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/HollywoodBitchslap
*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