Soviet TV sleuths hunting a poet's mysterious muse? Sign me up immediately.
The outstanding researcher and scholar Irakly Andronikov speaks in the television film about his search for places connected with Lermontov in the Caucasus and about the identity of the woman to whom Lermontov dedicated many poems under the initials N.F.I.
Acting
Andronikov's magnetic scholarly charisma carries every frame.
Cinematography
Stunning 1959 Caucasus landscapes in crisp Soviet color.
Writing
Elegant script blending poetry analysis with travel narrative.
Director
Mikhail Shapiro
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
This was peak Soviet 'intelligentsia television' — serious scholarship as mass entertainment. Andronikov became a household name through such broadcasts.
The N.F.I. debate raged for over a century before this film; Andronikov's Khudyakova theory, while popular, remains contested among Lermontov scholars to this day.
SU
