IN THE MOSCOW SLUMS (KHITROVKA. ZNAK CHETYRYOKH) – 2023, Mosfilm, 129 min. The latest film from acclaimed director Karen Shakhnazarov (ZEROGRAD and THE ASSASSIN OF THE TSAR, both released by Deaf Crocodile and Seagull Films) is a tremendously entertaining historical detective mystery adapted from Arthur Conan Doyle’s “The Sign of Four” and the writings of famed Russian journalist Vladimir Gilyarovsky -- but in place of Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson, the film features two real-life figures from Russian history. In Moscow in 1902, legendary actor and theater director Konstantin Stanislavski (Konstantin Kryukov) is struggling to understand the life of slum dwellers for his latest production of Gorky's "The Lower Depths" -- so he turns to journalist Gilyarovsky (Mikhail Porechenkov) who takes him on a guided tour of the Khitrovka district, pretty much Moscow's version of Whitechapel circa Jack the Ripper. There, they stumble across the bizarre murder of a chess playing friend of Gilyarovsky's called The Rajah and cross paths with a stunningly beautiful fallen aristocrat named The Countess (Anfisa Chernykh) and a savage Englishman and his blow-dart shooting killer companion. For fans of the Jeremy Brett-starring Sherlock Holmes series and the recent Kenneth Branagh-directed Hercule Poirot mysteries, this is an irresistible treat. Shakhnazarov clearly has great affection for the classic period in Russian theater (Anton Chekhov makes a cameo appearance at one point) and for the Holmes stories this pays loving tribute to. Co-presented with Seagull Films. In Russian with English subtitles.
Bonus Features:
- ”From Sherlock Holmes to Method Acting: Strolling Through Khitrovka" -- new visual essay by film historian Evan Chester (18 min.)
- "No Stranger Than Human Nature - Theatre, History, and Mystery" -- new visual essay by journalist and physical media expert Ryan Verrill (The Disc Connected) and film professor Dr. Will Dodson.
- New video interview with director Karen Shakhnazarov about the making of IN THE MOSCOW SLUMS, moderated by Dennis Bartok of Deaf Crocodile (45 min.)
- New video interview about the history and legacy of Mosfilm studios with Mosfilm’s head of public relations Gayane Ambartsumian, moderated by Dennis Bartok (67 min.)
Blu-ray authoring by David Mackenzie of Fidelity In Motion.
New art by Beth Morris.
