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Poster for The Barber of Siberia

The Barber of Siberia

Seen it?

1998 | 180 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance, History

Weeknight Watchearly rating

Why it’s a Weeknight Watch

With just 13% on Rotten Tomatoes and little lasting buzz, it's a mixed bag. Fine if it's on; don't plan your night around it.

Based on critics, audiences, awards, box office and buzz. Details below.

Is it for you?

Who'll love it
One for anyone who likes corsets, castles and court intrigue and people who like their stories with a little heart-flutter. The costumes and settings are a feast on their own. Sits nicely alongside Pride & Prejudice or Anna Karenina. Critics were cooler on it, but audiences had a great time.
The mood
Funny with heart, romantic.
The pace
A big, patient story, at 3 hr.
What might put you off
  • Rated PG-13. Probably too much for younger kids.
  • It's long: 3 hr.
  • It's in Russian, so expect subtitles (or a dub).
  • Critics were cooler on it than audiences.

Douglas is a foreign entrepreneur, who ventures to Russia in 1885 with dreams of selling a new, experimental steam-driven timber harvester in the wilds of Siberia. Jane is his assistant. On her travels, she meets two men who would change her life forever: a handsome young cadet Andrej Tolstoy with whom she shares a fondness for opera, and the powerful General Radlov who is entranced by her beauty and wants to marry her.

How it earned its rating

  • CriticsWeak

    13% on Rotten Tomatoes

  • AudiencesSolid

    Our audience score: 62%

  • AwardsWeak

    1 win and 1 nomination from smaller awards and festivals

  • Reach & staying powerSolid

    Streaming release that reached a small audience so far; still draws a steady audience long after release

  • Buzz & cultural impactBelow par

    About 23K people sought it out in the past year

Trailer

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Cast & crew

Directed by Nikita Mikhalkov

  • Julia OrmondJane Callahan
  • Oleg MenshikovAndré Tolstoi
  • Aleksey PetrenkoGeneral Radlov
  • Richard HarrisDouglas McCraken
  • Vladimir IlinCaptain Mokine
  • Marat BasharovPolievsky
  • Georgiy DronovNazarov
  • Nikita TatarenkovAlibekov
  • Artyom MikhalkovBoutourline
  • Daniel OlbrychskiKopnovsky