Dead Souls (miniseries)

Synopsis#

This is a small-screen rendering of Gogol’s epic poem critiquing the class system in 19th-century Russia by the same name. In this film, main character Chichikov travels through the countryside buying dead souls, or serfs who had deceased. By purchasing the deed to these “property,” Chichikov is able to improve his social standing at a discount as these individuals were still accounted for in property registers postmortem and the rights to ownership for deceased serfs was less than that of the living. Dead Souls is a critique and satire of middle class life in Imperial Russia.

Cast#

• Aleksandr Trofimov – Nikolai Gogol
• Aleksandr Kalyagin – Chichikov
• Yuri Bogatyryov – Manilov
• Larisa Udovichenko – Manilov’s wife
• Tamara Nosova – Korobochka
• Vitali Shapovalov – Nozdryov
• Aleksei Zaitsev – Selifan
• Viktor Sergachyov – Mizhuyev, Son-in-law
• Maria Vinogradova – Mavra
• Innokenty Smoktunovsky – Plushkin
• Vyacheslav Nevinny – Sobakevich
• Yuri Volyntsev – Alexei Ivanovich, Chief of Police
• Inna Churikova – Lady, nice in every respect
• Lidiya Fedoseyeva-Shukshina – Lady, just nice
• Irina Malysheva – Governor’s daughter
• Yelizaveta Nikishchikhina – Sobakevich’s wife
• Valeri Malyshev – Mikhei
• Aleksei Safonov – Public prosecutor