A Slave of Love (DVD)

AVAILABLE FOR PREORDER IN THE FILMS OF NIKITA MIKHALKOV BOXSET BEGINNING 8/24/10

Hailed by the New York Times as "An unexpected masterpiece," A Slave of Love is a witty and haunting film about moviemaking from the acclaimed Russian director Nikita Mikhalkov (Burnt by the Sun).

Within the sun-drenched beauty of the Crimean summer, a Russian movie crew grapples with film shortages, Tsarist secret police scrutiny, and their own dysfunctional dynamic to churn out one more silent melodrama before the revolution in Moscow consumes the nation. While awaiting the arrival of her missing co-star husband, silent film diva Olga (a character inspired by tragic real-life screen siren Vera Kholodnaya), a star so luminous that dissidents risk arrest to see her latest film "Slave of Love," becomes enmeshed in a romance with handsome young cameraman Pototsky. But what begins as a casual dalliance becomes an awakening as Olga's lover reveals his true allegiance. Ultimately, their romance leads Olga to an unforgettable high-speed date with destiny that unites movie heroism with historic martyrdom.

Though lavished with praise by such admirers as Jack Nicholson and director Monte Hellman during its 70's theatrical run, A Slave of Love is a "very funny, very moving Russian film" (Variety) that has remained unavailable on US DVD until now.