One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich

Plot

The film stars Tom Courtenay as the title character, a prisoner in the Soviet gulag system in the 1950s who endures

a long prison sentence. It tells of a routine day in his life.

Cast

Tom Courtenay as Ivan Denisovich Shukhov

Espen Skjønberg as Tiurin

Alf Malland as Fetiukov

Frimann Falck Clausen as Senka

Jo Skønberg as Gopchik

Odd Jan Sandsdalen as Eino

Torstein Rustdal as Vaino

James Maxwell as Captain

Alfred Burke as Alyosha

Eric Thompson as Tsetzar

John Cording as Pavlo

Matthew Guinness as Kilgas

Roy Bjørnstad

Paul Connell

Sverre Hansen

Wolfe Morris

Kjell Stormoen

Caspar Wrede

Reception

Roger Greenspun, in a respectful but unenthusiastic review for The New York Times, spoke highly of the cinematography, the "intelligent exploitation of realistic locations," and "estimable performances" by Courtenay and Skjonberg, but said that the movie carries "the aura of an almost official view of high quality, as if this were how an important movie made from an important novel ought to look."

Ban in Finland

Finnish film director Jörn Donner tried to get the film to Finland, but the Finnish Board of Film banned the showing of the film. In 1972, Donner complained to the Supreme Administrative Court of Finland. The Supreme Administrative Court voted for the banning 5–4 on 28 February 1972. In 1972 and 1974, Swedish television showed the film, and the Swedish Television mast in Åland was shut down during the movie to prevent Finns from seeing the film.

The director of the Finnish Board of Film, Jerker Eeriksson, said that the ban of the film was political because it harmed Finnish–Soviet relations. The director, Caspar Wrede, who then lived in England, refused to campaign against the ban to avoid bad publicity abroad.

The film was shown in Finland in 1993 and 1994 in the Orion movie theater in Helsinki, as well as in the cinema club in Vaasa. Finnish television showed the film in 1996 on the TV1 YLE channel.