Shows
A Russian & Soviet Movie Podcast with Ally PittsNEWS: Come and See (Elem Klimov; 1985) 40th anniversary and Antifa on Screen season at the UPP in OxfordHost 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 us...2025-04-2706 minA Russian & Soviet Movie Podcast with Ally PittsWORLD SHAKESPEARE DAY BONUS: Boris Pasternak, Grand Theft Hamlet, Andrei Tarkovsky, Richard. E. Grant, the 'other' Stratford, and the BardHost 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.co...2025-04-2311 minA Russian & Soviet Movie Podcast with Ally PittsINTERVIEW: Matthew Chadourne of the Oxford Comedy FestivalMatthew 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://qed...2025-04-0647 minA Russian & Soviet Movie Podcast with Ally PittsFEED TAKEOVER: Flow (Gints Zilbalodis; 2024) with Kristaps Andrejsons of The Eastern BorderTo celebrate the Latvian film Flow winning the best animation category at the 2025 Oscars, Ally Pitts introduces an episode from previous guest Kristaps Andrejsons, which was originally published on his show, The Eastern Border.
Links mentioned/alluded to in the episode:
https://www.podchaser.com/podcasts/a-russian-soviet-movie-podcast-594862/episodes/state-funeral-sergei-loznitsa-91766026
https://theeasternborder.lv/about
https://uppcinema.com/show/flow/
https://dukeslancaster.org/whats-on/cinema/flow-u
https://www.watershed.co.uk/whatson/13080/flow
Milton Keynes Gallery:
https://mkgallery.org/event/the-4-30-club-away-u/
https://mkgallery.org/event/fl...2025-03-3021 minA Russian & Soviet Movie Podcast with Ally PittsNEWS: Kinoteka Polish Film Festival 2025In your home and maybe in your town?
Links mentioned/alluded to in the episode:
All the links for a Russian & Soviet Movie Podcast you're ever likely to want or need: linktr.ee/russiansovietmoviepodcast
For a 30-day free trial of the streaming service Klassiki: https://klassiki.online/arussiansovietmoviepodcast/
If you use the code RUPOD50, you can get 50% off an annual subscription.
https://kinoteka.org.uk/programme
https://www.instagram.com/gulpfictionbooks/
https://letterboxd.com/ally_pitts/list/my-10-favourite-polish-films/
https://letterboxd.com/ally_pitts...2025-03-0206 minA Russian & Soviet Movie Podcast with Ally PittsNEWS: Soviet Silent Comedies at Slapstick Festival 2025 in Bristol PLUS podcast recommendationsHost Ally Pitts highlights several Soviet silent comedy films screening at Slapstick Festival 2025 in Bristol, UK, and makes some podcast recommendations.
Links mentioned/alluded to in the episode:
https://slapstick.org.uk/slapstick-festival-2025/
https://pamhutch.wordpress.com/about/
Pamela Hutchinson's podcast appearances
https://www.annabogutskaya.com/
https://gulpfictionbooks.com/
Streaming service free trials:
For a 30-day free trial of Klassiki: https://klassiki.online/arussiansovietmoviepodcast/
If you use the code RUPOD50, you can get 50% off an annual subscription.
...2025-01-0503 minA Russian & Soviet Movie Podcast with Ally Pitts2024 highlights & 2025 plansHost Ally Pitts looks back at some highlights of 2024 and looks ahead to 2025.
Note from Ally: Unfortunately, the audio for this episode is not up to the usual standard due to a mistake on my part. On balance I thought it was better to release it now as is rather than defer a week until I'd have time to re-record. Thanks for understanding, and please excuse the sound being a little rougher than I'd like on this occasion.
Links mentioned/alluded to in the episode:
Support the show and Ally's other movie-related...2025-01-0509 minA Russian & Soviet Movie Podcast with Ally PittsINTERVIEW: Juliet Merchant, film composer & musicianComposer and musician Juliet Merchant joins host Ally Pitts to discuss some of the silent films she has written scores for.
At the time of recording, six of the films Juliet has composed scores for are available on the streaming service Klassiki, which is available in the UK, the US, and the Republic of Ireland.
Here’s a link to a 30-day free trial: https://klassiki.online/arussiansovietmoviepodcast/
If you use the code RUPOD50, you can get 50% off an annual subscription.
The films are:
Aelita: Queen of Mars (Yakov Protazanov; 1924)
2024-12-081h 23A Russian & Soviet Movie Podcast with Ally PittsNEWS: Two Soviet silent film screenings in Nov '24Ally Pitts announces a screening of Lev Kuleshov’s By the Law; 3pm on Sunday 24th November '24 at the Barbican Cinema, and a screening of Sergei Eisenstein's Battleship Potemkin at the Winter Gardens in Morecambe in Lancashire on at 7.15pm on Saturday 30th November '24.
Links mentioned/alluded to in the episode:
https://www.barbican.org.uk/whats-on/2024/event/silent-film-live-music-by-the-law
https://www.northernsilents.com/whats-on/battleship-potemkin-morecambe
https://www.northernsilents.com/silents-by-the-sea
Ally Pitts on The Top 100 podcast with Tim Coleman: Man with a Movie Camera (Dziga Vertov; 1929)
Conta...2024-11-1706 minA Russian & Soviet Movie Podcast with Ally Pitts100 years of Aelita: Queen of Mars (Yakov Protazanov; 1924) [classic episode re-release with new intro, outro and music]Classic episode re-release, featuring music by composer Juliet Merchant.
In this episode, originally released in August 2018, Sarah Roberts, artist and podcaster, joins Ally Pitts to discuss this early Soviet silent sci-fi adventure.
SPOILERS from about 16 minutes in until the end.
CONTENT WARNING: discussion of the film's depiction of abusive relationships and violence against women.
Links mentioned/alluded to in the episode:
Art by guest Sarah Roberts: https://sarahkathleenroberts.com/
Composer Juliet Merchant's live performance dates: julietmerchantmusic.com/
Ally Pitts on The Top 100 podcast with Tim Coleman: M...2024-09-221h 19A Russian & Soviet Movie Podcast with Ally PittsAlexandra Exter, Aelita, and Modernist Art in Ukraine 1900-1930Host Ally Pitts shares news about two exhibitions running in 2024 that feature the work of artist Alexandra Exter. He also discusses a previous film covered on the podcast, Aelita, which she worked on as a costume designer and set decorator.
The Royal Academy of Art's exhibition is In the Eye of the Storm: Modernism in Ukraine from 1900 to the 1930s. That's in London and runs until 13th October 2024
The Ukrainian Museum's exhibition is Alexandra Exter: The Stage is a World. That's in New York City and is running from 27th September 2024 until 19 January 2025
...2024-08-2407 minA Russian & Soviet Movie Podcast with Ally PittsNEWS: Béla Tarr & Tarkovskian echoesHost Ally Pitts shares news about the BFI's Béla Tarr retrospective season Will Heaven Fall Upon Us?
Ally's local, the Ultimate Picture Palace in Oxford is one of the participating UK cinemas.
Links mentioned/alluded to in the episode:
Béla Tarr retrospective Season at the Ultimate Picture Palace in Oxford
For a 30-day free trial of the streaming service Klassiki: https://klassiki.online/a-russian-soviet-movie-podcast/
The Top 100 podcast with Tim Coleman
Peter Bradshaw's interview with Béla Tarr for the Guardian
https://www.criterion.com/film...2024-07-2107 minA Russian & Soviet Movie Podcast with Ally PittsNostalgia AKA Nostalghia (Andrei Tarkovsky; 1983)International(?) man of mystery Lyn Seren joins Ally Pitts to discuss Andrei Tarkovsky's penultimate film. We also talk about rückenfigurs and Milton Keynes artists Boyd & Evans a bit!
Links mentioned/alluded to in the episode:
International Association for Suicide Prevention’s directory: https://www.iasp.info/suicidalthoughts/
UK: https://www.samaritans.org/
US: https://988lifeline.org/
All the links for a Russian & Soviet Movie Podcast you're ever likely to want or need: linktr.ee/russiansovietmoviepodcast
For a 30-day free trial of the streaming service Klassiki: https://klassi...2024-07-141h 25A Russian & Soviet Movie Podcast with Ally PittsNEWS: Man with a Movie Camera, 60 years of Mikhail Kalatozov’s I am Cuba, and Oxford Meet-upsLinks mentioned in the episode:
The Top 100 Podcast with Tim Coleman: Man with a Movie Camera episode with Ally Pitts.
Saint Audio Podcast Festival line-up
Saint Audio Podcast Festival announcement episode.
I am Cuba, directed by Mikhail Kalatozov, screening at the Ultimate Picture Palace in Oxford.
At the time of recording, Salt for Svanetia is available to stream on Klassiki, which is available in the UK, the US, and the Republic of Ireland. If you use the code RUPOD50, you can get 50% off an annual subscription.
Jean-Pierre...2024-05-1904 minA Russian & Soviet Movie Podcast with Ally PittsEVENT: The Saint Audio Podcast Festival, 23-26 May '24 in Oxford, UK!Saint Audio Podcast Festival is happening over the late May Bank Holiday Weekend (that's 23-26 May), in Oxford, UK! See you there, maybe?
Links mentioned in the episode:
Saintaudiopodcastfestival.com
Screening of Spice World (1997) at the Ultimate Picture Palace, presented by The Flop House podcast.
Contact us/socials:
(We've changed the name of the show, but the social handles are a bit of a mishmash).
Email: russophilesunite@gmail.com
Twitter (or 'X', if you really insist): @Russophiles
Instagram: instagram.com/russiansovietmoviepodcast/
Le...2024-04-0703 minA Russian & Soviet Movie Podcast with Ally PittsFEED TAKEOVER: Ally guests on Projection Booth episode on Amphibian Man (Vladimir Chebotaryov, Gennadi Kazansky; 1961)Ally Pitts introduces an episode of The Projection Booth he guested on in 2022.
Links mentioned in the episode:
Listen to the rest of Ally's guest appearances on The Projection Booth.
Contact us:
(We've changed the name of the show, but the social handles are staying the same for now).
Email: russophilesunite@gmail.com
Letterboxd: https://letterboxd.com/Ally_Pitts/
The platform formerly known as Twitter: @RussophilesU
Listen to Ally's other podcast appearances on Podchaser
2024-03-171h 46A Russian & Soviet Movie Podcast with Ally PittsEVENT ANNOUNCEMENT: Alissa Timoshkina in conversation with Catriona Kelly on Russian Food Since 1800Professor Catriona Kelly will be discussing her new book Russian Food Since 1800: Empire at Table with previous guest on this show, Alissa Timoshkina at Pushkin House in London on Friday 15th March 2024.
It's an in-person & online hybrid event, which will from 6.30 to 8.00 pm GMT.
Find out more about the event and buy tickets at pushkinhouse.org
Our episode on Little Vera (dir. Vasily Pichul; 1988).
Contact us:
(We've changed the name of the show, but the social handles are staying the same for now).
Email: russophilesunite@gmail.com...2024-02-1802 minA Russian & Soviet Movie Podcast with Ally PittsAlly's top 5 first-time watches of 2023In the spirit of High Fidelity, Ally Pitts brings you an audio listicle of some awesome movies he saw for the first time in 2023.
They are, in the order they appear on the episode:
- Conscience (Volodymr Denisenko; 1968)
- Fright Night (Tom Holland; 1985)
- Chameleon Street (Wendell B. Harris Jr; 1989)
- The Queen of Spades (Thorold Dickinson;1949)
- The Afterlight (Charlie Shackleton; 2021)
Honourable mentions to:
The Ascent (Larisa Shepitko; 1977)
Links mentioned in the episode:
- Ally's Letterboxd page
...2024-01-2811 minA Russian & Soviet Movie Podcast with Ally PittsNEWSFLASH: Tchaikovsky’s Wife (Kirill Serebrennikov; 2023) in UK cinemas Jan-Mar ’24Links mentioned in the episode:
Cinemas screening Tchaikovsky's Wife (UK and Republic of Ireland): sovereignfilms.co.uk/tchaikovskyswife
The Guardian's Pjotr Sauer interviews Kirill Serebrennikov
BBFC content advice for Tchaikovsky's Wife
To receive a 50% discount on an annual subscription to Klassiki, please use the code RUPOD50 at checkout.
Visit Klassiki.Online and sign up for a free trial!
Contact us:
(We've changed the name of the show, but the social handles are staying the same for now).
Email: russophilesunite@gmail.com
I...2024-01-1404 minA Russian & Soviet Movie Podcast with Ally PittsSome sad newsProbably not the best place to start if you're arriving at this feed for the first time.
2023-12-1703 minA Russian & Soviet Movie Podcast with Ally PittsMINI-REVIEW: Unclenching the Fists (Kira Kovalenko; 2021)Ally Pitts reviews Kira Kovalenko's 2021 Ossetian language coming of age drama Unclenching the Fists and then recommends a handful of other films currently streaming on MUBI.
Links mentioned in the episode:
To get a 30-day free trial of MUBI, please visit:https://mubi.com/russiansovietpod
Carmen Gray's article, Scarred States: Unclenching the Fists and the Art of Escape.
Podcast episode on Daughters of the Dust (Julie Dash; 1991), hosted by Spencer Seams & Joel Torres.
Contact us:
(We've changed the name of the show, but the social handles are s...2023-11-2611 minA Russian & Soviet Movie Podcast with Ally PittsFEED TAKEOVER: Ninotchka (Ernst Lubitsch; 1939) with Ally Pitts - All the Best Lines episodeAlly Pitts introduces an episode of All the Best Lines, hosted by Smokey and Adam Roche, that he guested on in 2021.
Links mentioned in the episode:
Listen to more All the Best Lines episodes.
Listen to our episode on War & Peace with Adam Roche.
Listen to The Projection Booth on Ninotchka.
Contact Us:
(We've changed the name of the show, but the social handles are staying the same for now).
Twitter: @RussophilesU
Email: russophilesunite@gmail.com
Instagram: www.instagram.com/russophiles_unite...2023-11-051h 06
Ideal Practice#76. How to Hire Your First Virtual Assistant with Your Business Ally, Queenie VerhoevenQuestion or comment? 🙋♀️ Send me a text message! In our last episode, we talked about the many ways that adding a virtual assistant to your team can enhance your success. Did you hear that one? If not, you might want to go back and check out Episode 75 before you listen to this one. 🙂In that episode, you met my assistant, Queenie Verhoeven, who runs a company providing VA services to small businesses around the world. Queenie has been a critical part of my team for several years now; I can’t even imagine r...2023-10-1744 min