A Journey of Dmitry Shostakovich

2008

75 mins

Poster for A Journey of Dmitry Shostakovich

Directed by Oksana Dvornichenko, Helga Landauer

Dmitry Shostakovich, heralded as one of the greatest composers of the 20th century, remains one of its biggest mysteries. In... More

Dmitry Shostakovich, heralded as one of the greatest composers of the 20th century, remains one of its biggest mysteries. In this documentary, nine chapters are framed by nine days of the last round-trip journey of the composer's life: a trip on a Soviet ocean liner to the United States. The narration, primarily in words of Shostakovich's letters and diaries, sharply contrast the propaganda movies shown on board the ship, as the 20th century itself weaves myth and reality. Rare archival fragments of the composer's life provide a perspective on issues of the artist versus the state, and truth versus survival.

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A Journey of Dmitry Shostakovich | Ratings & Reviews

"Helmers Oksana Dvornichenko and Helga Landauer effectively structure their dreamily paced documentary into nine chapters, each devoted to a day in the final ocean voyage of the composer's life."

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Variety

"By no means a biography or even a particularly revealing snapshot of Dmitri Shostakovich - despite excerpts from his own letters - this doco will be of interest only to his fans and to music colleges, museums and archivists."

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Urban Cinefile

"A documentary grab bag of film clips, diary readings and desultory narration, “A Journey of Dmitry Shostakovich” peeks at the politics of this controversial composer. Yet absent any kind of narrative discipline, the movie is ultimately as ambiguous and impenetrable as its subject."

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