Russian Doll

 

BEYOND FILMS

Lot 47 Films

Australian Film Finance Corporation

21st Century Pictures

 

 

 

 

Directed by                Stavros Kazantzidis          Hugo Weaving        Harvey

 

                                                                              David Wenham      Ethan

Written by                 Stavros Kazantzidis         

                                    Allanah Ziterman              Rebecca Firth         Miriam

 

                                                                              Sacha Horler          Liza

Produced by               Allanah Ziterman

                                                                              Helen Dallimore   Alison

 

Executive Producer   Bruno Charlesworth         Natalia Novikova   Katia

 

                                                                              Alan Lovell             Max Davenport

Co-Producer              Hugo Weaving                  

                                                                              Felicity Price          Phaedra

 

Cinematography       Justin Brickle                    Laurie Foel             Eve Davenport

 

                                                                              Todd Worden          Eve’s Lover

Editing                       Andrew Macneil

                                                                              Brigid Dixon          Jessica

 

Casting                      Shauna Wolifson               Peter Beaumont     Robert

 

                                                                              Peter Astridge        Alison’s Lover

Production Design    Elizabeth Mary Moore

                                                                              Arkadi Uchitel       Folk Singer

 

Art Direction             Nell Hanson                     

 

 

Sound Design           Peter Grace                       Script Supervisor   Oksana Sokol

 

Russian Doll –

 

 

Release Dates:   

 

 

The film had a limited release in the USA on the 6th April 2001.

 

Subsequent releases occurred in Australia on the 14th June 2001,

 

and the 15th June 2001 in the remainder of the USA.

 

 

No information was found regarding the release of Russian Doll in other countries.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Box Office:

 

 

Box office figures found at www.imdb.com.au gave a figure of $127,103 as a gross

for Russian Doll in USA from the time of its release to the 13th January 2002.

 

However contradictory figures were posted at www.urbancinefile.com  - where in its second week of screenings (25th June) the film had already made $186,363, and by the 3rd July this figure had risen to $259,932.

 

The information on both of these sites created a degree of confusion in several regards. It is possible that the cause of this may have simply been due to differences in currency (imdb figures were definitely in Australian dollars), however neither site specified a clear figure for Russian Doll’s initial week at the box office.

 

I would tend to lean toward urbancinefile as the more reliable of the two sites. There was definitely some strange discrepancies found on the imdb site – at one point the gross jumped from $109,280 on 2nd December, to $1.131m on the 9th, before returning to $115,098 on the 16th of the same month.

Russian Doll –

 

The following is a list of websites where reviews of Russian Doll can be found. Whilst these sites are predominantly American, some prominent Australia sites are included.

 

 

www.lot47.com/russiandoll

www.RottenTomatoes.com

www.imdb.com.au

www.eFilmCritic.com

www.lot47.com/russiandoll/HollywoodBitchslap

www.urbancinefile.com.au *

 

*An interview featuring both director Stavros Kazantzidis, and lead actor Hugo Weaving can be found on this site. The interview was conducted by Andrew L. Urban just prior to Russian Doll’s Australian premier. It was published on the 14th June 2001.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

# The search for the above information took place almost entirely on the web. Russian Doll is both too recent and too small a film to expect any literature to have already arisen within film analysis type books. On the other hand information on the web regarding films seems to be generated almost immediately.

 

Created by one of Australia’s most promising writer / directors of the romantic comedy genre, Russian Doll should have been the film that propelled Stavros Kazantzidis toward some deserved international recognition. Unfortunately what emerged was such a lame and emotionally void mess you have to wonder whether previous praise may have been exaggerated.

 

Russian Doll is a quirky romantic comedy revolving around the life of private investigator Harvey, (Hugo Weaving). Involved and committed to Alison, (Helen Dallimore), his girlfriend of four years, Harvey spends his time investigating adulterous wives and husbands, gathering evidence for suspicious spouses. One morning he is horrified to find Alison in the midst of a raunchy affair with a married man he’s investigating.

 

Meanwhile voluptuous young Russian, Katia (Natalia Novikova) has arrived in Australia to find the man whom she arranged to meet via the internet is infact dead. Dismayed she swiftly falls into the arms of a stranger, in the form of Evan (David Wenham) – the married best mate of Harvey.

 

So while Harvey is wallowing in his self-pity, Ethan and Katia are rampaging through a passionate affair. Enter the dilemma. Ethan and Katia wish to continue their extra-marital activities but without marriage to an Australian man she will soon be deported back to Russia. With Ethan ruled out, hopelessly single Harvey becomes the obvious choice.

 

After a small amount of resistance, and a generous financial offer from Ethan, Harvey agrees to the marriage and Katia moves into his flat.

 

As the wedding approaches Katia becomes increasingly frustrated with Evan’s sudden distance from her. And, while she and Harvey have their differences, they begin to find a strange comfort within each other.

 

From here their aren’t too many surprises and, apart from a slight case of cold feet, everyone ends up happy and together.

 

It appears the film may have been destined for failure as early as the casting. Weaving

and Wenham have been doing quite well for themselves of late playing ‘character’

roles in international productions of the caliber of The Lord of the Rings trilogy and the sequel to The Matrix. However Russian Doll’s simple script didn’t require this type of ability, rather just actors who could be convincing as regular, if not a little confused, middle-aged men. I’m convinced Weaving is incapable of acting within the realms of such normality, and whist Wenham has been able to do so effectively in the past, he too fails dismally here.

 

Whether it is poor writing or Weaving’s acting, or as I suspect a combination of both, the character of Harvey is nothing short of excruciating to watch. He is such an emotional wreak and a victim of circumstance that the natural reaction would be that of empathy toward him. However much to the films detriment, as a viewer you simply can’t because Harvey, (Weaving in this type of role), has no redeeming qualities.

 

Aesthetically he is far too hard on they eye. I do not wish to confuse the role of actors and models but occasionally it is necessary to be slightly attractive for certain roles – especially within this genre. Unfortunately Weaving with his sour bottom lip, receding hairline, and innately sleazy eyes is more toward the opposite end of the scale. Such attributes have stood him in good stead for roles such as that of the solemn Elf-King, Elrond (The Lord of the Rings), but don’t make the crossover to romantic comedies.

 

They are a part of a presence Weaving carries when on screen. Throughout the whole film I couldn’t help but think something dark and sinister lurked beneath Harvey’s innocent exterior. It’s a feeling I get whenever I watch Weaving - irrespective of the role. He can’t help but look creepy when he smiles. Surely Kazantzidis wasn’t after suspense during his ‘joyous’ wedding finalé?

 

As for Harvey’s self-deprecating personality this is something that often works well within this genre. Actors of Hugh Grant’s ilk have made careers out of playing characters who are acutely aware of their flaws but still manage to hold an air of possibility; thus we never completely loose hope for them. Weaving struggles to find such a balance within Harvey.

When Harvey is saying ‘Maybe I’m just destined to walk the earth alone’ as a viewer you’re not thinking – cheer up mate you’ll find someone eventually, rather – yeah you probably are. Such is the effect of his irritating stutter and constantly quivering bottom lip.

 

As for Wenham this is as flat a performance as you’re likely to see from him. Ethan is dull, mono-toned and unconvincing as a womaniser. However to be fair it doesn’t seem like he was given a lot to work with by Kazantzidis and Allanah Zitsermans’ script. Ethan is given no depth within the narrative - we never find out why he starts his affair, why he is so desperate for it to continue, or why he so willingly lets it go at the end of the film. Infact it is fairly obvious Ethan has been written in purely to trigger changes in Harvey’s life. And even romantic comedies deserve more narrative depth than this type of one-dimensional approach.  

 

Newcomer Novikova thankfully injects some vibrancy into the film in her role as Katia. She strikes a likable balance between humorous eccentricity and genuine emotional turmoil. From the moment we first see her bursting into the toilet of her dead internet-partner’s house she steals the show. I can’t help but wonder how much more enjoyable Russian Doll may have been if Katia were the central figure rather than Harvey.

 

Undoubtedly the most preposterous moment of the film was Harvey’s penultimate trip to Russia to find Katia and rekindle their romance. I watched in astonishment as the film did a 180 in the space of twenty seconds. Harvey goes from accepting his melancholy solitude at a party to casually telling us, via a voice-over, that soon after he decided to take off to Russia, spend two years looking for, and eventually finding his lost love. At which point they naturally returned to Australia to wed. That was it. It came across as so ridiculously easy that I was sure I was soon to find out it were a dream of some sort. Credibility may not be the most important feature of a romantic comedy, but surely the chase, or decision to do so is. And it was sold drastically short here by such feeble writing.

 

The wedding finale that follows has no real significance. Infact the viewer is still staggered at how swiftly things have turned around for Harvey, and indeed questioning whether he, as he had been portrayed, was even capable of the previous venture, that the wedding is over and the credits are rolling before you’ve had a chance to catch up.

 

On the whole Russian Doll lacked both the humour and emotion required of it. The most successful exponents of this genre such as the 2002 French hit Amelie are able to find the perfect balance between comedy and tenderness. Kazantzidis’ confusion over which of these aspects to concentrate on has unfortunately left Russian Doll largely void of either.

 

 

Reviewed by Brendan Ritchie 4/05/2003

 

 

 

 

 

 

Russian Doll –

 

Awards & Nominations:

 

 

Stavros Kazantzidis and Allanah Zitserman won the AFI award for the best original screenplay for Russian Doll at the 2001 ceremony.

 

The other nominees in competition for this particular award were Me, Myself I,

Better Than Sex and My Mother Frank.

 

Critically acclaimed Australian films of 2001 which were ineligible for nomination in this category included Chopper and Looking for Alibrandi. 

 

 

 

 

Russian Doll –

 

From what I can gather Russian Doll received a relatively positive response from critics both in Australia and internationally. Most reviewers seemed able to take a fairly superficial stance and thus find some praise within the simplicity of the film.

David Stratton of the ABC’s The Movie Show was one of the more enthusiastic critics stating, “There’s plenty of fun to be had in this very likeable romance.” Whilst I did find some negative reviews (the film only registered 45% on a ‘rottentomatometer’ – 65% is considered ‘fresh’), there was generally reserved praise for Russian Doll.

 

The type of critical uptake triggered by films such as Russian Doll is characteristic of a critical paradox where, a film deemed to be simply a slight success, is thus unable to make a significant contribution to our national film culture:

 

‘A warm and forgettably uncritical response to a film may be less satisfying than a passionate disagreement amongst audiences and critics about its moral choices. Panning a bad film may provide discussion about the state of Australian or world cinema.’

 

Australian Film Commission (1991), Analysis of the Performance of Australian Films since 1980, ‘The Moving Pictures Enquiry’, Sydney AFC, October.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  

 

 

Russian Doll –

 

Russian Doll marks a slight shift in direction for Stavros Kazantzidis. Previously the films he has worked on, either as a director or writer, have been characterised by their ‘serious’ and ‘deep’ explorations of love and relationships. Films such as Love and other Catastrophes (1996) and Strange Planet (1999), whilst still having some humour, were definitely dramas rather than romantic comedies. Rather than following in these exact footsteps Russian Doll comes across as a much ‘lighter’ film where the emphasis is upon humour and ‘quirkiness’.   

 

Russian Doll is also the first Kazantzidis feature to attempt an exploration of ethnicity. The film touches on Jewish culture on several occasions, whilst Katia’s Russian origins are an important aspect of the narrative. Kazantzidis has explored cultural minorities in past projects however, as he states in an interview on Urban Cinefile prior to the films’ release, issues of ethnicity hadn’t yet been explored.

 

                           ‘I’ve always been interested in honing in

                           on sub-cultures in my work although

                           previously they were more age related

                           (university students, young adults).’#

 

His collaboration with Ukrainian born Jew, Allanah Zitserman for this project was likely a contributing factor in Kazantzidis’ shift in direction.

 

# full interview available at  http://www.urbancinefile.com.au

 

Cinematographer Justin Brickle has worked in colaboration with Kazantzidis on several projects. He was the cinematographer on both Love and other Catastrophes

and True Love and Chaos (1997).

 

Russian Doll provided Natalia Novikova with her first major role in a feature film. If you think she looks strangely familiar it may be due to a guest performance on the hit Australian television series Sea Change. She appeared in episode 32 ‘How much greener is my neighbour’s valley?’ in 1998.

 

Also noteworthy is the reoccurring presence of Hugo Weaving within Kazantzidis’ films. The association began with his first short film Terminal, and Weaving has since been involved, either on screen or off, in films such as Road to Alice, True Love and Chaos, Strange Planet and Russian Doll.

 

Weaving makes some interesting comments about working with Kazantzidis during the previously mentioned interview at www.urbancinefile.com.au. Personally I find the tendency of certain directors to cast a particular actor/actress in every film they make a dangerous one. As you may have gathered from the review it’s clear Weaving was not the right actor to play Harvey – and you would like to think loyalty is not the defining factor when casting a film.

 

 

#  It seems strange to me that a film like Russian Doll should emerge as a part of our national cinema as it moves into the new millennium. At a time when international funding is creeping through the industry making possible higher budget productions; and when recent Australian films of the ilk of Lantana (2001) and Chopper (2000) have been acclaimed internationally for their unique narratives, what is essentially a small budget ‘Hollywood rip-off’ seems slightly out of place.

 

Previous Kazantzidis films of a similarly small budget have had a certain Australian ‘feel’ to them. Be it due to one of Tom O’Regan’s reoccurring thematic preoccupations such as, ‘It’s emphasis upon ordinariness, it’s eschewing of heterosexual relationships’  (O’Regan 1996, p98)*, or simply the ‘urban Aussie’ settings, films like Strange Planet and Love and other Catastrophes were distinctly Australian.

 

So why in 2001, when the film environment is as conducive as ever to telling ‘Australian’ stories, does Kazantzidis choose to make a film which would have been the same no matter which country it emanated from?

 

Perhaps to concentrate on a sub-culture previously undisclosed within Australia, I hear you say. It may have been a worthwhile film if this were true. However in reality what he has sought to do is cash in on a recent international (mainly USA, England) trend of patronising a foreign culture for laughs whist claiming to be exploring ethnicity. Russian Doll is not an exploration of Jewish Russian culture within Australia, rather a fluffy and marketable exploitation.

 

The profit potential of this romantic comedy sub-genre has been confirmed through films such as My Big Fat Greek Wedding and Bend It Like Beckham, both were of relatively small budgets, both made a lot of money because of the willingness of audiences to watch exploitation when packaged as exploration.

 

Thus it is the search for profit that I believe drove Kazantzidis to create Russian Doll. I may be way of the mark here. However it is worth considering the number of horrible films that continue to surface from directors with only money in mind.

 

 

*O’Regan Tom, (1996) Australian National Cinema, Making a Distinct Cinema, Unity p198.

 

 

Brendan Ritchie