View source for Prisoner of the Mountains

{{use dmy dates|date=October 2015}}
{{Infobox film
|name = Prisoner of the Mountains
|image = PrisoneroftheMountains.jpg
|caption = Theatrical release poster
|director = [[Sergei Bodrov]]
|executive producer = Boris Giller
|producer = Boris Giller
|co-producer = Sergei Bodrov, Eduard Krapivsky
|associate producer = Carolyn Cavallero
|story = Boris Giller
|writer = Boris Giller, Arif Aliyev, Sergei Bodrov
| starring       = {{Plainlist|
* [[Oleg Menshikov]]
* [[Sergei Bodrov, Jr.]]
* Dzhemal Sikharulidze
* Susanna Mekhralieva}}
|music = [[Leonid Desyatnikov]]
|cinematography = [[Pavel Lebeshev]]
|editing = Alan Baril<br>Olga Grinshpun<br>Vera Kruglova
|distributor = [[Orion Pictures|Orion Classics]]
|released = {{film date|1996}}
|runtime = 98 minutes
|country = Russia<br>[[Kazakhstan]]
|language = Russian
|budget = 
}}
'''''Prisoner of the Mountains''''' ({{lang-ru|Кавказский пленник}}, ''Kavkazskiy plennik''), also known as '''''Prisoner of the Caucasus''''', is a 1996 [[Russia]]n [[war film|war]] [[drama film]] directed by [[Sergei Bodrov]] and written by Bodrov, Arif Aliyev and Boris Giller. The film is based on the [[Caucasian War]]-era short story "[[The Prisoner of the Caucasus (story)|The Prisoner in the Caucasus]]" by the classic Russian writer [[Leo Tolstoy]].

''Prisoner of the Mountains'' was awarded a [[Crystal Globe]] at the 1996 Karlovy Vary International Film Festival, and the same year was nominated for an [[Academy Award]] for [[Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film|Best Foreign Language Film]] (Russia)<ref name="Oscars1997">{{Cite web|url=http://www.oscars.org/oscars/ceremonies/1997 |title=The 69th Academy Awards (1997) Nominees and Winners |accessdate=5 October 2015 |work=oscars.org}}</ref> and a [[Golden Globe Award]] for Best Foreign Language Film (Russia). It also received rave critic reviews.

This film illustrates the conflicting views between traditional [[Chechen people|Chechen]] culture and Russian warfare through the use of soundtrack, costuming, and arms. The personal confrontation between two Russian soldiers and their Chechen captors is the main theme of the film, which was shot in the mountains of [[Dagestan]] (mostly in the [[aul]] of Ritcha, whose inhabitants are mentioned in the film's credits), a short distance away from the then-ongoing [[First Chechen War]].

==Cast==
* [[Oleg Menshikov]] – Sasha
* [[Sergei Bodrov, Jr.]] – Ivan (Vanya) Zhilin
* Dzhemal Sikharulidze – Abdul-Murat
* Susanna Mekhralieva – Dina
* Aleksandr Bureev – Hasan
* Valentina Fedotova – Ivan's mother
* [[Aleksei Zharkov]] – Maslov

==Plot==
A group of Russian soldiers is ambushed by rebels in the Chechen mountains and the two survivors are taken prisoner by an old man Abdul Murat, who wants to swap them for his son held by the Russians. The two prisoners cope with the situation in very different ways, as the war-hardened and cynical sergeant Sasha ([[Oleg Menshikov]]) works to escape while the young and naive conscript Vanya ([[Sergei Bodrov, Jr.]]) tries to make friends with his captors and falls in love with the daughter Dina. After an escape attempt fails, the different personalities of the two prisoners determine their fate.

==Reception==
===Awards===
Awards:
*[[European Film Award]] – Outstanding Single Achievement
*[[Karlovy Vary International Film Festival]] – Award of Ecumenical Jury
*Karlovy Vary International Film Festival – [[Crystal Globe]]
*[[Nika Awards]] – Best Actor
*Nika Awards – Best Director
*Nika Awards – Best Film
*Nika Awards – Best Screenplay 

Nominations:
*[[Academy Award]] – [[Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film|Best Foreign Language Film]] (Russia)
*[[Golden Globe Award]] – Best Foreign Language Film (Russia)
*Nika Awards – Best Cinematographer
*Nika Awards – Best Sound Editing
*[[Satellite Awards]] – Best Motion Picture (Foreign Language)

===Ratings===
''Prisoner of the Mountains'' received a very positive score of 87% "fresh" (positive) reviews at [[Rotten Tomatoes]], with the average rating of 8.3/10.<ref>[http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/prisoner_of_the_mountains/ ''Prisoner of the Mountains''] on [[Rotten Tomatoes]]</ref>

==See also==
* [[List of submissions to the 69th Academy Awards for Best Foreign Language Film]]
* [[List of Russian submissions for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
*{{Amg movie|136370}}
*{{imdb title|0116754}}

{{Sergei Bodrov}}
{{Golden Leopard}}
{{Crystal Globe}}

[[Category:1996 films]]
[[Category:Films directed by Sergei Bodrov]]
[[Category:1990s drama films]]
[[Category:Anti-war films]]
[[Category:Chechen wars films]]
[[Category:Chechen-language films]]
[[Category:Crystal Globe winners]]
[[Category:Films based on works by Leo Tolstoy]]
[[Category:Golden Leopard winners]]
[[Category:Kazakhstani films]]
[[Category:Prisoner of war films]]
[[Category:Russian films]]
[[Category:Russian-language films]]
[[Category:Turkish-language films]]
[[Category:War drama films]]
[[Category:Film scores by Leonid Desyatnikov]]