Lenfilm's most recent major production spins a kind of historical fantasy based on real incidents that's full of ominous implications for today. One night, a patrol rushes into the chambers of the Russian prince Pavel, son of the Empress Catherine; the Empress has died, and Pavel is to be anointed the new Tsar. Thought to be feeble-minded at best and crazy at worst, Pavel soon lives up to his enemies' fears: he dismisses long-serving courtiers, demands that peasants only work three days a week, and declares that state officials should start their days at 5 am. Soon, it seems that everyone who can is trying to hatch some kind of plot against him - including his own sons. Sumptuously designed, POOR POOR PAVEL constrasts the imperial splendor of the court with the sordid atmosphere of conspiracies and backstabbing that comes to define these characters' lives.
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Part of Empire. The Beginning
3 films
Cast
28 people
Viktor Sukhorukov
Emperor Pavel the First
Known for
Brother
The Island
Oleg Yankovsky
Count Palen
Known for
Nostalgia
The Very Same Munchhausen
Oksana Mysina
Empress Mariya Fyodorovna
Also in
Shuttles
Bonus
Aleksey Barabash
Aleksandr
Known for
Stalingrad
Russian Ark
Anna Molchanova
Yelizaveta
Also in
Rain in the Ocean
Russian Beauty
Yulia Mavrina
Lopukhina
Also in
Cinderella
Letters to Elsa
Igor Shibanov
Kutaisov
Known for
Brother
Little Longnose
Yevgeni Karpov
Konstantin
No other roles listed
Vadim Lobanov
Bezborodko
Known for
A Visitor to a Museum
Dead Man's Letters
Vera Karpova
Baroness Livsi
Also in
The Unamenables
Sherlock Holmes
Aleksandr Grigoryants
Brenna
Also in
The Gift
Dmitriy Sutyrin
Yashvil
Also in
Шеф
Ash
Vitaliy Melnikov Director · Dmitry Merezhkovski Story Sergey Astakhov Cinematographer
First release June 21, 2003 · Produced in Russia · Original title Бедный, бедный Павел
Production
Lenfilm
Production
Russia
Produced in
Languages
Original title
Бедный, бедный Павел
Original language
Russian
Spoken on screen
Russian
Release dates
Russia · June 21, 2003
Theatrical
No release date listed for United States.
More from Vitaliy Melnikov
Other films they directed, best known first.
Some details come from TheTVDB.