Most of the characters in this 1971 adaptation of Chekhov's play are consumed with lethargy, boredom, and regret over their unsatisfactory lives. They include Vanya himself, an embittered estate manager, Serebryakov, a once-worshipped scholar that Vanya has discovered to be a charlatan, Astrov, the brooding and introspective doctor who is disappointed in love and life, and also the mysterious and beautiful Yelena, Serebryakov's young second wife. Konchalovsky allows the film to proceed at Chekhov's own pace: the camera, which has the presence of a household intimate, captures the pathos, pain and tragi-comedy of this volatile household.

USSR Colour A 102 min 1971