...Instead of dealing with everyday life, Lopushansky"s attention gets drawn towards
philosophical issues; his movies are saturated with thought about mankind, its destiny,
and about the moral responsibility of humans for everything around them.
Vadim Brusyanin
"Televideniye", No.33, 2000

...Konstantin Lopushansky is a sign figure for Russian authored cinematography, a true follower of his teacher Andrey Tarkovsky. However, his new movie "The Turn of the Century" will hardly remind the audience of "The Dead Man"s Letters", "The Visitor to a Museum", or "The Russian Symphony" shot by a director with a vision of an Apocalypse,a Doomsday. The slow sequence of close-ups introducing female faces, the psychological movie immersed in presenting personalities resembles, if any thing, Bergman"s "Person".
Michael Trofimenkov
"Pulse", October 2000

... Tarkovsky"s student and an adept of stoical philosophy, Konstantin Lopushansky seems to remain too immersed into his profession. Even while engaged in a lengthy monologue in which ideas of art are interspersed with philosophical and musical terminology,Lopushansky manages to stay inside his own "shell", and it is only the most patient "naturphilosophers" hiding in the dark depth of the audience who can hope to see its soft and delicate contents.

Tatyana Poznyak "Sobaka.ru", No3/7,2001

.."In all of the post-Soviet cinematography, Lopushansky is the only one "who attempts to assess historical shifts from a religious philosophical viewpoint, from a solid ground.
This allows him to notice separate trees in a dense forest and to draw inevitable
accusations of "moralizing". He has approached the thesis favored by "patriots", that of
the nation undergoing genocide and of its mentality, but he makes a different point: the
nation is not being destroyed by some unidentified enemy, but rather by ourselves. "This is suicidal psychology," the professor says. "This is the psychology shared by half the population of my country," replies the hero.
Valery Kitchin
"Izvestiya", June8,2001

...Lopushansky changes with every following movie which in itself is an unimaginable
luxury in Russia. Mass culture demands stability, be it one of a popular singer or a
theatrical director staging for "intellectuals". The ever-adapting director Lopushansky
authors movies on a good European level which assumes a degree of the audience"s
sensitivity towards the changing style, nuances, and hints. In "The Turn of the Century", Lopushansky addresses the metaphysical sources: the feeling of the -world harmony however badly it might have been distorted; the clearness and transparency of the story; the impossibility to provide answers to eternal questions.

Michael Trofimenkov "SK novosti", December 21,2001

... What concerns Lopushansky"s new movie, it bleeds with the blood of those Russians who have for the recent two centuries been interested in little but truly humanitarian values. These values may have not been directly related to the reality, but they nevertheless have never been betrayed by their bearers, retaining their ultimately precious nature. Without a dream of the Divine Kingdom on Earth, Russia looks castrated, devoid of its very special outlook, may it seem strange, admirable, or unpleasant to outsiders.

Olga Surkova "Iskusstvo kino". No. 11, 2001

... Meanwhile, Lopushansky is not one of those for who marginality is another hobby. The global nature of his artistic claims has intensified instead of disappearing; one cannot imagine Lopushansky or Sokurov as authors of minor projects following parallel
courses, documentaries, or short feature movies... As we are discussing "The Turn of the Century", this turn, according to Lopushansky, can still take its time impossible to
specify. Like the end of the authored cinematography which has been proclaimed for
quite some time.
Andrey Plakhov
"Commersant", No. 13,2002

... What is "The Turn of the Century"? It is a movie outstanding from the viewpoint of its setting, staging, acting, and the social understanding and responsibility rare in our time...
Michael Trofimenkov
"Iskusstvo kino", No.4,2002

... The movie attracts, literally attracts with its pain, sincerity, honesty. Yes, life is an
ordeal; we simply don"t like and even hate saying this.
Marina Murzina
"Argumenty i facty". No. 8,2002

...The director is engaged in a serious and uneasy dialogue with the audience. He alienates whatever we know making its understanding require certain effort. He reminds the people why they are present on the Earth, and how difficult it is to remain human.

Lopushansky trusts in the mission of cinematography. He never compromises; he continues tolling his topic remaining true to his system of views, and this results in the
dramatics of his destiny in art.
"Kinoprocess", No.2,2002
I think Lopoushansky to be a brilliant filmmaker. I am deeply interested in
watching him directing. It is thrilling to see him arranging a take, dealing with
actors. The way he shot the atomic catastrophe in "The Letters from a Dead Man"
made my heart ache. I put myself in those people"s shoes, visualized this happening
to me. It is a rare thing in art. When making " Visitor to a Museum " he kept up his
high artistic level.
Alexay Gherman, film director, Russia
"Picture Show" # 1

The film made a striking impression on me, turned my soul inside out... As I am leaving from Moscow I have a dream that every American might have a chance of viewing "Letters from the Dead Man".

Gregory Peck, actor, USA "Iskusstvo Kino" # 4. 1987

I find "The Letters from a Dead Man" one of summits of the achievements of the world cinema.
Arkady Strugatsky, writer, Russia
"Ekran" ("Screen"), #17, 1986

"Letters from a Dead Man" is an outstanding visionary film. It transfers
future to the present day. The letters are addressed to all contemporary humanity.
Vim Wenders, film director, Germany
"Tip".1987

...When I saw "Letters from a Dead Man" in the cinema, not one person moved until the last credit had faded. Anyone looking for signs of a new life in the Soviet cinema should begin here.

Andrew Wilson"Observer", September 21. 1986

A good knowledge of music and literature, an ability to fuse Dosloevsky with Bradbury, cite Olivier Messiaen and Gabriel Faure makes Konslantin Lopoushansky competent to create image, frame a take filling his protagonists in sets. Treatment of the plot chosen and the plot itself are equally important in his work since like Bergman or Bresson whom he is in the habit of mentioning, he doesn"t regard cinema as either a source of entertainment or an opportunity to experiment with the style no matter how refined it might be.

Jean Roy "Cannes-87", the official catalogue

The film director strives to adhere to Andrei Tarkovsky"s tradition, his obsession with moral problems. "Visitor to a Museum" is worth of being acclaimed critically and by audience.

Marina Vladi, actress, France Life", 23 August, 1989

The only festival film Vim Wenders views is "Visitor to a Museum", which he finds the focal point of the Festival. The reality persists in the theatre within two hours holding its breath. While watching the two-hour film audience comes to understand that films might be more than commodity, that is art, as essential as bread.

"Visitor to a Museum" is cinema intended for future, apocalyptic cinema. It

departs from the post-perestroika realism, criticism of the existing socialism, silly-

speculative Hollywood cinema likewise. It deals with the collapse of the civilization

in the East as well as in the West. Lopoushansky"s characters, brown, greyish-

yellow, their glance seems to be struck by acid, come out beyond the limits of the

technological reason that has already turned to the total insanity. Lopoushansky"s

film is drama about salvation without salvation.

Mattias Matusek

"Spiegel", 24.07.1989

I was deeply impressed by what I saw. It was beyond my expectations.

"Visitor to a Museum" is an art film made by a distinguished film director, (hat

held my attention to the last frame.

Dr.Wolfgang Pachke

2nd German TV

/ am flabbergasted... "Visitor to a Museum" touches both heart and mind.

The director"s way of thinking is convincing, his energy radiates from the film. But

what is amazing is that it allows for personal associations.

Dr.Norbert Schnaider, producer, Germany

"The first impressions", "Sojuzinfomkino" June 1989 

...There is no way of disregarding the dramatic force of "Visitor to a

Museum" augmented by Alfred Shnitke"s remarkable music, its ideological and

social magnitude.

Marcel Marten

"Le Film", 1990

Konstantin Lopoushansky doesn"t hide his interest, syncretic by its nature, in

various religions. He regards the idea of the material progress rather than spiritual

that has evolved since the Renaissance, to be the beginning of the collapse.

Lorand Danielou

"Cahiers du Cinema", 1990

Lopoushansky appeals to the universal memory of mankind of the 20th

century retaining rather sensation of spiritual values lost that knowledge of the past.

Other than that his foresight can be termed as "recollections of future".

Andrei Plakhov, film critic, Russia

"Film", #8, 1989

Unlike film directors of the new generation making films, Lopoushansky

works in the old way "making cinema " Every new film of his is closely linked to the

previous one - even Bresson could have envied him. Here is a relic of art cinema.

What is more important is that Lopoushansky"s cinema doesn"t degrade or stagnate.

It is wonderful that grotesque, black humor, slightly frantic culturological gambling

are included in "J7ie Russian Symphony".

Andrei Plakhov

"Seans" ("Picture Show"), # 10, 1995

"77^ Russian Symphony" is the work of severe, nearly devastating self-

criticism". For the first time Konstantin Lopoushansky keeps himself aloof from his

protagonists, prepares and mocks at them (satire and sarcasm have never shown up

before in his films).

Michael Trofimenkov, film critic, Russia

"Scans" ("Picture Show"), # 10. 1995

Lopoushansky"s feature is one of the distinguished ones made in 1994. It

displays irony and subtle feeling of hypocrisy. Really we laugh while parting with

our populist past. Intelligentsia that has always borne guilt to people, now may feel

comforted. Ttiroughout 75 years people did it best to release intelligentsia from that 

burden of guilt. Alas, there is future for the newlyborn community indeed. Bravo,

Lopoushansky.

Sergei Sholokhov, film critic, Russia

"Seans" ("Picture Show"), # 10, 1995

Among the titles included in "Berlinale-Forum" the most forceful one is

Konstantin Lopoushansky "s "Russian Symphony", a many-faceted work in terms of

its aesthetics and contents.

Haike Kuen

"Frankfurter Rundshau", February 16, 1995

K. Lopoushansky"s ^Russian Symphony" is voice in the wilderness, a

denunciation howl that can be compared by its force to P. Chaadaev "s prophetic

moans or the ones of the authors of "From the Low Depth". Tim film is prophetic

not only in the biblical interpretation of prophesy, but also in more run-off-the mill

prediction of the future. It came true several months after the release -of the film

when airbombs of our democracy and reform champions were dropped on children"s

homes in Chechnya.

Lopoushansky exposed what we all knew but somehow tried to push to the

background of our consciousness, that lie was the main element of the recent

Russian revolution like of the preceding Russian cataclysms. He did it virtuously by

removing all social and time layers beginning from the present time down to the

battle of the Kulikovo Field.

A.Eremin, N.Sirivlya

"Iskusstvo Kino", # 2, 1995

LINKS

• Konstantin Lopushansky

Maria Smimova-Nesvitskaya "Nevskoye vremya", February; "Televideniye", No.33, 2000 ...