Stepan Khalturin

Stepan Khalturin, directed by Aleksandr Panteleyev, is a somber, monochromatic tapestry of pre-revolutionary fervor that excavates the psychological and political metamorphosis of its eponymous protagonist. Moving beyond a mere hagiographic depiction, the narrative delineates Khalturin’s journey from a skilled, industrious carpenter to a radicalized architect of dynastic destabilization within the Narodnaya Volya movement. The film meticulously reconstructs the subterranean tension of 1880s St. Petersburg, where the opulence of the Winter Palace stands in violent contrast to the soot-stained existence of the proletariat. As Khalturin infiltrates the imperial residence under the guise of a craftsman, the plot tightens like a garrote, culminating in the cataclysmic, though ultimately unsuccessful, attempt on the life of Alexander II. Panteleyev utilizes the flickering grain of 1920s celluloid to capture the visceral desperation of a class on the precipice of an ideological explosion, framed through the lens of historical realism and a burgeoning Soviet cinematic identity.