This fourth and final feature film directed by Laurence Olivier is his only one not based on Shakespeare or with himself in the title role. Itself now fifty years old, hence the startlingly youthful appearances of National Theatre alumni like Derek Jacobi and Sheila Reid as Andrei and his wife Natasha.
Described by Olivier as "a celebration of the acting rather than a thoroughly conceived filmic version of the play", the settings and groupings often resemble those of a German silent film while the costumes anticipate Bergman's 'Cries and Whispers'. Olivier's camera however glides about the set and cuts in lively pursuit of the Prosorov sisters as they dream their dreams of Moscow's bright lights.
Described by Olivier as "a celebration of the acting rather than a thoroughly conceived filmic version of the play", the settings and groupings often resemble those of a German silent film while the costumes anticipate Bergman's 'Cries and Whispers'. Olivier's camera however glides about the set and cuts in lively pursuit of the Prosorov sisters as they dream their dreams of Moscow's bright lights.