Dark Eyes

Romano, an elderly waiter on a ship, tells a passenger the story of his life. He married a wealthy woman, lived an empty life and fell in love with a Russian woman he met at a spa. He went to Russia to find her, and then gave up. Nikita Mikhalkov directed. Marcello Mastroianni plays Romano. The source is several Chekhov stories, principally The Lady with the Dog. Mastroianni won Best Actor at Cannes in 1987 for the role and was nominated for an Oscar. What is interesting is a Russian director telling Chekhov in the language of Italian melodrama with an Italian star. Two traditions operate inside one film. The Russian sections were shot in Russia and the spa scenes are its visual centre. The telling is retrospective and built on an old man's regret; the comic tone disappears entirely by the end. Who it is for: viewers who like Chekhov adaptations and Mastroianni. Who it is not for: anyone wanting a fast narrative; the film is long and talkative.