Russian playwright Anton Chekhovs three upper-class Prozorov sisters--Masha, Olga and Irina--come no closer to their dream of returning to Moscow in director Laurence Oliviers 1970 film version of The Three Sisters than they did in Chekhovs original 1900 play. This melancholy classic about shattered dreams, self-delusion and compromise was directed by Olivier for Britains National Theatre in 1967. The film, a literal record of Oliviers stage version, was produced in order to raise money for the ever-imperiled National. Olivier, whod just recovered from a serious illness, plays the mischievous army doctor Chebutykin, while Oliviers wife Joan Plowright essays the major role of Masha, the snobbish Generals daughter who tries to escape the stultifying banality of her provincial marriage by having an affair. Three Sisters was released in the US in 1974 as part of the American Film Theatre series. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide