Film

Chaliapin: The Enchanter

Director

Elisabeth Kapnist

Year

1998

The legendary Fyodor Chaliapin, whose beautiful bass voice and boldly naturalistic acting style made him the most famous Russian opera singer of the 20th century, is remembered in this fascinating documentary. Archival footage of Chaliapin's greatest roles -- Don Quichotte and Ivan the Terrible -- combines with vintage newsreels and interviews with his family and performers he influenced, including Sergei Leiferkus and Alexei Mochalov.