Cinemas

The advent of the free-market and the lifting of censorship has been financially devastating for Russian film. Commercial reality has forced Russian theaters to abandon the works of their compatriots in favor of the worst of cheap Hollywood trash. Rarely do quality Western films appear, usually stolen or crudely pirated. That's not all; foreign films are mercilessly dubbed into Russian, usually with one voice reading all the parts. Trying to glean the original dialogue behind the dubbing requires concentration that detracts from the film's enjoyment and even then you're unlikely to hear more than half the original dialogue. Russian cinemas lack popularity among Russians themselves mainly because Russians also don't like poor sound and image quality, at least not if they have to pay for it.

Every June the city houses the Festival of Festivals which is about the only time you can hope to see foreign art-house type flicks in St. Petersburg. If you look hard enough you will, however, find some excellent Russian and Soviet films. These are shown with great rarity on the movie theater circuit; check the St. Petersburg Times for listings.

Below is listed some cinemas where you're likely to find better films. The telephone numbers given have recordings of current films and screening times, in Russian.

Barrikada Nevsky Prospekt 15. Metro: Nevsky Prospekt. Tel: 315 4028.

Avrora Nevsky Prospekt 60. Metro: Gostiny Dvor. Tel: 315 5254.

Leningrad Potemkinskaya Ulitsa 4. Metro: Chernyshevskaya. Tel: 273 4813.

Spartak Ulitsa Saltikova-Shchedrina 8. Metro: Chernyshevskaya. Tel: 272 7897.