Katerina Izmailova (1967): cast, story & where to watch

Released in 1967, Katerina Izmailova is a drama film directed by Mikhail Shapiro, running about 118 minutes.

What it’s about. Katerina Izmailova is a filmization of Dmitry Shostakovich's long-suppressed 1936 opera. Galina Vishnevskaya stars as Katerina, a bored 19th century farm wife. At the behest of her grungy lover, Katerina murders her husband and her father-in-law. She and her new beau are both sent to Siberia, where the lover almost immediately takes up with a younger woman. Banned by Stalin for its bleak portrait of Soviet life, Katerina Izmailova was not given a Russian staging for over 40 years; its Metropolitan Opera debut did not occur until 1994. Dmitri Shostakovich also wrote the screenplay for the screen version of Katerina Izmailova.

Who’s in it. Katerina Izmailova stars Galina Vishnevskaya as Katerina, Artyom Inozemtsev as Sergey, Nikolai Boyarsky and Aleksandr Sokolov, among others.

How it landed. With an audience score of 5.0/10, Katerina Izmailova has proved divisive with audiences.

Where to watch. Streaming options change often. See the full, country-by-country breakdown on our where to watch Katerina Izmailova page.

If you liked it. Fans of Katerina Izmailova tend to enjoy The Shawshank Redemption, The Godfather, Schindler's List and The Godfather Part II.