The First Circle

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Release date: Feb 25, 1992

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Movie Info

Based on a Solzhenitsyn book, this is the story of a Moscow official in Stalinist Russia whose future freedom depends on a technological break-through. ~ Tana Hobart, Rovi

Rating:

NR
Genre:

Drama
Directed By:

Sheldon Larry
In Theaters:

Feb 25, 1992 wide
On Disc/Streaming:

Jul 8, 2003
Runtime:

113 minutes

Cast

F. Murray Abraham

Heath Lamberts

Laurent Malet

Christopher Plummer

Victor Garber
as Lev Rubin

Günther Maria Halmer
as Vladimir Chelnov

David Hemblen

David Hewlett

Robert Joy

Robert Powell
as Gleb Nershin

Dominic Raacke
as Nikolai Shchagov

Alexandra Stewart

Raf Vallone

Daniel Emilfork

Vernon Dobtcheff

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Critic Reviews for The First Circle

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Audience Reviews for The First Circle

May 02, 2014

A group of dissident scientists in Stalin's Russia try to survive in a prison camp and contemplate the moral questions of helping the regime that imprisons them. What's interesting about this film is what I wrote in the plot summary. The ethical question about survival versus assisting injustice is adequately explored in the Solzhenitsyn's famous book and treated well in the film. The film's problems are its production quality and episodic script. It's clear that this is a made-for-TV film before TV became worthwhile, and the events seem disconnected and not part of a cogent plotline. Also, the performances are nothing to write home about. The above-the-title actor, F. Murray Abraham, has a bit part, and the rest of the actors are green, with voices that sound extra-performative. Overall, if it weren't for the strength of the source material, this film would be total shit.

Jim H Super Reviewer