Heart of a Dog (1988): Cast & Plot
Heart of a Dog is a 1988 comedy drama directed by Vladimir Bortko, starring Evgeniy Evstigneev as профессор Филипп Преображенский, Nina Ruslanova and Sergei Filippov. It runs 2 hours 16 minutes.
- Released
- Runtime
- 2h 16m (136 min)
- Director
- Vladimir Bortko
- Original language
-
Russian - Studio
- Lenfilm
- After the credits
- No No extra scene
What Is Heart of a Dog About?
The premise of Heart of a Dog without spoilers. The whole story is in the plot summary further down.
A Soviet adaptation of Mikhail Bulgakov’s novella set in 1920s Moscow, the film follows stray dog Sharik who, after a daring experiment by Professor Preobrazhensky, becomes the crude human Poligraf Poligrafovich Sharikov. Through dark humor and satire it exposes class conflict, the folly of radical reform and human nature, earning praise for its faithful translation, strong performances and layered allegory.
Heart of a Dog Themes & Keywords
· 50 tags- animal
- apartment
- baby
- bearded man
- bird
- book
- camera
- candle
- cat
- clock
- communism
- communist
+38 more Show fewer
- dancer
- dancing
- doctor
- drunkenness
- dog
- eastern europe
- experiment
- food
- gun
- housekeeper
- hunger
- injection
- journalist
- knife
- maid
- mirror
- movie theater
- musician
- newspaper
- performance
- photograph
- professor
- reading
- revolution
- scar
- science
- scientist
- servant
- singing
- smoking
- snow
- song
- surgery
- telephone
- banned book
- bolshevik
- social satire
- chimera
Heart of a Dog Cast & Characters
Evgeniy Evstigneev leads the cast as профессор Филипп Преображенский, with Nina Ruslanova as Дарья Петровна and Sergei Filippov as пациент. Directed by Vladimir Bortko; 37 actors are credited in all.
- Director Vladimir Bortko
- Evgeniy Evstigneev as профессор Филипп Преображенский
- Nina Ruslanova as Дарья Петровна
- Sergei Filippov as пациент
- Yuriy Kuznetsov
Also Starring in Heart of a Dog
· 33 more- Vladimir Tolokonnikov Шариков
- Roman Tkachuk Николай Николаевич Персиков
- Boris Plotnikov доктор Борменталь
- Anatoly Slivnikov
- Anzhelika Nevolina Васнецова
- Aleksei Mironov Федор
- Sergey Bekhterev
- E. Kharkevich участница спиритического сеанса
- Roman Kartsev Швондер
- Ivan Ganzha Жаровкин
- Evgeniy Kuznetsov Пеструхин
- Yury Eller
- Nora Gryakalova
- Yuriy Oskin
- Boris Sokolov
- Olga Melikhova Зиночка
Show all 37 cast members Show fewer cast members
More from Vladimir Bortko
More films directed by Vladimir Bortko: About Love, Iron & Blood: The Legend of Taras Bulba, Gangster’s Petersburg: Lawyer and Gangster’s Petersburg: Baron.
Heart of a Dog Plot Summary
What happens in Heart of a Dog from start to finish, spoilers included, with a timeline of 11 key events. The opening is below; the full summary is a 4-minute read.
Spoilers ahead
A weary stray dog, Sharik, wanders a post-revolution Moscow still adjusting to the new order. His path crosses a renowned surgeon and professor, [Professor Philippovich Preobrazhensky], who needs a companion and a testing subject in equal measure. With a careful gesture and a piece of sausage, the doctor lures the dog into his expansive apartment, a space that serves both as a home and a discreet medical lab where unusual experiments are possible.
Full summary
The whole story of Heart of a Dog, scene by scene
How Well Do You Know Heart of a Dog?
10 questions about the story, each with a hint if you get stuck. Pick an answer to see whether you were right.
Question 1 of 10
- Question 1: not answered
- Question 2: not answered
- Question 3: not answered
- Question 4: not answered
- Question 5: not answered
- Question 6: not answered
- Question 7: not answered
- Question 8: not answered
- Question 9: not answered
- Question 10: not answered
What is the name of the stray dog that becomes the subject of the experiment?
Heart of a Dog Also Known As
10 alternative titles, including “sobache serdce” and “Sobachye Serdtse”.
- Also known as
-
- sobache serdce
- Sobachye Serdtse
- Sobache serdtse
- 狗心
- Собаче серце
- Corazón de perro
- Šuns širdis
- Köpek Kalbi
- 개의 심장
- Cœur de chien
Seen Heart of a Dog?
Movies Like Heart of a Dog
Films with a similar story, tone or audience, including Heart of a Dog, The Year of the Dog and Heart of a Child.
Heart of a Dog FAQ: Cast, Runtime & Release Date
Runtime, release date, director, cast, post-credit scenes and language of Heart of a Dog, each answered in a sentence.
How long is Heart of a Dog?
Heart of a Dog runs 2 hours 16 minutes (136 minutes).
When was Heart of a Dog released?
Heart of a Dog was released on November 11, 1988.
Who directed Heart of a Dog?
Heart of a Dog was directed by Vladimir Bortko.
More films by Vladimir Bortko Who is in the cast of Heart of a Dog?
Heart of a Dog stars Evgeniy Evstigneev as профессор Филипп Преображенский, Nina Ruslanova as Дарья Петровна and Sergei Filippov as пациент, among 37 credited actors.
Does Heart of a Dog have a post-credit scene?
No. Heart of a Dog has no extra scene during or after the credits.
What language is Heart of a Dog in?
The original language of Heart of a Dog is Russian.
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