Join us today on a brief journey through the history of Russian hats in film-making on both sides of the Atlantic. Given their originality, style and pure beauty, it is no wonder that costume designers consider such headwear when shooting a scene. However, there is obviously no escape when a movie follows Russian history and culture.
Creating a chronological order, we will start with the 1962 drama Taras Bulba that is loosely based on the eponymous short novel by Nikolai Gogol, an influential forerunner of the Russian literature. The film’s main character, played by Yul Brynner, wears a traditional white Cossack papakha. This particular hat is made of sheepskin and is very soft. Since the material is natural, shade variations are very common.
Moving just three years ahead, we encounter the first Hollywood screening of Doctor Zhivago. The drama is based on the world-famous novel by the 1958 Nobel Literature Prize winner Boris Pasternak. Stars Omar Sharif and Julie Christie are seen wearing sheared sheepskin and fox fur Russian hats.
In 1969, the world met a new James Bond villain in another spy film titled On Her Majesty’s Secret Service. Infamous Ernst Stavro Blofeld, played by Telly Savalas, wore brown Astrakhan fur ambassador hat with a matching collar on a trimmed overcoat. This is a primer on how to pull of a truly smart and elegant look.
Despite being filled with clichés, we cannot pass on mentioning Arnold Schwarzenegger in the 1988 action motion picture Red Heat. What was probably intended as a quality mouton policeman ushanka, looks more like a faux fur replica.
A much better job was done by costume designers in 1990. Playing the role of a Soviet submarine captain, Sean Connery accurately demonstrates wardrobe of the highest ranking Navy officers of the time. In The Hunt for Red October, he wears a mouton ushanka hat that is mixed with genuine leather on the outer side in open hat setup. This design is still used in the modern Russian Navy due to its particular suitability for humid environment.
Another version of Doctor Zhivago hit the television screens in 2002. Playing in British miniseries directed by Giacomo Campiotti, Keira Knightley made a kubanka hat look even better. Her co-star, Hans Matheson, wore a hat that resembled a classic Cossack papakha in style. As far as we can tell, sheared beaver fur was probably used instead of the more traditional lambskin. Rightly so, given that the action took place deep in the Siberian territory.
Same year, K-19: The Widowmaker military drama premiered. Just as Sean Connery did a decade before him, Harrison Ford plays a nuclear submarine captain. This time though, it looks to be a Persian lamb trooper hat. Albeit a departure from formally prescribed uniform, the hat is still an excellent choice for cold and windy conditions that are present at sea.
Once again travelling across the Pond, we 
examine the Russian Civil War drama Admiral released in 2008. In particular, Sergey Bezrukov, as General Vladimir Kappel, wears a traditional Cossack papakha hat. Made of black sheepskin, this appears to be a very accurate copy. The same could be said about the movie in general. Anyone interested in this period of Russian history should definitely consider watching the film or the accompanying miniseries.
It is impossible to list all instances of Russian hats appearing in motion pictures. Therefore, we will finish this piece off with the 2012 adaptation of Leo Tolstoy’s Anna Karenina. Keira Knightley appears here even more stylish in a silver fox fur hat with a matching scarf.