Putin's Witnesses Backdrop Blur
Putin's Witnesses Poster

Putin's Witnesses

Russian Federation, December 31, 1999. After President Boris Yeltsin's unexpected resignation, Prime Minister Vladimir Putin becomes acting president of the country. From that day and for a year, Vitaly Mansky's camera documented Putin's rise to power. The story of a privileged witness. The harsh explanation of the reason why politics is the art of possibility of achieving the best with the support of many, but also of giving the worst in return.

Top Cast

  • Vitaly Mansky

    Vitaly Mansky

    Self - Narrator (voice) / (archive footage)

  • Boris Nemtsov

    Boris Nemtsov

    Self - Politician (voice)

  • Vladimir Putin

    Vladimir Putin

    Self - Politician (archive footage)

  • Boris Yeltsin

    Boris Yeltsin

    Self - Politician (archive footage)

  • Mikhail Gorbachev

    Mikhail Gorbachev

    Self - Politician (archive footage)

  • Naina Yeltsina

    Naina Yeltsina

    Self - Yeltsin's Wife (archive footage)

  • Tatyana Yumasheva

    Tatyana Yumasheva

    Self - Yeltsin's Daughter / Politician (archive footage)

  • Vera Dmitrievna Gurevich

    Vera Dmitrievna Gurevich

    Self - Putin's Teacher (archive footage)

  • Anatoly Chubais

    Anatoly Chubais

    Self - Politician (archive footage)

Overview

Russian Federation, December 31, 1999. After President Boris Yeltsin's unexpected resignation, Prime Minister Vladimir Putin becomes acting president of the country. From that day and for a year, Vitaly Mansky's camera documented Putin's rise to power. The story of a privileged witness. The harsh explanation of the reason why politics is the art of possibility of achieving the best with the support of many, but also of giving the worst in return.

Rating

6.3 / 10
43 Reviews
1 Popular

Trailers & Clips

Recommendations

Visions of Light

Cameramen and women discuss the craft and art of cinematography and of the "DP" (the director of photography), illustrating their points with clips from 100 films, from Birth of a Nation to Do the Right Thing. Themes: the DP tells people where to look; changes in movies (the arrival of sound, color, and wide screens) required creative responses from DPs; and, these artisans constantly invent new equipment and try new things, with wonderful results. The narration takes us through the identifiable studio styles of the 30s, the emergence of noir, the New York look, and the impact of Europeans. Citizen Kane, The Conformist, and Gordon Willis get special attention.

Visions of Light

7.0 1992