Search - Nest of the Gentry on DVD

A beautiful Russian film

Mr Peter G George | Ellon, Aberdeenshire United Kingdom | 02/13/2005

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Nest of the Gentry is a beautifully filmed tale of 19th century Russia. Adapted from Turgenev's novel it tells of Lavretskii a nobleman returning to his childhood home after travelling abroad. He is married, but the marriage has been unhappy and his wife has remained in Paris. Lavretskii hopes to find in his native soil something that has been missing from his life for so many years. He finds Lisa a young woman many years his junior. Her beauty and morally serious nature are contrasted in his memory with the frivolous life he has left. Gradually the two of them fall in love. Amidst a beautiful landscape the pair try to find happiness, but many difficulties stand in the way of their romance.

Nest of the Gentry is not merely a delightful and poignant love story it is also deeply concerned with the Russian search for meaning in the Russian land. It is as much Lavretskii's rediscovery of his native land, which leads to his once more finding purpose in life, as it is his discovery of Lisa. The film cleverly uses passages of Turgenev's prose to illustrate these issues. The result is powerful and moving. The acting in the film is good with Irina Kupchenko especially fine as the beautiful, deep and somewhat mysterious Lisa. The film looks simply stunning even if the print on the DVD is not without a few blemishes. The soundtrack is clear and distinct and makes good use of music to emphasise the mood of the film. The story may be rather slight, not a great deal actually happens, but it remains interesting throughout and is well worth watching for anyone interested in Russian literature, language and culture.
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Lavretsky's Lost Love on Screen

Nigel Jackson | Melbourne | 02/15/2010

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Turgenev's novel 'Home of the Gentry', sometimes called 'Nest of Gentlefolk' or 'Liza', is one of the most beautiful stories of love ever written. This film takes dramatic liberties with the story, usually successfully, and ultimately evokes the world of the novel 'in modern dress' (metaphorically speaking). The actors are well chosen, except perhaps for Panshin, who looks too effete. The exquisite Russian countryside and the luxurious world of 19th Century life among the gentry are excellently presented. It is a pity that Agafya, Liza's nurse, has been omitted from the action; it is also a pity that Turgenev's haunting epilogue (in which an older Lavretsky returns to the scene) has been removed. By contrast, the director has interpolated material from two of the author's short stories, and that of the horse sale seems somewhat irrelevant. All in all, however, one is grateful to have access to such an imaginatively directed and beautifully fashioned screen version of this immortal novel."