Bitter Harvest (2017 film)
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| Bitter Harvest | |
|---|---|
.png) Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | George Mendeluk |
| Produced by | Ian Ihnatowycz |
| Written by | Richard Bachynsky Hoover George Mendeluk |
| Starring | Max Irons Samantha Barks Barry Pepper Tamer Hassan Lucy Brown Terence Stamp Jack Hollington Richard Brake Ostap Stupka Alexander Pecheritsyia |
| Music by | Benjamin Wallfisch |
| Cinematography | Douglas Milsome |
| Edited by | Stuart Baird Lenka Svab |
| Distributed by | Roadside Attractions B&H Film Distribution Company, D Films Canada |
Release date |
|
Running time | 103 minutes |
| Country | Canada |
| Language | English |
Bitter Harvest is a 2017 romantic-drama film set in Soviet Ukraine in the early 1930s. The film was directed by George Mendeluk and the original story and script was written by Richard Bachynsky Hoover who collaborated on the final shooting script phase with director George Mendeluk. The film stars Max Irons, Samantha Barks, Barry Pepper, Tamer Hassan and Terence Stamp. The film is produced by Ian Ihnatowycz, Stuart Baird, George Mendeluk, Chad Barager. Dennis Davidson, Peter D. Graves and William J. Immerman serve as executive producers along with Richard Bachysnky Hoover.
Plot[edit]
Inspired by actual events, Bitter Harvest follows two lovers, played by Irons and Barks, struggling with their kulak grain farmer families to survive the Holodomor, the Kremlin's regime-forced famine-genocide that took place as part of the Soviet famine of 1932–33. As Joseph Stalin attempts to build a strong and prosperous Soviet Union, a young Ukrainian artist named Yuri (Max Irons) fights to survive starvation, detainment, and torture to spare his childhood sweetheart Natalka (Samantha Barks) from the famine-genocide. Against this backdrop, Yuri escapes from a Soviet prison and joins the resistance movement as he fights to rejoin with Natalka and proceed with the battle for a free Ukraine.
Cast[edit]
- Max Irons as Yuri
- Samantha Barks as Natalka
- Barry Pepper as Yaroslav
- Tamer Hassan as Sergei
- Terence Stamp as Ivan
- Aneurin Barnard as Mykola
- Tom Austen as Taras
- Richard Brake as Medved
- Gary Oliver as Joseph Stalin
Production[edit]
In 2008, Ukrainian Canadian Richard Bachynsky Hoover began to seek financial support for his script to produce a film about the Holodomor from the Ukrainian Government which was not supportive in the cinematography minister sector or by various Ukrainian oligarchs.[1] In 2011, Bachynsky Hoover approached fellow Ukrainian Canadian Ian Ihnatowycz who committed to financing production of the $21 million film in its entirety.[1]
The film was originally titled The Devil's Harvest.[2][3] Filmed on location in Ukraine, the film's cast includes Barry Pepper, Tamer Hassan and Terence Stamp. In his attempt to help uncover certain parts of Kremlin history, producer Ian Ihnatowycz stated, "Given the importance of the Holodomor, and that few outside Ukraine knew about this man-made famine because it had been covered up by the Kremlin regime, this chapter of history needed to be told in English on the silver screen for the first time in feature film history."[2][4]
Filming began in Ukraine by November 15, 2013.[5] on February 5, 2014, Variety reported that the shoot had just ended in Kiev.[2] Several local crew took part in the simultaneously held Euromaidan demonstrations.[1]
In early 2014, post-production continued at London's Pinewood Studios, using the official James Bond filming tank for under-water filming. Skyfall editor Stuart Baird and SFX teams worked on the film in post production.
Release[edit]
The film was acquired by Roadside Attractions for a 1st quarter 2017 US release.[6] Roadside Attractions released the film in the US on February 24, 2017. "D" Films Canada will launch Bitter Harvest on March 3 in Canada as well as many other film distributors who have bought the rights for the film in major countries globally who will also launch the film during the first quarter of 2017.
Reception[edit]
Bitter Harvest received negative reviews from critics. on Rotten Tomatoes, it has a 9% approval rating, based on 44 reviews. The consensus says, "Bitter Harvest lives down to its title with a clichéd wartime romance whose clumsy melodrama dishonors the victims of the real-life horrors it uses as a backdrop."[7]
See also[edit]
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