A new film by Karen Shakhnazarov, ‘Khitrovsky Market. The Sign of Four’, is in theaters. Find out what the project has to offer in our article.

What happens when you put together a world-famous actor and director Konstantin Stanislavsky and an equally famous journalist Vladimir Gilyarovsky? And all in the most controversial part of Moscow – the Khitrovsky Market! The result is a mix for a new script, perhaps a play, or even better – a film. Karen Shakhnazarov, armed with this idea, has made his first detective project – ‘Khitrovsky Market. The Sign of Four’.

History on Screen and Connection with Real Life

On screen, we see the story of Konstantin Stanislavsky (Konstantin Kryukov), who is preparing to play an important role in a new production by Nemirovich-Danchenko. Stanislavsky decides to explore the gangster districts of Moscow and turns his attention to the Khitrovsky Market.

But it's better not to go to this area alone, and Stanislavsky finds help in the person of Gilyarovsky, who knows the Khitrovsky Market like the back of his hand – the locals even call him ‘Uncle Gilyai’. As a result, they agree on a tour and an introduction to the most interesting spots and people of the market. And, of course, the heroes find themselves at the center of a detective story.

In one interview, Shakhnazarov said it was not easy to create the Khitrovsky Market of Gilyarovsky's era, since the appearance of the district can only be guessed at. On the other hand, this gave carte blanche for imagination and a personal vision of this iconic territory.

The Khitrovsky Market in our film looks romantic - in my opinion, exactly as this district was described by Gilyarovsky. But in general, few people probably remembered that real Khitrovsky Market; it was completely destroyed in 1926. The Soviet government took this place seriously - surrounded it, warned everyone, and went straight through. Gilyarovsky, by the way, lived to see the time when only buildings remained of the former Khitrovka. Then, in the mid-30s, they were also demolished.

Besides the historical location itself, the historical figures appearing in the film also attract attention.

At the center of the plot is Konstantin Sergeyevich Stanislavsky, a star of the Moscow Art Theatre. He already has a name in the theater world, but is still searching for himself. The viewer makes all possible deductive conclusions and logical chains thanks to him. As an actor, trying to apply all his skills, he immerses himself in the situation, trying to live it and understand the established scheme of action.

Stanislavsky's companion is Vladimir Alekseyevich Gilyarovsky (Mikhail Porechenkov). A famous journalist, author of many literary works about Moscow, in particular about the Khitrovsky Market. In the film, Uncle Gilyai comes across as a true Russian man: he can fight a bear, emerge victorious from any brawl, and look equally at home in the slums and high society.

Among the historical figures on screen, Vladimir Ivanovich Nemirovich-Danchenko and Anton Pavlovich Chekhov will also appear. The first was played by Alexander Oleshko, and Chekhov was played by . If the first had virtually no impact on the development of the story according to the plot, then Anton Pavlovich not only came up with a new play with an unusual stress – ‘The Cherry Orchard’ – but also helped in understanding the story.

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Open material

Khitrovsky Market, Holmes, and Soviet Classics

What about the plot? From the very first frames, Shakhnazarov declares his love for Arthur Conan Doyle’s work ‘The Sign of Four’. In numerous interviews during promotion, he repeatedly said that the script was based on Gilyarovsky’s works about the Khitrovsky Market and Moscow, as well as the famous Briton’s detective stories.

Of course, the plot does not become a carbon copy of Holmes’s adventures, but the oriental motifs, and at some point the finale – all this is filled with references to the master. We will also encounter an allusion to ‘The Woman’ in the form of the Princess (Anfisa Chernykh) and the clumsy but conceited policeman Rudnikov (Evgeny Stychkin).

At the same time, the film does not feel derivative. It is interesting to examine and solve like a puzzle. Not only to follow the plot and try to understand, like the main characters, what is happening, but also to try to find all the allusions to other films, including Soviet classics. If you look closely, among the antique dealer's belongings, for example, you can spot the statue of the beautiful lady from the film ‘Formula of Love’ (yes, that’s why this article quotes the film).

The atmosphere of the film also plays an important role. The filming took place at Mosfilm, in the sets of Old Moscow, as well as in St. Petersburg and Kronstadt. It is interesting to observe how one of the poorest districts of the capital can be transformed into its center.

If everything is so good overall, what’s the catch? It can’t be that everything is perfect. We are talking about Russian cinema, after all. Of course, it isn’t. For example, there are major problems with editing: sometimes it seems that some scenes necessary for the story are hidden from the viewer, or there are episodes with stuntmen that stand out strongly.

Shakhnazarov gave us not only an adventure film with detective notes, immersing us in a fascinating historical context, but also a film-ode to the craft, the work, and the place. And in response to the mistakes made, I want to recall Stanislavsky’s final phrase: ‘Facts are not important for art.’ And you know, you can even believe that.

Trailer: