Three Sisters *** (1970, Laurence Olivier, Joan Plowright, Jeanne Watts, Louise Purnell, Derek Jacobi, Alan Bates, Ronald Pickup) – Classic Movie Review 11,656

Laurence Olivier’s 1970 film of his 1967 British Royal National Theatre version of the 1901 Anton Chekhov play Three Sisters [Tri Sestry] is theatrical and stiff, but precious for the rousing acting from his Joan wife Plowright (as the ideal Masha Prozorova), Alan Bates as Colonel Aleksandr Vershinin, Ronald Pickup as Baron Nikolaj Tusenbach, Derek Jacobi as Andrei Prozorov and Lord Olivier as Doctor Ivan Chebutikin.

It uses the translation from Russian by Moura Budberg. The film was released in the UK on 2 November 1970 but in the US it was released in 1974 as part of the American Film Theatre, a series of 13 film adaptations of stage plays shown to subscribers at about 500 movie theaters across the country.

Olga Prozorova (Jeanne Watts), Masha Prozorova (Joan Plowright) and Irina Prozorova (Louise Purnell) are the Three Sisters leading lonely and purposeless lives after the death of their army commander father. Unhappily married Masha falls hopelessly in love with married Colonel Vershinin (Alan Bates).

John Sichel helped Olivier with the direction. It is the final feature film directed by Olivier. Geoffrey Unsworth’s commendable cinematography does give the long film (165 minutes) some sense of movement and cinema.

The cast are Jeanne Watts as Olga Prozorova, Joan Plowright as Masha Prozorova/ Kulighina, Louise Purnell as Irina Prozorova, Derek Jacobi as Andrei Prozorov, Sheila Reid as Natasha Ivanova, Kenneth MacKintosh as Fyodor Kulighin, Daphne Heard as Anfisa, Judy Wilson as Serving Maid, Mary Griffiths as Housemaid, Ronald Pickup as Baron Nikolaj Tusenbach, Laurence Olivier as Doctor Ivan Chebutikin, Frank Wylie as Major Vassili Vassilich Solyony, Alan Bates as Colonel Aleksandr Vershinin, and Richard Kay as Lieutenant Aleksej Fedotik.

The film was first released as a region 1 DVD in 2004 and a Blu-ray version was released in the US in 2017.

In November 1970, 200 members of Leyton’s Beaumont Youth Club jeered Princess Anne and threw tomatoes as she went to the London premiere of Three Sisters instead of going to see Bronco Bullfrog. But a week later she went to see it at the Mile End ABC. Actor Sam Shepherd claims that he was arrested by police for attempting to kiss the princess’s hand and later wrote to her to apologise.

© Derek Winnert 2021 Classic Movie Review 11,656

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