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opinion Mark H. Teeter

Remembering James H. Billington

The author of perhaps the greatest book in English on Russian culture, "The Icon and the Axe," and 13th Librarian of Congress, passed away last week.

opinion Mark H. Teeter

Russian State TV's Newest Show on America Falls Short of Great (Op-ed)

The second big-budget talk show of the fall season premiered on Monday night.

Putin: The New Tsar

Watch this excellent new documentary before Russia's presidential elections.

The 1917 Revolution Continues on Russian TV

Wings of Empire, an 8-part dramatic series on the years of revolution, premieres Wed. on Russian Channel 1.

Moscow TV Round-Up: Vysotsky, Orwell and the Cheka

The origins of the Soviet state security system, the United States' greatest Southern writer, the archetypal Big Brother and Russia’s greatest actor-singer-poet...

Moscow TV Round-Up: High-Octane Thrills Eclipse New Oliver Stone Documentary

This week promises four hours of pretend-important chit-chat, three great Russian films and two young adult features that will by turns rev your engines...

Moscow TV Round-Up: Stravinsky in Hollywood, Rock 'N' Roll in Leningrad

This week on Moscow TV: Find out about Igor Stravinsky's Hollywood life in the 1950s and Leningrad’s underground music scene in the 1980s, as well as...

Moscow TV Round-Up: Literature, Justice and the Third Reich

It’s "strange bedfellows week" on Moscow television, as the small screen offers its audience great literature (live!), regrettable war criminals (dead...

Moscow TV Round-Up: Propaganda and Patriotism

It’s propaganda, piracy and patriotism week on Moscow TV, with fine documentary and feature films that offer everyone from concerned flag-wavers to potential...

Moscow TV Round-Up: All for Victory

It’s Victory Day Week on Moscow television, and the small screen by tradition treats viewers to a good selection of classic Russian films portraying...

Moscow TV Round-Up: May Day Alert

It’s May Day Week on Moscow television, as the small screen gets the holiday fortnight in gear with a selection of documentaries and films good enough...

Moscow TV Round-Up: Keeping the Faith

It’s Take It on Faith Week on Moscow television, as the small screen offers viewers an assortment of Bible-related features during this year’s commonly-shared...

Moscow TV Round-Up: Tarkovsky Meets La Bella Italia

April has a plan to educate, as its early days offer viewers a Major in Italian and Minor in Tarkovsky week on Moscow TV.

Moscow TV Round-Up: Rostropovich vs. Lenin

It’s Mstislav Rostropovich Meets Vladimir Lenin Week on Moscow TV, with performance, documentary and feature films in honor of the late maestro’s 90th...

Moscow TV Round-Up: Rock 'n' Roll and the End of an Empire

It’s History of Rock ‘n’ Russia Week on Moscow TV, with an eclectic selection of clips and films on the history of popular music, the end of the...

Moscow TV Round-Up: It's a Woman's World

It’s Women and Song Week on Moscow TV, so open some wine and enjoy Alla Pugacheva, Judy Garland and Olivia Newton-John at their best on your small screen...

Moscow TV Round-Up: Big Stars, Big Events and Big Brains

It’s Big History, Big Stardom and Big Brainpower Week on Moscow TV, as small-screen viewers get some very good looks at the revolution of February 1917...

Moscow TV Round-Up: Peter the Great, Emelyan Pugachyov, Winston Churchill and a Groundhog and a Groundhog and a Groundhog

This week on Russian TV it's Peter the Great, the Decembrists, Emelyan Pugachyov and Winston Churchill - and Bill Murray interrupting things with a round-the-clock...

Moscow TV Round-Up: Russians in London, Russians and Poles, Russians at War and Much More

It’s Good Literature, Good Neighbors and Good Riddance Week on Russian TV, as two Russian novelists and a poet get their due; Russian-Polish relations...

Moscow TV Round-Up: High-Rises, High-Flyers, Death Rays and a Pole Pretending to be an American

It’s Everything But the Kitchen Sink Week on Moscow TV, as the small screen puts on an exotic smorgasbord indeed: you get everything from a Pole playing...

Moscow TV Round-Up: Warm Up with Jazz, Literary Lives of the Rich and Famous, and Fabulous Lunatics

Stay put while it’s a blustery minus 30 degrees Celsius outside and watch two good movies of Russian and American classic novels; two good Russian and...

Moscow TV Round-Up: Ring Out the Year with Laughs

It’s Comedy Favorites Week on Moscow TV, as the capital’s small screens signal the run-up to New Year’s and the long holiday with lighthearted movie...

Moscow TV Round-Up: It’s Non-Fiction Week, With Documentaries About Heroes, Poets, Rock Stars and More

It's Cross-Cultural Documentary Week on Moscow TV, as the small screen offers excellent features on the Beatles/Rolling Stones debate, a French-Russian...

Moscow TV Round-Up: Gone With the Wind, a New Solzhenitsyn Documentary and More

It’s Meet the Moviemakers Week on Moscow TV, with fine profiles of four great directors from Russia and abroad — plus two showings of Hollywood’s...

Moscow TV Round-Up: The Battle of Moscow, The X-Files and More

It’s War and Remembrance Week on Moscow TV: two very good but very different World War II dramas are on tap, along with fine features on two of the best...

Moscow TV Round-Up: Bond, Dean Reed Sings Again and More

It’s Spy vs. Spy Week on Moscow TV, as “the Russian James Bond” goes up against the, er, British one. Who will infiltrate your remote? Beyond dueling...

Moscow TV Round-Up: Hitler’s People, Seventeen Moments of Spring and More

It’s Danger Runs Amok Week on Moscow TV, as spies, fifth columnists and unrepentant Nazis parade menacingly across viewers’ small screens. Fortunately...

Moscow TV Round-up: A Richard Nixon Documentary, The Blonde Around the Corner and More

It’s Political Disaster Week on Moscow TV, as the small screen offers viewers very good features on a very bad American president, a very bad Russian...

Moscow TV Round-Up: Solaris, the Stalinist Terror and More

It’s Hot Music Meets High Tech Week on Moscow television: viewers get fine close-ups of two of the country’s classic tunesmiths, then get the pants...

Moscow TV Round-Up: Not By Bread Alone, a Gleb Plaksin Documentary and More

It’s Solve That Social Problem! week on Moscow TV, as the small screen offers viewers a half-dozen films that answer key societal questions pondered...

Moscow TV Round-Up: Ivan the Terrible, Bimmer and More

It’s less Prime Time and more Crime Time on Moscow TV this week, as the films for late October offer viewers a very felonious tsar, four bad dudes in...

Moscow TV Round-Up: My Friend Ivan Lapshin, American Pie and More

With Russian-American relations officially up the creek, we should all thank Moscow TV for five days of encouraging paddles — mostly in the form of policemen...

Moscow TV Round-Up: Little Vera, the Russian Titanic, and More

Moscow TV is giving you good reason to stay indoors. This week you’ll see the Soviet Union’s amazing airborne white elephant, the greatest Russian...

Moscow TV Round-Up: The Edge, The Big Lebowski and More

It’s October at last, and Moscow TV offers just what autumn viewers need: good reasons to stay warm and dry on comfy sofas and timely reminders that...

Moscow TV Round-Up: Station for Two, Ivan Vasilievich Changes Professions and More

While this rainy September can’t end soon enough for those who like autumn strolls and leaf-peeping in the Big Onion’s parks, Moscow TV can at least...

Moscow TV Round-Up: White Sun of the Desert, Hipsters and The World of Czeslaw Milosz

Appalled or enthralled by Sunday’s election results, Moscow TV offers viewers much to enjoy as you decompress this week, including great music (modern...

Teeter's TV Take-Out: Amphibian Man, Ballad of the Hussars and More Moscow TV and Film

Now that you’ve sobered up after the City Day festivities, Moscow television will liven things up again Monday through Friday with a Box Office Smash...

Teeter’s TV Take-out: The Circus, Afonya and More Moscow TV and Film

It’s finally fall, but the darkening days and chillier evenings can be offset by the bright screen and warm colors of Moscow television. This week’s...

Teeter’s TV Take-Out: And Then There Were None, Tango & Cash and More Moscow TV and Film

It’s Back to School Week, but Moscow TV offers some good reasons for playing hooky and doing some cinema “homework.” This Monday through Friday you...

Teeter’s TV Take-Out: Volga-Volga, Chapayev and More Moscow TV and Film

Got the summertime blues? Cheer up, small-screen fans, as Moscow television offers you a stellar line-up of very watchable movies this week, including:...

Moscow TV and Film: Zero City, a Vysotsky Documentary and More

When you max out on Olympics-watching this week — again — on Channel 1, Rossiya 1 and Match!, Moscow television will be ready with some stellar programming...

Moscow TV and Film: The Olympics, Leviathan and More

Whether it's fun family film, an internationally acclaimed award-winner or something a little bit silly you're after, there's plenty of lively and insightful...