Together, however, they add up to a film that may be the closest movies have come to the cinematic equivalent of a collection of Chekhov short stories.

He is currently developing his slant on the Don Juan legend, and a musical adaptation of a Chekhov short story.

The camera holds the image so long that the Chekhov story must come to mind.

So where does one get the chance to see a Chekhov story, performed as a story, complete with third-person narration, and in Russian as well?

"Lady" is adapted from a Chekhov short story about a married woman who has an affair while on a holiday in Yalta.

"We swallow a Chekhov story as if it were an ice, and we cannot account for our feeling of repletion," she writes.

Mikhalkov, the director, said the Italian actor was perfect for the film, which was drawn from some Chekhov stories.

He also directed a short film called "Upheaval," based on a Chekhov short story.

Together they add up to a collection of wrenching, minutely observed moments that suggest Chekhov short stories.

He also buys Eden presents: a tape recorder and some Chekhov stories on a cassette, sunglasses, a pair of tennis shoes.