MOSCOW, February 1. /TASS/. Serbian film director Emir Kusturica told Izvestia on Wednesday about his plans to make three movies based on works by Russia’s 19th century novelist Nikolay Gogol.
"I am contemplating three movies based on Gogol’s novels and stories. His works are powerful examples of realistic literature. I’d have to make three films to make them leave a stronger impression [on the audience] than a single picture could," Kusturica said. Specifically, he referred to The Tale of How Ivan Ivanovich Quarreled with Ivan Nikiforovich, The Carriage, and The Sorochyntsi Fair which he said were fantastic case studies on the conscience and characters of people who inhabited Malorossiya two centuries ago. However, the Serbian film director doubted he could make a screen version of Dead Souls yet.
Kusturica said he would soon decide on a deadline for starting his work. "It is going to be a great film, because it is impossible to make a Gogol novel into a bad film," he added.
Kusturica, a Yugoslav and Serbian filmmaker and actor, won the Palme d’Or twice and was given awards at the world’s largest film festivals.