To Russia With Love

Don't miss this masterpiece. Shot in 1 take in The Hermitage. An astonishing cinematic achievement.

I'm posting this on Moscow time where it is already September 16th. The Den ever mindful of our vast International audience likes to put out an occasional Special Edition and we wish them to have a full Den day of acknowledgement for their significant contributions or inspiration to The Arts with today's focus on Cinema.

I'll second the "Superb! Intimate and Epic!"

Russia has always been my land of enchantment.  As a boy I was something of a Kremlinologist at least as far as Time Magazine and an occasional New York Times or Washington Post article could brief me. Today seemed like the right day to pay proper respect. Here are a few cinematic gems that have Russia at least as a theme.

Excellent cast delivered on this treatment of Tolstoy's last days.

Another stellar cast featuring the vastly underrated and underutilized Lee Marvin. I often mistake the lead actress for...

The Den's Official Snake Charmer Nastassja Kinski

Den devotees are already well aware that Dr Zhivago along with Casablanca and The English Patient
are GSL's Cinematic Holy Trinity.

Sean Connery is well represented.

One of the very best James Bond movies

Also, due to the Cold War we often had non-Russians playing Russian heavies.

Colonel Rosa Klebb (Lotte Lenya) of Soviet Counter-Intel agency SMERSH.. GSL has no intentions of ever playing footsie with Comrade Klebb

Based on a great John LeCarre novel of the same name. I read it thinking well before a movie was planned that Sean Connery would be perfect as protagonist Bartholomew Scott Blair. What really surprised me was how good Michelle Pfeiffer was as 'Katya'....even the name Katya has enchanted me ever since.

Happy Birthday Katya! Even Colonel Klebb can't match wits with The Den's Intel Apparatus.

Katya, this one was Trushka's idea. She thought she might not be in attendance so gave me very specific instructions.
We hope you like it.