The Cherry Orchard

Name: The Cherry Orchard
Director: Mihalis Kakogiannis
Released: 1999

Mihalis Kakogiannis

1999

Synopsis

Madame Ranevskaya is a spoiled aging aristocratic lady, who returns from a trip to Paris to face the loss of her magnificent Cherry Orchard estate after a default on the mortgage. In denial, she continues living in the past, deluding herself and her family, while the beautiful cherry trees are being axed down by the re-possessor Lopakhin (Teale), her former serf, who has his own agenda.

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Cast

Recommendations

90
Los Angeles Times
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
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
New Times (L.A.)
Thoughtful and somewhat languid adaptation of Anton Chekhov's 1904 play finds its beauty in the heady performance of Charlotte Rampling.
75
Miami Herald
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
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.
50
Chicago Reader
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.
50
TV Guide Magazine
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.
40
The A.V. Club
Cacoyannis errs on the side of genteel respectability, sacrificing emotion and verve at the altar of good taste.