The Cherry Orchard
Kino International | Release Date: February 22, 2002 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
56
METASCORE
Mixed or average reviews based on 16 Critic Reviews
Positive:
9
Mixed:
5
Negative:
2
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
91
Seattle Post-IntelligencerWilliam Arnold
It's naturalistic, briskly paced and never overreverential. It's not a bit stagy, yet it manages to be dazzling theater. Read full review
90
Los Angeles TimesKenneth Turan
An exquisite performance by Charlotte Rampling, whose work as Lyubov Andreyevna Ranevskaya, the matriarch of the great estate the cherry orchard sits on, is the film's dazzling centerpiece. Read full review
80
L.A. WeeklySteven Leigh Morris
Cacoyannis lays on the atmosphere a bit thick with multiple repetitions of a lyrical Tchaikovsky motif underscoring unrequited love, one that is nonetheless beautifully rendered by pianist Vladimir Ashkenazy. Read full review
80
New Times (L.A.)Gregory Weinkauf
Thoughtful and somewhat languid adaptation of Anton Chekhov's 1904 play finds its beauty in the heady performance of Charlotte Rampling.
80
The New York TimesStephen Holden
What makes this Cherry Orchard different from almost every other interpretation (and makes it essential viewing for lovers of Chekhov) is Ms. Rampling's extraordinarily rich portrait of Ranevskaya. Read full review
75
Miami HeraldMarta Barber
While Cacoyannis' film may not be totally faithful to the master's pen, for literature students and theater lovers, this Cherry Orchard is a rare treat. Read full review
63
Chicago TribuneJohn Petrakis
Any Chekhov is better than no Chekhov, but it would be a shame if this was your introduction to one of the greatest plays of the last 100 years. Read full review
63
Boston GlobeJonathan Perry
As Ranevskaya, the film's focal point and one of its only sources of vitality, Rampling is an enigmatic treasure. Read full review
63
New York PostJonathan Foreman
There are affecting scenes, and not all of Cacoyannis' additions to the Chekhov text detract from the effect of its moving brilliance. Read full review
50
Chicago ReaderHank Sartin
We're never allowed to feel much of anything for these characters, and as a result their agonizing over their lost past and uncertain future seems like whining. Read full review
50
TV Guide MagazineKen Fox
As thrilling as they can be on stage, Chekhov's plays have never been the stuff of great movies -- there's simply nothing cinematic about them. Read full review
50
New York Daily NewsJami Bernard
The film medium allows us to witness a most ravishing cherry orchard. But the grand cast is given to emoting as if they were playing to the peasants in the cheap seats.
40
The A.V. ClubScott Tobias
Cacoyannis errs on the side of genteel respectability, sacrificing emotion and verve at the altar of good taste. Read full review
40
VarietyDerek Elley
Chekhov has never seemed such a long haul as in this awkward adaptation of The Cherry Orchard by veteran director Michael Cacoyannis, 77, who's assembled a good roster of names but ones that are not necessarily right for their roles. Read full review
30
Village VoiceMichael Atkinson
Allegiance to Chekhov, which director Michael Cacoyannis displays with somber earnestness in the new adaptation of The Cherry Orchard, is a particularly vexing handicap. Read full review
25
San Francisco ChronicleEdward Guthmann
Alan Bates and Charlotte Rampling are the brave stars of this pretty but sterile adaptation of the Anton Chekhov stage classic. Read full review
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