A Wave of Passion: The Life of Alexandra Kollontai

This documentary traces the life and work of Alexandra Kollontai, following her from early activism in Tsarist Russia through her role as a Bolshevik, diplomat, and advocate for women's independence. Rather than a simple chronology, the film interweaves archival footage, letters, and interviews to show how Kollontai linked socialist politics with intimate life, arguing that social change had to include transformations in relationships and labor. Voice performances and firsthand testimony give the account a personal tone, and the narrative keeps focus on ideas and public action rather than sensationalizing private affairs. The result is an intimate portrait that makes clear why she remains a controversial and influential figure in socialist and feminist history.

Directed by Ken Cooper and created by Kevin Mulhern, the film premiered in 1994 as a feature documentary. It compiles archival sources and contemporary interviews to reconstruct Kollontai's public career and intellectual legacy.

There are no widely reported box office figures, and the movie appears to have had a limited theatrical run. It mainly reached audiences through festival screenings, educational showings, and television or home video outlets rather than mainstream commercial distribution.

On viewer-driven sites the film has attracted positive ratings, reflecting interest among scholars and history buffs; one recorded vote lists an 8.0 out of 10. The documentary foregrounds themes of gender, social reform, and the tensions between personal freedom and state power, and it favors close reading of texts and speeches to explain political choices.

Featuring Glenda Jackson as the voice of Kollontai and a mix of interview subjects, the film provides an accessible English-language look at a figure often known only through specialized scholarship. That vocal casting lends authority, while the archival material helps viewers who aren't familiar with Russian sources to grasp why Kollontai's proposals about love, labor, and the state sparked debate across the left.