Watching Russian films is an excellent way to learn about Russian Culture. Russian films capture aspects of Russian life, legend, history, and psychology and present them in a more-or-less digestible format if you don't mind subtitles or have an okay grasp of Russian language. Furthermore, Russian film classics range from the long and ponderous to the light and humorous, so whatever your mood, you'll be able to find a Russian film to suit.
If you are starting your exploration into Russian film chronologically, become familiar with films by Sergei Eisenstein. Some films by Eisenstein, like Battleship Potemkin and Alexander Nevsky can be viewed online. These Russian films date from 1925 and 1938 respectively, and are important works in the Russian film canon.
Other important works, like Andrei Rublev and Russian Ark come with critical acclaim, but to watch them takes dedication and a high threshold for sitting through slow scenes. On the other hand, Soviet comedy classics, like Office Romance allow the viewer to sneak a peak into the lighter side of Russian life under Communism and are more watchable - even enjoyable. Films that combine comedy and drama - and use actors familiar to an English-speaking audience - like The Barber of Siberia may appeal most to viewers who are new to Russian film.
Finding Russian films to watch can be tricky; your local video store or library collection may be completely bereft of Russian film selections. Some Russian films, like the ones by Eisenstein referenced above, can be found online if you know how and where to look. A more convenient source for Russian movies is Netflix, which offers a decent collection of Russian films under its foreign film category. Even if you can find Russian films to watch, some aspects of Russian films may be incomprehensible to members of a Western audience who watch them alone. For the best viewing experience, watch Russian films with Russians who can offer clarification and commentary when necessary.
Watching films definitely sounds like a great way to learn about a different culture, and it is entertaining in it’s own sense. Thank-you for the suggestions, and if ever I travel to Russia and eastern european countries, I will keep the movie suggestions in mind. Sounds like an interesting trip through world history!