Boris Godunov

Boris Godounov is a 1989 musical drama film written and directed by Andrzej Żuławski, based on the opera of the same name by Modest Mussorgsky and the 1825 play of the same name by Alexander Pushkin. The film features the 1872 version of Mussorgsky's score, although with significant cuts. Plot In 1874 Saint Petersburg, composer Modest Mussorgsky attends the premiere of his opera Boris Godunov. The curtain opens and the performance begins. After the death of Czar Fyodor an enormous crowd has gathered before the Kremlin gate. Incited by boyars, the crowd implores Boris Godunov to accept the throne. Boris agrees though he knows that the crown is stained with the blood of Czarevitch Dimitri, the rightful heir to the throne, murdered earlier at Godunov's secret order. At the same time, in a monastery, monk Pimen is finishing his historical chronicle. Asked by the young novice Grigori about Dimitri's mysterious death, Pimen reveals to him the truth about Godunov's involvement. Deeply affected by the monk's tale, Grigori soon flees to Lithuania.