The Barber of Siberia

A sweeping romantic epic, The Barber of Siberia is an ambitious portrait of pre-revolution Russia played out against a complex love story.

The story is told as a woman in 1905 Massachusetts writes a letter to a West Point cadet, telling him a sprawling tale that begins in 1885 when a young American woman, Jane (Julia Ormond), meets a sparky Russian cadet, Andrei (Oleg Menshikov), on a train bound for Moscow...

The film has a real sense of scope and history and features an outstanding performance by Julia Ormond, alongside Richard Harris.
A huge cast, wonderful directorial touches and a continual stream of real-life humour that makes the characters and situations interesting and engaging turn this into a stunning tale of passion and honour.