Russian Close-Up

Russian Close-Up

Russian Close-Up

Share

Russian Close-Up

1957

0h 33m

0.0(0 votes)

Documentary

Overview

Albert Maysles' visual diary of the faces and places encountered along a cross country motorscooter ride through the Soviet Union in the late 1950s.

Links & Resources

Social & External

Production Companies

Similar Movies

Beyond the Wasteland

Beyond the Wasteland

Shot in Australia, USA, Italy, France, Germany, and Japan, Beyond the Wasteland follows the fans from around the world who go to extraordinary lengths in the name of Mad Max. Transporting us into the world of Mad Max, we explore the eccentric world of the fans, their costumes, and their machines as these oddball fans find their place amongst the Mad Max community. The documentary also follows original cast member, Bertrand Cadart as he continues his fight against stage IV leukemia and travels from his home on the Sunshine Coast to the “Wasteland,” the desert location of Mad Max 2 in Silverton, for the last time. Beyond the Wasteland not only celebrates life but the ability to change oneself through passion.

The Secret KGB JFK Assassination Files

The Secret KGB JFK Assassination Files

On Nov. 22, 1963 the world was shocked by the assassination of John F. Kennedy. The mystery surrounding this history-changing event has led to many unanswered questions.

Will & Harper

Will & Harper

When Will Ferrell's good friend Harper comes out as a trans woman, they take a road trip to bond and reintroduce Harper to the country as her true self.

When the Water Stops Flowing

When the Water Stops Flowing

Jonathan Stavleu explores, in a stream-of-consciousness video essay, the relationship people have with water and what happens when access to it is taken away. For this work, he examines anecdotal histories he has heard from Estonians, as well as stories from his own family history in the Netherlands, weaving them together into a journal-like narrative.

Gulag

Gulag

Documentary examining Stalin's Gulag. Between the October Revolution and Stalin's death in 1953, millions of people died in the camps. The film explores the Gulag legacy, hearing from victims and perpetrators of the system.

The Paper Brigade

The Paper Brigade

Lithuania, 1941, during World War II. Hundreds of thousands of texts on Jewish culture, stolen by the Germans, are gathered in Vilnius to be classified, either to be stored or to be destroyed. A group of Jewish scholars and writers, commissioned by the invaders to carry out the sorting operations, but reluctant to collaborate and determined to save their legacy, hide many books in the ghetto where they are confined. This is the epic story of the Paper Brigade.

Top Rider

Top Rider

An in-depth look into the isolated sport of Motocross in the much more isolated island of Bermuda.

Psychiatry in Russia

Psychiatry in Russia

In 1955, Albert Maysles traveled by motorcycle throughout Russia. During this trip, he shot what was to become his first film, 'Psychiatry in Russia', an unprecedented view into Soviet mental healthcare. Originally televised by the David Garroway Show on NBC-TV in 1956.

Soviet Bus Stops

Soviet Bus Stops

“There’s a bus stop I want to photograph.” This may sound like a parody of an esoteric festival film, but Canadian Christopher Herwig’s photography project is entirely in earnest, and likely you will be won over by his passion for this unusual subject within the first five minutes. Soviet architecture of the 1960s and 70s was by and large utilitarian, regimented, and mass-produced. Yet the bus stops Herwig discovers on his journeys criss-crossing the vast former Soviet Bloc are something else entirely: whimsical, eccentric, flamboyantly artistic, audacious, colourful. They speak of individualism and locality, concepts anathema to the Communist doctrine. Herwig wants to know how this came to pass and tracks down some of the original unsung designers, but above all he wants to capture these exceptional roadside way stations on film before they disappear.

Camp Century: The Hidden City Beneath the Ice

Camp Century: The Hidden City Beneath the Ice

How in 1959, during the heat of the Cold War, the government of the United States decided to create a secret military base located in the far north of Greenland: Camp Century, almost a real town with roads and houses, a nuclear plant to provide power and silos to house missiles aimed at the Soviet Union.

Gloria

Gloria

Dusty, a Baltimore motorcycle builder, finalizes his shovelhead chopper named Gloria.

Cleo's Real Itinerary Through Paris

Cleo's Real Itinerary Through Paris

In this short film from 2005, Pierre-William Glenn, shooting from the back of a motorcycle, retraces the steps Cléo takes through Paris in CLÉO FROM 5 TO 7.

Hells Angels Forever

Hells Angels Forever

What starts off as a squadron of American daredevil bombers in World War II, branded by society as renegades, turns into a revealing ride into the world of honor, violence, and undying passion for motorcycles on the road.

On Any Sunday: The Next Chapter

On Any Sunday: The Next Chapter

On Any Sunday, The Next Chapter” is an exploration into the two-wheeled world of motorcycle riding. The film journeys deeper into the humanity, thrills and excitement behind the global culture of motorcycle riding. We meet those who are bonded by their passion for the race, we experience the exhilaration of the ride and we witness the love of family and friendship as each individual seeks out their next thrilling moment on the bike.

Magic Trip: Ken Kesey's Search for a Kool Place

Magic Trip: Ken Kesey's Search for a Kool Place

A freewheeling portrait of Ken Kesey and the Merry Prankster’s fabled road trip across America in the legendary Magic Bus. In 1964, Ken Kesey, the famed author of “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest,” set off on a legendary, LSD-fuelled cross-country road trip to the New York World’s Fair. He was joined by “The Merry Band of Pranksters,” a renegade group of counterculture truth-seekers, including Neal Cassady, the American icon immortalized in Kerouac’s “On the Road,” and the driver and painter of the psychedelic Magic Bus.

Saddari

Saddari

Saddari is a story of A 3 Young bikers decide to hit the road to another state for adventure , Ending up embarking on a challenging bike trip across all of Sudan with less than a 100$ In their pockets combined and worn-out bicycles, Facing numerous challenges along the way.

The Unrideables

The Unrideables

The 1980s were a high point of factory involvement in Grand Prix motorcycle racing. Suzuki, Honda and Yamaha battled for technological dominance in the high-powered world of 500cc two-stroke racers - and to ride these beasts they employed the very best riders in the world. The likes of Rainey, Schwantz, Lawson and Mamola struggled to tame the raw power and brutal handling of bikes built without constraints and without any of the modern rider aids which make today's MotoGP four-stroke machines seem bland in comparison. The riders might have been paid handsomely for their efforts but, as this film shows, they paid a heavy price for their fame and stardom. With loads of great action shots from the archives and revealing, frank interviews with many of the top riders this incredible documentary looks at the men who had to ride the unrideables.

Homeland

Homeland

The film is an emotional story about fateful historical events in the 20th century, which took place in three Baltic countries- Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia. The story is also about their efforts to gain independence.

Ten Days That Shook the World

Ten Days That Shook the World

An epic presentation of the turbulent days leading to the Russian Revolution. Based on the classic work by John Reed, this important documentary makes use of rare footage and little-known information, stirringly narrated by Orson Welles.

Out of Nothing

Out of Nothing

From the Pacific Northwest to the Bonneville Salt Flats in Utah, this is the inspiring true story of four tenacious men who risk everything to conquer the world records of motorcycle land speed racing. Their extraordinary journey will remind you how perseverance against all odds can send the most unlikely men roaring into glory.

Recommended Movies

This Place Rules

This Place Rules

Acclaimed for his unfiltered reporting and deadpan humor, Andrew Callaghan brings his gonzo style reporting to the undercurrents that led to the January 6 Capitol Riot. As one of the best-known and hardest working journalists of his generation, the 25-year-old ventures on a wild RV journey through America to take the pulse of a divided nation.

LA Originals

LA Originals

Photographer Estevan Oriol and artist Mister Cartoon turned their Chicano roots into gritty art, impacting street culture, hip hop and beyond.

My Mom Jayne

My Mom Jayne

Through deeply personal interviews with her siblings and an examination of the photographs, letters, and belongings left behind, Mariska assembles a new portrait of her mother Jayne Mansfield, an extraordinary and complex woman.

Scotty and the Secret History of Hollywood

Scotty and the Secret History of Hollywood

A deliciously scandalous portrait of unsung Hollywood legend Scotty Bowers, whose bestselling memoir chronicled his decades spent as sexual procurer to the stars.

Phantom

Phantom

The haunted Captain of a Soviet submarine holds the fate of the world in his hands. Forced to leave his family behind, he is charged with leading a covert mission cloaked in mystery.

Red Scorpion

Red Scorpion

A Soviet commando is sent to eliminate a rebel leader in Africa. Soon he finds himself doubting his mission.

Happy People: A Year in the Taiga

Happy People: A Year in the Taiga

In the center of the story is the life of the indigenous people of the village Bakhtia at the river Yenisei in the Siberian Taiga. The camera follows the protagonists in the village over a period of a year. The natives, whose daily routines have barely changed over the last centuries, keep living their lives according to their own cultural traditions.

Child 44

Child 44

Set in Stalin-era Soviet Union, a disgraced MGB agent is dispatched to investigate a series of child murders -- a case that begins to connect with the very top of party leadership.

Halloween: 25 Years of Terror

Halloween: 25 Years of Terror

Follow the evolution of the 'Halloween' movies over the past twenty-five years. It examines why the films are so popular and revisits many of the original locations used in the films - seeing the effects on the local community. For the first time, cast, crew, critics and fans join together in the ultimate 'Halloween' retrospective.

The Last Waltz

The Last Waltz

Martin Scorsese's documentary intertwines footage from The Band's incredible farewell tour with probing backstage interviews and featured performances by Eric Clapton, Bob Dylan, Joni Mitchell, Van Morrison, and other rock legends.

Struggle: The Life and Lost Art of Szukalski

Struggle: The Life and Lost Art of Szukalski

Artists in LA discover the work of forgotten Polish sculptor Stanislav Szukalski, a mad genius whose true story unfolds chapter by astounding chapter.

Welcome to Chechnya

Welcome to Chechnya

This searing investigative work shadows a group of activists risking unimaginable peril to confront the ongoing anti-LGBTQ program raging in the repressive and closed Russian republic. Unfettered access and a remarkable approach to protecting anonymity exposes this under-reported atrocity–and an extraordinary group of people confronting evil.

I Am Heath Ledger

I Am Heath Ledger

The life and career of an actor, artist, and icon. His own journey through his own camera.

The Class of ‘92

The Class of ‘92

A detailing of the rise to prominence and global sporting superstardom of six supremely talented young Manchester United football players (David Beckham, Nicky Butt, Ryan Giggs, Paul Scholes, Phil and Gary Neville). The film covers the period 1992-1999, culminating in Manchester United's European Cup triumph.

For the Love of Spock

For the Love of Spock

The life of Mr. Spock, as well as that of Leonard Nimoy, the actor who played him for almost fifty years, written and directed by his son: Adam.

Marina Abramović: The Artist Is Present

Marina Abramović: The Artist Is Present

Performance artist Marina Abramovic prepares for a major retrospective of her work at the Museum of Modern Art in New York.

John Candy: I Like Me

John Candy: I Like Me

Those who knew iconic funnyman John Candy best share his story, in their own words, through never-before-seen archival footage, imagery, and interviews.

A Decade Under the Influence

A Decade Under the Influence

A documentary examining the decade of the 1970s as a turning point in American cinema. Some of today's best filmmakers interview the influential directors of that time.

Gilbert

Gilbert

The life and career of one of comedy's most inimitable modern voices, Mr. Gilbert Gottfried.

What We Left Behind: Looking Back at Star Trek: Deep Space Nine

What We Left Behind: Looking Back at Star Trek: Deep Space Nine

A documentary exploring the legacy of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, the reasons it went from the black sheep of Star Trek to a beloved mainstay of the franchise, and a brainstorm with the original writers on what a theoretical eighth season of the show could look like.