for a Russian & Soviet Movie Podcast you're ever likely to want or need: linktr.ee/russiansovietmoviepodcast For a 30-day free trial of the streaming service Klassiki: https://klassiki.online/arussiansovietmoviepodcast/ If you use the code RUPOD50, you can get 50% off an annual subscription. https://kinoteka.org.uk/programme  https://www.instagram.com/gulpfictionbooks/  https://letterboxd.com/ally_pitts/list/my-10-favourite-polish-films/  https://letterboxd.com/ally_pitts/list/my-klassiki-recommendations-updated-regularly/detail/  https://www.secondrundvd.com/index.html  Contact us/socials: All the links for a Russian & Soviet Movie Podcast you're ever likely to want or need: linktr.ee/russiansovietmoviepodcast We changed the name of the show a little while back, but the social handles/contacts are a bit of a mishmash. Email: russophilesunite@gmail.com Letterboxd: https://letterboxd.com/Ally_Pitts/ Listen to Ally's other podcast appearances on Podchaser

2 Mar 6min

Host Ally Pitts highlights several Soviet silent comedy films screening at Slapstick Festival 2025 in Bristol, UK, and makes some podcast recommendations. Links mentioned/alluded to in the episode: https://slapstick.org.uk/slapstick-festival-2025/  https://pamhutch.wordpress.com/about/  Pamela Hutchinson's podcast appearances  https://www.annabogutskaya.com/  https://gulpfictionbooks.com/ Streaming service free trials: For a 30-day free trial of Klassiki: https://klassiki.online/arussiansovietmoviepodcast/ If you use the code RUPOD50, you can get 50% off an annual subscription. For a 30-day free trial of MUBI: https://mubi.com/russiansovietpod  Contact us/socials: All the links for a Russian & Soviet Movie Podcast you're ever likely to want or need: linktr.ee/russiansovietmoviepodcast We changed the name of the show a little while back, but the social handles/contacts are a bit of a mishmash. Email: russophilesunite@gmail.com Letterboxd: https://letterboxd.com/Ally_Pitts/ Listen to Ally's other podcast appearances on Podchaser

5 Jan 3min

Host Ally Pitts looks back at some highlights of 2024 and looks ahead to 2025. Note from Ally: Unfortunately, the audio for this episode is not up to the usual standard due to a mistake on my part. On balance I thought it was better to release it now as is rather than defer a week until I'd have time to re-record. Thanks for understanding, and please excuse the sound being a little rougher than I'd like on this occasion. Links mentioned/alluded to in the episode: Support the show and Ally's other movie-related projects at ko-fi.com Issue 48 of Film Stories magazine, featuring Ally's article on The Point in Milton Keynes, the UK's first multiplex cinema/movie theater. Ally on The Top 100 podcast with Tim Coleman: Man with a Movie Camera (Dziga Vertov; 1929) Ally on The Pink Smoke podcast with Martin Kessler: The Queen of Spades (Thorold Dickinson; 1949) The Ultimate Picture Palace, Oxford's independent cinema The Fright Pub horror movie podcast  Ally's notes on Lawrence of Arabia for the Danger Close war movie podcast https://letterboxd.com/ally_pitts/list/my-top-10-first-time-watches-of-2024/detail/  https://letterboxd.com/ally_pitts/list/my-top-5-re-watches-of-2024/detail/  https://letterboxd.com/ally_pitts/list/my-top-10-klassiki-watches-of-2024/detail/  https://letterboxd.com/ally_pitts/list/my-top-10-mubi-watches-of-2024/detail/ Streaming service free trials: For a 30-day free trial of Klassiki: https://klassiki.online/arussiansovietmoviepodcast/ If you use the code RUPOD50, you can get 50% off an annual subscription. For a 30-day free trial of MUBI: https://mubi.com/russiansovietpod  Contact us/socials: All the links for a Russian & Soviet Movie Podcast you're ever likely to want or need: linktr.ee/russiansovietmoviepodcast We changed the name of the show a little while back, but the social handles/contacts are a bit of a mishmash. Email: russophilesunite@gmail.com Letterboxd: https://letterboxd.com/Ally_Pitts/ Listen to Ally's other podcast appearances on Podchaser

5 Jan 9min

Composer and musician Juliet Merchant joins host Ally Pitts to discuss some of the silent films she has written scores for.  At the time of recording, six of the films Juliet has composed scores for are available on the streaming service Klassiki, which is available in the UK, the US, and the Republic of Ireland. Here’s a link to a 30-day free trial: https://klassiki.online/arussiansovietmoviepodcast/  If you use the code RUPOD50, you can get 50% off an annual subscription. The films are: Aelita: Queen of Mars (Yakov Protazanov; 1924) The Extraordinary Adventures of Mr West in the Land of the Bolsheviks (Lev Kuleshov; 1924) Girl with the Hatbox (Boris Barnet; 1927) House on a Volcano (Hamo Bek-Nazaryan; 1929) Love's Berries (Oleksandr Dovzhenko; 1926) A Life for a Life (Yevgeny Bauer; 1916)  Links mentioned/alluded to in the episode: julietmerchantmusic.com/ The Golden Silent Films podcast HippCast: The Hippodrome Silent Film Festival podcast  Ally Pitts on Media-eval: a medieval pop-culture podcast with Dr Sarah Ifft-Decker: The Passion of Joan of Arc (Carl Theodor Dreyer; 1928)  Ally Pitts on The Top 100 podcast with Tim Coleman: Man with a Movie Camera (Dziga Vertov; 1929) Contact us/socials: All the links for a Russian & Soviet Movie Podcast you're ever likely to want or need: linktr.ee/russiansovietmoviepodcast Letterboxd: https://letterboxd.com/Ally_Pitts/ https://letterboxd.com/ally_pitts/films/reviews/  https://letterboxd.com/ally_pitts/list/enjoy-the-silents-my-silent-film-recommendations/  https://letterboxd.com/ally_pitts/list/silent-films-with-scores-by-juliet-merchant/  We've changed the name of the show, but the social handles/contacts are a bit of a mishmash. Email: russophilesunite@gmail.com Twitter (or 'X', if you really insist): @RussophilesU Listen to Ally's other podcast appearances on Podchaser

8 Des 20241h 23min