A film by Oksana Dvornichenko and Helga Landauer

Structured around the 1973 Soviet propaganda cruise to the United States, which Shostakovich took two years before his death, this film parallels an ocean voyage with the composer’s personal journey from child prodigy to bitter tool of the Politburo. Mixing Soviet propaganda films with snippets of symphonies and rare film of composer at work, directors Oksana Dvornichenko and Helga Landauer portray a man compromising his art to save his life.

As the film jumps back and forth from shipboard frivolities to ecstatic public adorations of Stalin, directors throw in random treasures of synchronized street ballets performance by beaming girls in bathing suits, Paul Robeson singing a Russian folk song, and Shostakovich confessing his hatred of movies and love of Guy de Maupassant.

While the composer’s motivation remains murky, the triumph of his music perfectly matches the aesthetics of Soviet agitprop, pushing Shostakovich’s personal beliefs aside until all that’s left is music for the masses.

Community screening with directors’ permission.

Please, purchase your tickets in advance as the seating is limited.

For more information please call 713.395.3301 or e-mail OurTexasInc@gmail.com

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