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Drama

Vassa (1983): Cast & Plot

Vassa (1983) movie poster

Vassa is a 1983 drama directed by Gleb Panfilov, starring Inna Churikova as Vassa, Albert Filozov and Vadim Medvedev. It runs 2 hours 18 minutes.

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Vassa (1983) movie poster
Released
Runtime
2h 18m (138 min)
Director
Gleb Panfilov
Genre
Drama
Original language
Russian
Studio
Lenfilm
After the credits
No No extra scene
The story

What Is Vassa About?

The premise of Vassa without spoilers. The whole story is in the plot summary further down.

A screen adaptation of Maxim Gorky’s play “Vassa Zheleznova” follows the decline of a merchant family. Vassa Zheleznova has long run the family business, but her unremarkable children, dissolute husband, alcoholic brother, and revolutionary daughter‑in‑law threaten its stability. As 1913 looms, the life she has built begins to crumble, exposing the fragile façade of normalcy.

Vassa Themes & Keywords

· 50 tags
  • house
  • matriarch
  • aristocrat
  • volga
  • tragedy
  • steamship
  • steamship company
  • mother son relationship
  • mother in law daughter in law relationship
  • mother daughter relationship
  • merchant
  • marriage
+38 more
  • husband wife relationship
  • heart attack
  • family relationships
  • death
  • death from heart attack
  • death of mother
  • based on play
  • maxim gorky
  • husband
  • suicide
  • russia
  • bolshevik
  • blackmail
  • upper class
  • terminal illness
  • switzerland
  • surveillance
  • suicide of husband
  • suicide of father
  • theft
  • servant
  • secret agent
  • scandal
  • russian revolution
  • revolution
  • revolutionary
  • paris france
  • murder
  • jew
  • jewish
  • incurable disease
  • illness
  • grandmother grandson relationship
  • government agent
  • forged papers
  • father daughter relationship
  • family fortune
  • dying
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Cast & crew

Vassa Cast & Characters

Inna Churikova leads the cast as Vassa, with Albert Filozov as Melnikov and Vadim Medvedev as Sergei Petrovich. Directed by Gleb Panfilov; 18 actors are credited in all.

Also Starring in Vassa

· 14 more
From the director

More from Gleb Panfilov

More films directed by Gleb Panfilov: 100 Minutes, The Romanovs: A Crowned Family, Valentina and The Theme.

Full filmography
Plot

Vassa Plot Summary

What happens in Vassa from start to finish, spoilers included, with a timeline of 14 key events. The opening is below; the full summary is a 2-minute read.

Spoilers ahead

In 1913, on a garbage dump on the outskirts of Nizhny Novgorod, shipping magnate Vassa Borisovna Zheleznova watches as her one-year-old passenger steamer, named after her son Fyodor, burns and sinks into the Volga. The vessel, valued at 300,000 rubles, is destroyed by the drunken negligence of sailor Shalamov, who had been hired years ago to save Fyodor from drowning. Frustrated, Vassa returns to the city on foot when her chauffeur Alexei Pyatorkin delays departure to tinker with the car engine.

Full summary

The whole story of Vassa, scene by scene

Read the full summary
Quiz

How Well Do You Know Vassa?

9 questions about the story, each with a hint if you get stuck. Pick an answer to see whether you were right.

Question 1 of 9

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  2. Question 2: not answered
  3. Question 3: not answered
  4. Question 4: not answered
  5. Question 5: not answered
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  7. Question 7: not answered
  8. Question 8: not answered
  9. Question 9: not answered

Who is the shipping magnate protagonist of the film?

Details

Vassa Also Known As

2 alternative titles: “Wassa” and “Vasa”.

Also known as
  • Wassa
  • Vasa

Seen Vassa?

FAQ

Vassa FAQ: Cast, Runtime & Release Date

Runtime, release date, director, cast, post-credit scenes and language of Vassa, each answered in a sentence.

How long is Vassa?

Vassa runs 2 hours 18 minutes (138 minutes).

When was Vassa released?

Vassa was released on September 12, 1983.

Who directed Vassa?

Vassa was directed by Gleb Panfilov.

More films by Gleb Panfilov

Who is in the cast of Vassa?

Vassa stars Inna Churikova as Vassa, Albert Filozov as Melnikov and Vadim Medvedev as Sergei Petrovich, among 18 credited actors.

Does Vassa have a post-credit scene?

No. Vassa has no extra scene during or after the credits.

What language is Vassa in?

The original language of Vassa is Russian.

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