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Leo Tolstoy

Leo Tolstoy

Born: September 9, 1828
Died: November 20, 1910
in Yasnaya Polyana, Tula Governorate, Russian Empire [now Tula Oblast, Russia]
Count Lev Nikolayevich Tolstoy (1828–1910), usually referred to in English as Leo Tolstoy, was a Russian writer who is regarded as one of the greatest authors of all time. He received nominations for the Nobel Prize in Literature every year from 1902 to 1906 and for the Nobel Peace Prize in 1901, 1902, and 1909.

Born to an aristocratic Russian family in 1828, Tolstoy is best known for the novels War and Peace (1869) and Anna Karenina (1878), often cited as pinnacles of realist fiction. He first achieved literary acclaim in his twenties with his semi-autobiographical trilogy, Childhood, Boyhood, and Youth (1852–1856), and Sevastopol Sketches (1855), based upon his experiences in the Crimean War. His fiction includes dozens of short stories and several novellas such as The Death of Ivan Ilyich (1886), Family Happiness (1859), and Hadji Murad (1912). He also wrote plays and numerous philosophical essays.

In the 1870s Tolstoy experienced a profound moral crisis, followed by what he regarded as an equally profound spiritual awakening, as outlined in his non-fiction work A Confession (1882). His literal interpretation of the ethical teachings of Jesus, centering on the Sermon on the Mount, caused him to become a fervent Christian anarchist and pacifist. His ideas on nonviolent resistance, expressed in such works as The Kingdom of God Is Within You (1894), had a profound impact on such pivotal 20th-century figures as Mahatma Gandhi and Martin Luther King Jr. He also became a dedicated advocate of Georgism, the economic philosophy of Henry George, which he incorporated into his writing, particularly Resurrection (1899).

Movies for Leo Tolstoy...

Tolstoy: The Man Behind Anna
Title: Tolstoy: The Man Behind Anna
Character: Self (archive footage)
Released: April 24, 2007
Type: Movie
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An examination of the life of great Russian author Leo Tolstoy, who penned the 1877 novel Anna Karenina.
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Leo Tolstoy - Larger than the others
Title: Leo Tolstoy - Larger than the others
Character: Self (archive footage)
Released: January 3, 2003
Type: Movie
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German documentary on the Russian writer Leo Tolstoy.
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Cinema in Russia
Title: Cinema in Russia
Character: Archive footage
Released: August 27, 1979
Type: Movie
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Documentary film about early years of Russian cinema: its first directors, cameramen, producers and actors. Includes rare fragments of pre-revolutionary feature films, newsreels and Starewicz's animation.
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Paris Nineteen Hundred
Title: Paris Nineteen Hundred
Character: Self (archive footage) (as Leo Tolstoy)
Released: February 25, 1948
Type: Movie
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Nicole Védrès' chronicle of Paris from 1900 to 1914 is brought to life through the use of original material, all authentic, secured from more then 700 films belonging to public and private collections. A few of the celebrities of the time shown are Enrico Caruso, Sarah Bernhardt, and Maurice Chevalier.
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Le Comte Léon Tolstoï
Title: Le Comte Léon Tolstoï
Character: Self (as Comte Léon Tolstoï)
Released: January 22, 1910
Type: Movie
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It is almost like meeting the renowned Russian author to see this film, we get such a splendid view of him as he leaves his fine estate, find ourselves within touch of him almost, and near enough to watch his every motion as he bids his secretary good-bye before getting on the train. The view of the surrounding country and the peasant folk who each and every one get a kind look from the author, are also most interesting.
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