The curtain rises in an old theatre, the audience and the cleaning women have all gone home. It is dark and musty and the stage has been cleared of all scenery. There is silence. Then a candlelight appears, illuminating a face…it is the face of The Actor, rouged, lined and old. The Actor encounters someone else, the Theatre Prompter, who becomes an unwilling audience and the two men share each other’s loneliness on the darkened stage. Adapted from Chekhov’s 1886 stage version of his short story, the film illustrates the adaptability of the short story form to a moving, audiovisual experience.
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Collection
In ACMI's collection
Credits
Collection metadata
ACMI Identifier
010481
Language
English
Subject categories
Literature → Russian literature - Film and video adaptations
Music & Performing Arts → Acting - Drama
Music & Performing Arts → Performing arts
Music & Performing Arts → Theater - Soviet Union
Sound/audio
Sound
Colour
Colour
Holdings
16mm film; Access Print (Section 1)