The Degraded
Encyclopedia
The Degraded is the second film by Alexander Sokurov
. It was released in 1980 and is only 30 minutes long.
. It was roughly based on a short story by the contemporary Soviet writer Grigoriy Baklanov, however Baklanov asked for his name to be removed from the credits because he felt that Sokurov's film deviated too much from his story artistically. The only motif
that was adopted from Baklanov was the transitional period - in this case from power to subordinance.
The main actor, Ilya Rivin, was an amateur and appeared in three further movies by Sokurov.
first film, The Lonely Voice of Man
appears in The Degraded when the main protagonist
is in a movie theater, even though it was not recognized as existing at that time by the Soviet authorities.
Alexander Sokurov
Alexander Nikolayevich Sokurov is a Russian filmmaker. His most significant works include a semi-documentary, Russian Ark , filmed in a single unedited shot, and Faust , which was honoured with the Golden Lion, the highest prize for the best film at the Venice Film Festival.- Life and work...
. It was released in 1980 and is only 30 minutes long.
Background
This film was Sokurov's first feature at LenfilmLenfilm
Kinostudiya "Lenfilm" is a production unit of the Russian film industry, with its own film studio, located in Saint Petersburg, Russia, formerly Leningrad, R.S.F.S.R. Today OAO "Kinostudiya Lenfilm" is a corporation with its stakes shared between private owners, and several private film studios,...
. It was roughly based on a short story by the contemporary Soviet writer Grigoriy Baklanov, however Baklanov asked for his name to be removed from the credits because he felt that Sokurov's film deviated too much from his story artistically. The only motif
Motif (art)
In art, a motif is an element of a pattern, an image or part of one, or a theme. A motif may be repeated in a design or composition, often many times, or may just occur once in a work. A motif may be an element in the iconography of a particular subject or type of subject that is seen in other...
that was adopted from Baklanov was the transitional period - in this case from power to subordinance.
The main actor, Ilya Rivin, was an amateur and appeared in three further movies by Sokurov.
Miscellanea
Sokurov'sAlexander Sokurov
Alexander Nikolayevich Sokurov is a Russian filmmaker. His most significant works include a semi-documentary, Russian Ark , filmed in a single unedited shot, and Faust , which was honoured with the Golden Lion, the highest prize for the best film at the Venice Film Festival.- Life and work...
first film, The Lonely Voice of Man
The Lonely Voice of Man
The Lonely Voice of Man , also known as The Lonely Human Voice, is the first full-feature film by Alexander Sokurov. It was originally filmed in 1978 and reconstructed in 1987 at the Lenfilm studios...
appears in The Degraded when the main protagonist
Protagonist
A protagonist is the main character of a literary, theatrical, cinematic, or musical narrative, around whom the events of the narrative's plot revolve and with whom the audience is intended to most identify...
is in a movie theater, even though it was not recognized as existing at that time by the Soviet authorities.