• NEWS! Ally Pitts introduces Milton Keynes Gallery screening of Battleship Potemkin
    Aug 31 2025

    Sergei Eisenstein’s 1925 masterpiece continues its centenary run in cinemas in the UK and Ireland in throughout September and October 2025. Since we published a mini-episode about this BFI season last week, our intrepid host has been confirmed as providing the intro to the screening at MK Gallery on Friday 26th September at 7pm. He's also in talks with The Light in Banbury, Oxfordshire about introducing it there too on Sunday 26th October!

    Links:

    https://www.bfi.org.uk/bfi-film-releases/battleship-potemkin

    https://mkgallery.org/event/battleship-potemkin-12a/

    https://banbury.thelight.co.uk/

    https://thelight.co.uk/

    https://uppcinema.com/show/battleship-potemkin/

    https://letterboxd.com/ally_pitts/list/silent-films-with-scores-by-juliet-merchant/

    Klassiki:

    Battleship Potemkin is also on the streaming service Klassiki with a score by Max Reinhardt & the Instant Orchestra.

    For a 30-day free trial: https://klassiki.online/arussiansovietmoviepodcast/

    If you use the code RUPOD50, you can get 50% off an annual subscription.

    https://letterboxd.com/ally_pitts/list/my-klassiki-recommendations-updated-regularly/detail/

    Contact us/socials:

    All the links for a Russian & Soviet Movie Podcast and Ally Pitts you're ever likely to want or need: linktr.ee/russiansovietmoviepodcast linktr.ee/ally_pitts

    We changed the name of the show a little while back, but the social handles/contacts are a bit of a mishmash.

    Email: russophilesunite@gmail.com

    Letterboxd: letterboxd.com/Ally_Pitts/

    Instagram: instagram.com/russiansovietmoviepodcast/ instagram.com/ally_pitts_movies_etc/

    Listen to Ally's other podcast appearances on Podchaser

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    2 mins
  • NEWSFLASH: Battleship Potemkin centenary screenings & Blu-ray release
    Aug 24 2025

    Sergei Eisenstein’s 1925 masterpiece is in cinemas in the UK and Ireland in late August, and through September and October 2025.

    UPDATE: Since this mini-episode was originally published, our intrepid host Ally Pitts has been confirmed as providing the intro to the screening at Milton Keynes Gallery on Friday 26th September at 7pm, and he's also in talks with The Light in Banbury, Oxfordshire to introduce it there too on Sunday 26th October! Battleship Potemkin is also on the streaming service Klassiki with a score by Max Reinhardt & the Instant Orchestra.

    Links mentioned/alluded to in the episode:

    https://www.bfi.org.uk/bfi-film-releases/battleship-potemkin

    https://uppcinema.com/show/battleship-potemkin/

    https://dukeslancaster.org/whats-on/cinema/battleship-potemkin-12a

    https://mkgallery.org/event/battleship-potemkin-12a/

    https://banbury.thelight.co.uk/

    https://thelight.co.uk/

    https://letterboxd.com/ally_pitts/list/silent-films-with-scores-by-juliet-merchant/

    Klassiki:

    For a 30-day free trial of the streaming service Klassiki: https://klassiki.online/arussiansovietmoviepodcast/ https://films.klassiki.online/battleship-potemkin

    If you use the code RUPOD50, you can get 50% off an annual subscription.

    https://letterboxd.com/ally_pitts/list/my-klassiki-recommendations-updated-regularly/detail/

    Contact us/socials:

    All the links for a Russian & Soviet Movie Podcast and Ally Pitts you're ever likely to want or need: linktr.ee/russiansovietmoviepodcast linktr.ee/ally_pitts

    We changed the name of the show a little while back, but the social handles/contacts are a bit of a mishmash.

    Email: russophilesunite@gmail.com

    Letterboxd: letterboxd.com/Ally_Pitts/

    Instagram: instagram.com/russiansovietmoviepodcast/ instagram.com/ally_pitts_movies_etc/

    Listen to Ally's other podcast appearances on Podchaser

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    9 mins
  • NEWS: Ally Pitts curates Jane Austen 250th anniversary film season! Plus Whit Stillman tour, and podcast recommendations!
    Jun 29 2025

    Host Ally Pitts shares some news about a season of films adapted from or inspired by the works of Jane Austen that he has co-curated with the Ultimate Picture Palace in Oxford.

    He also mentions Whit Stillman's UK tour in late July 2025. And Soviet Winnie the Pooh. Obviously.

    Links mentioned/alluded to in the episode:

    https://uppcinema.com/show_type/classic-season-jane-austen-250/

    T. Hanks for the Memories Podcast: Bridge of Spies (2015) episode

    The Social Minute: A Social Network minute-by-minute podcast

    As If! A Clueless minute-by-minute podcast by Darren Husted

    Soviet animator Fyodor Khitruk, director of the Soviet Winnie the Pooh cartoons

    https://oxfordcomedyfestival.co.uk/

    Milton Keynes Gallery cinema listings

    https://lostreels.co.uk/whitstillmantour.html

    Picturehouse Rediscover strand

    Contact us/socials:

    All the links for a Russian & Soviet Movie Podcast and Ally Pitts you're ever likely to want or need: linktr.ee/russiansovietmoviepodcast linktr.ee/ally_pitts

    We changed the name of the show a little while back, but the social handles/contacts are a bit of a mishmash.

    Email: russophilesunite@gmail.com

    Letterboxd: letterboxd.com/Ally_Pitts/

    Instagram: instagram.com/russiansovietmoviepodcast/ instagram.com/ally_pitts_movies_etc/

    Listen to Ally's other podcast appearances on Podchaser

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    6 mins
  • Ballad of a Soldier (Grigori Chukhrai; 1959)
    Jun 8 2025

    Matthew Chadourne, stand-up comedian, executive producer and creative director of the Oxford Comedy Festival, and co-host of the Saint Misbehavin' podcast joins host Ally Pitts to discuss this understated Oscar and Bafta-winning classic by Ukrainian-born World War II veteran Grigori Chukhrai.

    Links mentioned/alluded to in the episode:

    https://oxfordcomedyfestival.co.uk/our-acts

    https://oxfordcomedyfestival.co.uk/shows

    https://qedcomedylab.co.uk/saintmisbehavinpod

    https://www.criterion.com/films/343-ballad-of-a-soldier

    https://www.criterion.com/current/posts/201-ballad-of-a-soldier

    https://www.criterion.com/shop/browse/list?sort=spine_number&country=Soviet%20Union

    https://letterboxd.com/ally_pitts/list/ten-great-non-hollywood-world-war-ii-movies/detail/

    Contact us/socials:

    All the links for a Russian & Soviet Movie Podcast and Ally Pitts you're ever likely to want or need: linktr.ee/russiansovietmoviepodcast linktr.ee/ally_pitts

    We changed the name of the show a little while back, but the social handles/contacts are a bit of a mishmash.

    Email: russophilesunite@gmail.com

    Letterboxd: letterboxd.com/Ally_Pitts/

    Instagram: instagram.com/russiansovietmoviepodcast/ instagram.com/ally_pitts_movies_etc/

    Listen to Ally's other podcast appearances on Podchaser

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    2 hrs and 20 mins
  • NEWS: Tarkovsky’s Mirror in Oxford, PLUS Soviet cinema at PCC, and Hugo Max silent film screening tour
    May 17 2025

    Host Ally Pitts shares some news about a screening of Andrei Tarkovsky's Mirror that he'll be introducing on Sunday 25th May as part of the Dreamscapes classic season at Ultimate Picture Palace in Oxford. He also shares news about screenings of Soviet films at the Prince Charles Cinema, and shares details of silent film screenings with live music by Hugo Max.

    Links mentioned/alluded to in the episode:

    Dreamscapes classic season at Ultimate Picture Palace in Oxford

    https://uppcinema.com/show_type/classic-season-dreamscapes/

    Antifa on screen classic season at the UPP

    https://uppcinema.com/show_type/classic-season-antifa-on-screen/

    Come and See & Elem Klimov

    https://www.podchaser.com/podcasts/a-russian-soviet-movie-podcast-594862/episodes/come-and-see-elem-klimov-1985-41611107

    https://uppcinema.com/show/come-and-see/

    https://letterboxd.com/thetop100/list/the-greatest-films-ever-made-as-selected/

    https://www.criterion.com/films/28895-come-and-see

    The Prince Charles Cinema, Leicester Square, London

    https://princecharlescinema.com/seasons-events/bleak-week/

    https://princecharlescinema.com/seasons-events/tarkovsky/

    https://princecharlescinema.com/film/6773592/the-colour-of-pomegranates-sayat-nova/

    https://princecharlescinema.com/film/20569368/the-cranes-are-flying/

    https://princecharlescinema.com/film/1865782/battleship-potemkin-bronenosets-potyomkin/

    https://princecharlescinema.com/whats-on/

    Hugo Max scores silent cinema

    https://hugomax.co.uk/news

    https://hugomax.co.uk/upcoming-past-performances

    Contact us/socials:

    All the links for a Russian & Soviet Movie Podcast and Ally Pitts you're ever likely to want or need: linktr.ee/russiansovietmoviepodcast linktr.ee/ally_pitts

    We changed the name of the show a little while back, but the social handles/contacts are a bit of a mishmash.

    Email: russophilesunite@gmail.com

    Letterboxd: letterboxd.com/Ally_Pitts/

    Instagram: instagram.com/russiansovietmoviepodcast/ instagram.com/ally_pitts_movies_etc/

    Listen to Ally's other podcast appearances on Podchaser

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    4 mins
  • NEWS: Come and See (Elem Klimov; 1985) 40th anniversary and Antifa on Screen season at the UPP in Oxford
    Apr 27 2025

    Host Ally Pitts highlights the 40th anniversary of Come and See, directed by Elem Klimov, shares news about a season of films on the theme of anti-fascism at the Ultimate Picture Palace in Oxford, and brings attention to a couple of other anti-fascist/anti-totalitarian/anti-cult of personality films.

    Links mentioned/alluded to in the episode:

    Antifa on screen at the Ultimate Picture Palace in Oxford

    https://uppcinema.com/show_type/classic-season-antifa-on-screen/

    Klassiki

    For a 30-day free trial of the streaming service Klassiki: klassiki.online/arussiansovietmoviepodcast/

    If you use the code RUPOD50, you can get 50% off an annual subscription.

    Ally’s Klassiki recommendations

    Come and See & Elem Klimov

    https://www.podchaser.com/podcasts/a-russian-soviet-movie-podcast-594862/episodes/come-and-see-elem-klimov-1985-41611107

    https://uppcinema.com/show/come-and-see/

    https://letterboxd.com/thetop100/list/the-greatest-films-ever-made-as-selected/

    https://www.criterion.com/films/28895-come-and-see

    https://princecharlescinema.com/whats-on/

    The Cremator & Juraj Herz

    https://uppcinema.com/show/the-cremator/ Sun 11th and Mon 12th MAY

    https://uppcinema.com/show_type/classic-season-antifa-on-screen/

    https://www.secondrundvd.com/release_cremator_bd.html

    https://klassiki.online/caught-by-the-night-gothic-visions-juraj-herz-podcast/

    The Great Dictator, Charlie Chaplin, Pamela Hutchinson, and Eccentricism in Leningrad

    https://uppcinema.com/show/the-great-dictator/

    https://pamhutch.wordpress.com/in-person/ https://www.bfi.org.uk/lists/10-great-films-1925 Includes The Gold Rush and Battleship Potemkin

    https://klassiki.online/ian-christie-eccentrism-soviet-avant-garde-podcast/

    Ordinary Fascism & Mikhail Romm

    https://letterboxd.com/ally_pitts/film/triumph-over-violence/

    Repentance & Tengiz Abuladze

    https://letterboxd.com/film/repentance/

    https://films.klassiki.online/repentance

    Contact us/socials:

    All the links for a Russian & Soviet Movie Podcast and Ally Pitts you're ever likely to want or need: linktr.ee/russiansovietmoviepodcast linktr.ee/ally_pitts

    We changed the name of the show a little while back, but the social handles/contacts are a bit of a mishmash.

    Email: russophilesunite@gmail.com

    Letterboxd: letterboxd.com/Ally_Pitts/

    Instagram: instagram.com/russiansovietmoviepodcast/ instagram.com/ally_pitts_movies_etc/

    Listen to Ally's other podcast appearances on Podchaser

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    6 mins
  • WORLD SHAKESPEARE DAY BONUS: Boris Pasternak, Grand Theft Hamlet, Andrei Tarkovsky, Richard. E. Grant, the 'other' Stratford, and the Bard
    Apr 23 2025

    Host Ally Pitts discusses the 2024 documentary Grand Theft Hamlet, directed by Pinny Grylls and Sam Crane, shares how Hamlet became his favourite Shakespeare play, and explores its connection to and influence on two of Russian culture's most famous figures, Boris Pasternak and Andrei Tarkovsky. And he talks about Withnail and I. Again. Not necessarily in that order.

    Links mentioned/alluded to in the episode:

    mubi.com/russiansovietpod

    mubi.com/en/gb/films/grand-theft-hamlet

    letterboxd.com/ally_pitts/list/my-mubi-recommendations-updated-regularly/

    letterboxd.com/ally_pitts/list/my-genre-recommendations-documentary/detail/

    podchaser.com/podcasts/mubi-podcast-1906950/episodes/grand-theft-hamlet-how-shakesp-243200018

    miltonkeynesmuseum.org.uk/under-the-grid-podcast/

    podchaser.com/podcasts/under-the-grid-2346988/episodes/stony-stratford-159334015

    dangerclosepod.com/doctor-zhivago

    dangerclosepod.com/articles/surplusordnance-episode-24 flixwise.com/2018/08/19/flixwise-canada-ep-22-withnail-and-i/

    mkpulse.co.uk/withnail-i/

    Contact us/socials:

    All the links for a Russian & Soviet Movie Podcast and Ally Pitts you're ever likely to want or need: linktr.ee/russiansovietmoviepodcast linktr.ee/ally_pitts

    We changed the name of the show a little while back, but the social handles/contacts are a bit of a mishmash.

    Email: russophilesunite@gmail.com

    Letterboxd: https://letterboxd.com/Ally_Pitts/

    Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/russiansovietmoviepodcast/ https://www.instagram.com/ally_pitts_movies_etc/

    Listen to Ally's other podcast appearances on Podchaser

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    12 mins
  • INTERVIEW: Matthew Chadourne of the Oxford Comedy Festival
    Apr 6 2025

    Matthew Chadourne, stand-up comedian, executive producer and creative director of the Oxford Comedy Festival, and co-host of the Saint Misbehavin' podcast joins host Ally Pitts to talk about his various comedy and movie-related projects.

    This is designed to serve as an appetizer for an upcoming episode on Grigory Chukrai’s Ballad of a Soldier with Matthew as the guest, which will be released on this feed as soon as it's edited.

    Links mentioned/alluded to in the episode:

    https://oxfordcomedyfestival.co.uk/our-acts

    https://oxfordcomedyfestival.co.uk/shows

    https://qedcomedylab.co.uk/saintmisbehavinpod

    https://www.secondrundvd.com/index.html https://www.magd.ox.ac.uk/magdalen-monday-movies/

    All the Best Lines Ninotchka episode with Ally as the guest

    Contact us/socials:

    All the links for a Russian & Soviet Movie Podcast you're ever likely to want or need: linktr.ee/russiansovietmoviepodcast

    We changed the name of the show a little while back, but the social handles/contacts are a bit of a mishmash.

    Email: russophilesunite@gmail.com

    Letterboxd: https://letterboxd.com/Ally_Pitts/

    Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/russiansovietmoviepodcast/ https://www.instagram.com/ally_pitts_movies_etc/

    Listen to Ally's other podcast appearances on Podchaser

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    48 mins