91
Seattle Post-Intelligencer by William Arnold
It's naturalistic, briskly paced and never overreverential. It's not a bit stagy, yet it manages to be dazzling theater.
The Cherry Orchard
Critic Rating
(read reviews)User Rating
- Greece,
- France,
- Cyprus
- 1999
- · 141m
Director
Mihalis Kakogiannis
Cast
Charlotte Rampling,
Alan Bates,
Katrin Cartlidge,
Owen Teale,
Tushka Bergen
Genre
Comedy,
Drama
Madame Ranevskaya is an aristocrat who returns to Moscow from a trip to Paris to face the loss of her magnificent Cherry Orchard estate. In denial, she continues living in the past, deluding herself and her family, while the beautiful cherry trees are being chopped down by Lopakhin, her former serf.
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What are critics saying?
90
Los Angeles Times by Kenneth Turan
An exquisite performance by Charlotte Rampling, whose work as Lyubov Andreyevna Ranevskaya, the matriarch of the great estate the cherry orchard sits on, is the film's dazzling centerpiece.
80
New Times (L.A.) by Gregory Weinkauf
Thoughtful and somewhat languid adaptation of Anton Chekhov's 1904 play finds its beauty in the heady performance of Charlotte Rampling.
80
L.A. Weekly
Cacoyannis lays on the atmosphere a bit thick with multiple repetitions of a lyrical Tchaikovsky motif underscoring unrequited love, one that is nonetheless beautifully rendered by pianist Vladimir Ashkenazy.
80
L.A. Weekly by Steven Leigh Morris
Cacoyannis lays on the atmosphere a bit thick with multiple repetitions of a lyrical Tchaikovsky motif underscoring unrequited love, one that is nonetheless beautifully rendered by pianist Vladimir Ashkenazy.
80
The New York Times by Stephen Holden
What makes this Cherry Orchard different from almost every other interpretation (and makes it essential viewing for lovers of Chekhov) is Ms. Rampling's extraordinarily rich portrait of Ranevskaya.
75
Miami Herald by Marta Barber
While Cacoyannis' film may not be totally faithful to the master's pen, for literature students and theater lovers, this Cherry Orchard is a rare treat.
63
Chicago Tribune by John Petrakis
Any Chekhov is better than no Chekhov, but it would be a shame if this was your introduction to one of the greatest plays of the last 100 years.
63
Boston Globe by Jonathan Perry
As Ranevskaya, the film's focal point and one of its only sources of vitality, Rampling is an enigmatic treasure.
63
New York Post by Jonathan Foreman
There are affecting scenes, and not all of Cacoyannis' additions to the Chekhov text detract from the effect of its moving brilliance.
50
TV Guide Magazine by Ken Fox
As thrilling as they can be on stage, Chekhov's plays have never been the stuff of great movies -- there's simply nothing cinematic about them.
50
Chicago Reader by Hank Sartin
We're never allowed to feel much of anything for these characters, and as a result their agonizing over their lost past and uncertain future seems like whining.
40
Variety by Derek Elley
Chekhov has never seemed such a long haul as in this awkward adaptation of The Cherry Orchard by veteran director Michael Cacoyannis, 77, who's assembled a good roster of names but ones that are not necessarily right for their roles.
40
The A.V. Club by Scott Tobias
Cacoyannis errs on the side of genteel respectability, sacrificing emotion and verve at the altar of good taste.
25
San Francisco Chronicle by Edward Guthmann
Alan Bates and Charlotte Rampling are the brave stars of this pretty but sterile adaptation of the Anton Chekhov stage classic.
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