Konchalovsky studied for ten years at the
Moscow Conservatory, preparing for a pianist's career. In 1960, however, he met
Andrei Tarkovsky, whom he collaborated with on ''
Ivan's Childhood and Andrei Rublev''. His first own full-length feature,
The First Teacher (1964), was favourably received in the Soviet Union and screened by numerous film festivals abroad. His second film, ''
Asya Klyachina's Story'' (1967), was suppressed by Soviet authorities. When issued twenty years later, it was acclaimed as his masterpiece. Thereupon, Konchalovsky filmed adaptations of
Ivan Turgenev's A Nest of Gentle Folk (1969) and
Chekhov's Uncle Vanya (1970), with
Innokenty Smoktunovsky in the title role. In 1979 he was a member of the jury at the
11th Moscow International Film Festival. His epic
Siberiade upon its 1979 release was favourably received at
Cannes, particularly for its scene featuring the binding and abuse of a Siberian Lynx, and made possible his move to the United States in 1980. His most popular
Hollywood releases are ''
Maria's Lovers (1984), Runaway Train'' (1985), based on a script by Japanese director
Akira Kurosawa (who had written it as an adaptation of Dostoevsky's "
House of the Dead"), and
Tango & Cash (1989), starring
Sylvester Stallone and
Kurt Russell. In 1985,
Ned Tanen wanted to hire Konchalovsky to direct
The Godfather Part III, but the other executives at
Paramount Pictures concluded the film could not be made without
Francis Ford Coppola and
Mario Puzo's involvement. In the 1990s, Konchalovsky returned to Russia, although he occasionally produced historical films for U.S. television, such as his adaption of
The Odyssey (1997) and the award-winning
remake,
The Lion in Winter (2003). In a 2023
SAG-AFTRA Foundation interview,
Emily Blunt stated that she auditioned for a role in the latter film, and said of Konchalovsky that "he was vile... he was really horrible," and that he was "really cruel during the audition and loved taking me down a peg or two." Blunt claimed that he promoted a "very misogynistic sort of vibe, and I was a shell of my former self by the time I came out." Konchalovsky's full-length feature,
House of Fools (2003), with a cameo role by
Bryan Adams as himself, set in a
Chechen psychiatric asylum during the war, won him a Silver Lion at the
Venice Film Festival. In 2010, Konchalovsky released a longtime passion project of his,
The Nutcracker in 3D, a musical adaptation of
Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky's ballet. A musical film, it mixed live action and 3D animation, and starred Elle Fanning, John Turturro, Nathan Lane, and Richard E. Grant. The film was scored with music from the ballet, with additional lyrics by
Tim Rice. The film was universally panned by critics and audiences. In the same year, Konchalovsky also featured in
Hitler in Hollywood, a bio-doc about
Micheline Presle which evolves into a thrilling investigation of the long hidden truth behind European cinema. This mockumentary thriller uncovers Hollywood's unsuspected plot against the European motion picture industry. The film won the FIPRESCI Prize at the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival and was nominated for a
Crystal Globe award in July 2010. In 2012, Konchalovsky wrote, directed and produced
The Battle for Ukraine, which provided an in depth analysis of how Ukraine to this day struggles to escape from the close embrace of its former big brother, Russia. This extensive study lasted for almost three years and involved an array of Ukrainian, Russian and American historians, politicians and journalists, as well as the ex-President of Poland
Aleksander Kwaśniewski, the ex-President of Slovakia
Rudolf Schuster, the ex-President of Georgia
Eduard Shevardnadze, the seventh Secretary-General of the United Nations
Kofi Annan, the ex-Prime Minister of Russia
Viktor Chernomyrdin, and the businessman
Boris Berezovsky. In 2013, Konchalovsky co-produced
Royal Paintbox, a documentary directed by
Margy Kinmonth. The film features
Charles III, then
Prince of Wales, exploring the history of artistic activity within the
British royal family. It includes works created by members of the royal family across several countries, including watercolours by the Prince of Wales., and was filmed at various
Royal Estates. His film ''
The Postman's White Nights'' won the
Silver Lion at the
71st Venice International Film Festival. The script is centered around the true story of Aleksey Tryaptisyn, a real life
Russian Post officer based in a remote
Russian Far North village surrounding
Lake Kenozero. In 2016,
Paradise directed by him won the
Silver Lion at the
73rd Venice International Film Festival. It was selected as the Russian entry for the
Best International Feature Film at the
89th Academy Awards. In 2020, Konchalovsky directed
Dear Comrades!, a historical drama about the
Novocherkassk massacre. The film won the
Special Jury Prize at the
77th Venice International Film Festival.
Anthony Lane, writing for
The New Yorker, called the film Konchalovsky's "masterpiece." ==Political views==