An Unfinished Piece for Mechanical Piano: some memories

On September 5, 1977, Nikita Mikhalkov’s film “An Unfinished Piece for a Mechanical Piano” was presented simultaneously (which is very rare!) to Soviet cinema-goers and foreign film lovers and professionals at the international film festival in San Sebastian (Spain).

When I have watched Nikita Mikhalkov’s film «An Unfinished Piece for Mechanical Piano» for the first time, I was so, no, not shaken, more likely, dissolved in this film that has decided that it will remain as my favorite film for all my life. This first viewing has taken place in frames of festival of young film-makers in 1977 at a cinema "Lithuania". Till now I remember, how we with friends broke on superfluous tickets, and finally I was lucky to get this ticket.

Till now I remember, how Nikita – young, beautiful, harmonous (32 years old, only for 10-12 years elder than me and my friends at that time) – before the film beginning told what fight to it should be sustained at festival in San Sebastian. And the main competitor of its film was not any, but «Star wars» by George Lukas.

As Nikita told, promoting of this fantastic blockbuster at festival surpassed all conceivable frameworks up to that even invitation cards on a viewing session were checked by the robot-character of this film. Naturally, at that period not only sex was absent in the Soviet Union, but also advertising was not acceptable. And consequently we have absolutely understood Nikita’s feelings when he, going mad of uncertainty in the hotel room, has received phone call from the friend Malcolm MacDowell who was at that festival the chairman of jury, with congratulations on a victory.

My God! As we rejoiced for the idol (after all we had already watched «A Slave of Love» and «At Home Among Strangers, Stranger at Home»)! And as we rejoiced to that news on a victory was informed by other our idol of that time (after all we had already watched by then «A Clockwork Orange» and «O Lucky Man!»).

And when, after Nikita’s performance, we have watched a film also, we have unanimously decided that its victory is absolutely deserved. And even after years when «Star wars» have reached our cinemas, we have not hesitated for a time at all in this confidence.

After that, the first, watching, we some more times watched this film. And each time after viewing argued to a hoarseness, discussing the smallest nuances of a picture up to what did Nikita wish to tell by a solar patch of light on a Pete’s chain in a final shot of a picture. We quoted the whole pieces of a film literally. On a hostel continually it was possible to hear: «And who is the rascal so it is your Mitka. He drinks cologne himself and offers also to me». Or: «on a visit it is necessary to treat a sherry».

And a phrase about that “in Belgium or Holland philosophical thoughts are transferred from one to another, from one to another, and we have in Russia … Kamchatka also”, we used for any occasion. And without any occasion as well.

Then, in 77th, young and single, we turned a deaf ear to a phrase of Anna Vojnitseva «Sofia will be with you, Platonov – with me, Sasha – with Platonov». It today, after the lapse of many years during which many of us have replaced on some wives and husbands, this phrase sounds is fresh and modern.

In my opinion, "An Unfinished Piece for a Mechanical Piano" is the pinnacle of Nikita Mikhalkov’s work. A similar opinion was expressed by the The New York Times film reviewer Janet Maslin. In her review of the film, among other laudatory reviews, she noted: "Among the leisurely pleasures of Nikita Mikhalkov's ''An Unfinished Piece for Player Piano'' are the ensemble acting of an excellent cast and the extraordinarily enterprising approach taken by this pre-eminent Soviet director. The film, only very loosely based on the early Chekhov play ''Platonov,'' is perhaps even closer to Chekhov than Chekhov was.(By Janet Maslin, The New York Times, April 23, 1982)

However, there are other opinions in American film criticism. So Dave Kehr wrote: "Russian director Nikita Mikhalkov (A Slave of Love) has often aspired to a Chekhovian tone; here he has some genuine (though minor) Chekhov material to deal with, but the real qualities of Chekhov elude him again. Against the background of a prerevolutionary country estate, Mikhalkov choreographs the romantic peregrinations of a group of lovably befuddled aristocrats and ambitious bourgeois; the dance concludes on the expected note of bittersweet disillusionment, but without touching the dark feelings fundamental to Chekhov's comedy. The relentlessly pretty cinematography suggests an urge for precious self-deception on Mikhalkov's part as strong as any of his characters' (1976)." At the time of this writing (April 4, 2011), Dave Kehr was on the staff of The New York Times.

Modern moviegoers rated this film by Nikita Mikhalkov no less highly than viewers of the 70s of the last century. 72% of IMDB and Kinopoisk users gave the film ratings from 8 to 10. And 29% of users rated the movie with the highest score - "ten". Taking this into account and the above, FilmGourmand's rating for Unfinished Piece for Mechanical Piano was 8.386, placing it 375th in the Golden Thousand.