The Anna Akhmatova File / Личное дело Анны Ахматовой (1989)

USSR 1989, directed by Semeon Aranovitch From the VHS jacket: More than a simple portrait of the major 20th century poet, The Anna Akhmatova File is the moving and powerful examination of a violent century. In this documentary drama -- more engaging than if it had been fiction -- a sensitive, lyrical and much loved poet, Anna Akhmatova, stands up to the brutal repression of Josef Stalin. Through extraordinary interviews and rare film footage and photographs, filmmaker Semeon Aranovitch examines the soul of a contradictory age in which Akhmatova -- whose work went unpublished for 17 years -- became the conscience of a generation. Her poem “Requiem“ became the underground anthem for the millions who suffered under Stalin. This unique encounter, which uses Akhmatova’s diaries for text, also includes portraits of Akhmatova’s friends and contemporaries -- Boris Pasternak, Vladimir Mayakovsky, Mikhail Sostchenko. A riveting, unforgettable documentary.