Alright, folks, get ready to dive into some seriously ‘mind-blowing’ history. Long before the internet made viral sensations a daily occurrence, Soviet TV audiences were captivated by a one-of-a-kind figure: Anatoly Kashpirovskiy. This well-known mass hypnosis artist, a trained medical doctor, became a legit cult phenomenon, drawing millions to their television sets. His story is now being revisited in the documentary ‘Kashpirovskiy. Under the Spell’ by Polish director Lukasz Konopa, which recently screened at the Ji.hlava doc fest, giving us a fresh look at this wild chapter in broadcast history.
Kashpirovskiy’s journey into the spotlight began with a practical need: he apparently first explored hypnosis to keep his medical students awake during lectures. Little did he know, this skill would catapult him to unprecedented fame across the Soviet bloc. Konopa himself recounts being a seven-year-old in communist Poland, watching the strange man on TV as the electricity grid groaned under the strain of countless bulky televisions tuning in simultaneously. This widespread viewing wasn’t just a casual pastime; it was, according to the director, so massive it caused light bulbs to flicker, a ‘straight up’ testament to the collective spell he cast.
As the article states, Konopa, who later studied film and pursued cinematography, admittedly forgot about Kashpirovskiy until the first lockdown in 2020. This downtime sparked his curiosity, leading him to research what had become of the hypnotist. For Konopa, Kashpirovskiy was inextricably linked to the seismic shifts of the era – the fall of communism and the dawn of capitalism – a period that totally changed everything for folks in that part of the world. He observed that Kashpirovskiy’s approach even sounds surprisingly modern, akin to a contemporary life coach, offering advice and reassurance, literally telling people, ‘I will hold your hands and walk you through this.’
The search for archival footage was, as Konopa describes it, a bit like detective work, but it paid off in ‘dope’ discoveries. He uncovered mesmerizing material, beautifully shot on 35mm, in Ukraine, where Kashpirovskiy began his career. One standout clip from 1971 shows a younger Kashpirovskiy in a doctor’s uniform, riding a bike, and performing tricks for audiences at a kolkhoz or Soviet cooperative farm. It’s truly wild to think someone was documenting his early days, more than 15 years before he blew up and became a household name across the Soviet Union.
Kashpirovskiy earned various monikers – hypnotist, healer, magician, conjurer – through what many would consider some ‘out there’ practices. According to the article, these included allegedly performing operations on women without anesthesia and even influencing the Chechen leader Shamil Basayev to release 1,500 prisoners. Konopa describes these events as just some of the stunts that captivated millions, who were, for real, hungry for miracles amidst the crumbling landscape of perestroika and glasnost. This ‘television medicine’ experiment was, as the director points out, one of the earliest mass pop culture phenomena, reaching an astonishing 300 million people.
The process of unearthing and working with old Soviet archives presented its own set of challenges, often requiring an international team of researchers across Ukraine, Poland, Georgia, and the Czech Republic. Konopa managed to track down hundreds of hours of remarkable material. The project received a major boost in 2025 when HBO joined the production, providing crucial completion funding. This partnership was vital, as Konopa recognized the urgency to act quickly given Kashpirovskiy’s advanced age, ensuring they could continue filming and collecting without interruption while he still had access to his subject.
When it comes to the question of whether Kashpirovskiy’s phenomenon was a con, Konopa’s conclusion is that his subject was a ‘master of stage hypnosis and psychological suggestions.’ He dedicated over 25 years to perfecting his craft, conducting seances and performances in various settings. The way he presented himself, the accompanying music, and the precise script of his shows were all meticulously planned and ‘on point.’ Konopa believes this mastery genuinely allowed him to induce trance states and alleviate pain in many individuals, with his powers amplified exponentially once he gained access to the most powerful platform of that era: television.
Ultimately, Konopa’s focus wasn’t on dissecting the trickery, if any, involved. His primary interest lay in the persona Kashpirovskiy crafted and the image the television medium built around him. The director aimed for the audience to experience the same sense of enchantment and seduction that people felt back in the day, seeing that captivating allure as the true essence of the story.
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Livia Dorne covers film, television, music, and pop culture with a keen editorial perspective. She delivers engaging commentary, reviews, and behind-the-scenes insights that keep readers connected to the entertainment world. Her style blends critique with storytelling.
