Anton Chekhov’s The Duel
Director Dover Koshashvili has deftly tapped into the rhythm of Chekhov’s novella about self-deception among the Russian bourgeoisie.
Directed by Dover Koshashvili
(Not Rated)
***
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Anton Chekhov’s The Duel is the “most successful literary adaptation” I’ve seen in years, said J. Hoberman in The Village Voice. In this “intelligently staged and impeccably crafted” period drama, director Dover Koshashvili has deftly tapped into the rhythm of Chekhov’s novella about self-deception among the Russian bourgeoisie. Laevsky, a self-loathing civil servant (Andrew Scott) runs away to a seaside town with his mistress (Fiona Glascott). Over the summer, he tires of her and plots his escape, using money reluctantly lent by a zoologist named Van Koren (Tobias Menzies). As the plot draws the two men closer together, Chekhov pits them against each other, said Manohla Dargis in The New York Times. Laevsky, a frustrated intellectual, blames society for his shortcomings; Van Koren, a social Darwinist, despises Laevsky’s ennui. Throughout the highbrow histrionics, the director deftly “mixes moments of bitterness and laughter.” Koshashvili’s film never quite “develops an overarching sense of purpose,” said Sam Adams in the A.V. Club. Still, he creates a keenly observed and consistently surprising social milieu, and it’s a “pleasure simply to linger in the characters’ company.”
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
-
'A financial windfall for Iranian terrorism'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
By Harold Maass, The Week US Published
-
Orangutan heals cut with medicinal plant
Speed Read A Sumatran orangutan in Indonesia has been self-medicating to heal a wound on his cheek
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Turkey halts trade with Israel in latest Gaza rift
Speed Read The country plans to join South Africa's genocide case against Israel
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published