The Village Detective: A Song Cycle

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2:11

The Village Detective: A Song Cycle

Released Sep 22, 2021

1h 21m

Documentary

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13 Reviews

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Examining the life and career of Soviet actor Mikhail Zharov after four reels of 35mm film were discovered off the coast of Iceland in 2016.

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Sheri Linden

The Hollywood Reporter

If the film doesn't approach the transporting effect or profound resonance of Morrison's previous work, its inquiry into cinematic ghosts is nonetheless distinctive.

Nov 20, 2021

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Glenn Kenny

New York Times

[A] strangely intoxicating film...

Sep 23, 2021

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Peter Debruge

Variety

There's an overall clunkiness to the format that doesn't feel especially lyrical, as if the mysteries Morrison is investigating are too amorphous or ill-defined for the movie to articulate.

Sep 21, 2021

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Dennis Harvey

48 Hills

...not a rare or important find, as celluloid history goes. But it’s one that allows Morrison to meditate on the beauties of decomposition, and the place in national culture of this nondescript feature...

Sep 12, 2022

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Laura Clifford

Reeling Reviews

If "Dawson City: Frozen Time" was a masterpiece, Morrison's latest is a lark, a somewhat unfocused and slight history of Russian silent film...with a more in depth examination of popular Russian actor Zharov's seventy year career.

Rated: B-

Nov 13, 2021

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Dan Schindel

Hyperallergic

An eerie meditation on mortality made from forgotten parts of cinema history.

Oct 18, 2021

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Bill Morrison

Director

Mikhail Zharov

Actor

Bill Morrison

Writer

Madeleine Molyneaux

Producer

Bill Morrison

Producer

Maria Vinogradova

Producer

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The Village Detective: A Song Cycle: Trailer 1

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Synopsis

Examining the life and career of Soviet actor Mikhail Zharov after four reels of 35mm film were discovered off the coast of Iceland in 2016.

Director: Bill Morrison
Producer: Madeleine Molyneaux, Bill Morrison, Maria Vinogradova
Screenwriter: Bill Morrison, Bill Morrison
Distributor: Kino Lorber
Production Co: Hypnotic Pictures, Picture Palace Pictures
Genre: Documentary
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Sep 22, 2021, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Oct 20, 2021
Runtime: 1h 21m

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