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Reviews
Beg (1971)
A Superb Film which should be more widely known ...
Initially, I was skeptical that the film would be able to capture the magic of Bulgakov's words. Unlike the more recent TV mini-series of "The Master & Margarita" ( which thoroughly failed to do any justice to the great novel) this soviet classic vividly conveys the subtly surreal sense of the absurdity of war inherent in the original writings that it's based on. The acting is convincing, the sets are lavish and believable. Some of the set pieces , especially the nightmarish dream sequences experienced by the white general who has been driven quite insane by all the brutality he's participated in, contain imagery reminiscent of Eisenstein. More proof that the Soviet-era censors either subverted their own system or were too incompetent tp percieve and blot out criticism of their regime. Anyone who enjoys Soviet/Russian film should not miss this one.
Leningrad (2009)
A Great Opportunity Trashed
What a disappointment .... This SHOULD have been a great film, with such a topic, it should have been a great epic. Instead , we get a rather formulaic and simple minded romance story, so devoid of feeling for the historical complexity of this vast tragedy, that it comes across as an insult to the memory of all those millions who suffered and died here. The story of a stranded British war correspondent (Sorvino) and her lover (Byrne), which apparently is based on true events, would have worked as a subtext; a sideline to the larger human events transpiring, but, Hollywood-style, it takes front and centre, while the Russian People are largely relegated to roles as stereotyped KGB bad guys or masses of faceless ragamuffins dragging coffin-laden sledges along windy alleyways. None of the great players are fleshed out in this mess ... Zhdanov, whose heroic efforts saved so many, is shown only in passing, while Stalin, whose bad decisions led to the siege of Leningrad, is not even mentioned.
Sorvino, who, even when looking withered and starved, still has the cutest smiles in film history, tries desperately to bring some life to this, but is defeated by her desperate attempt to affect a British accent, amid the generally poor direction. The other big-name actors don't even try, as they are handed only bit parts.
After this, and "The Barber of Siberia", I'm coming to the conclusion that any Russian film with western actors should be avoided like the plague. A Pity. If you want to see a great Russian film about WW2, see Tarkovski's early film, "The Childhood of Ivan", or Elem Klimov's "Come and See". If you want to know something about the siege of Leningrad read Harrison Salisbury's harrowing epic, "The 900 Days". The movie's not a total bomb, It may be worth watching if you're a Russian film buff like myself, or might be enjoyable, if you know nothing about the siege of Leningrad ... It's just an immense disappointment, compared to what it should have been.
Utomlennye solntsem 2 (2010)
Epic Film, deserving of wider release!
I feel a little awkward being the ONLY viewer thus far to give this a positive review, but I loved it ... I was riveted to the screen for the full 3 hrs, and absolutely can't wait for the final chapter, due out next year. Granted, this thing is a bit awkward, seen as a sequel to the great first film, but I feel that, viewed on it's own merits, it's good , possibly even epic, storytelling, very engaging and well produced. This is not "great art", and doesn't compare to the original,which I regard as quite monumental in it's subtly powerful depiction of Stalinist totalitarianism .. but I don't see that as a justification for ridiculing this one. I've long been an avid fan and collector of Russian cinema, with over a hundred DVD titles in my collection, and, in my humble opinion, this one is at least above average, overall, despite some flaws. I'm having a difficult time understanding the almost visceral revulsion shown towards this film by other reviewers ...
This one has a plot, a separated father and daughter searching for one another amidst the insanity and horrors of war ... It's a bit old fashioned, but I find that refreshing. Frankly, I'm appalled at the way so many critics these days are eager to praise a film, based entirely on it's textural and stylistic oddities, with virtually no apparent consideration of whether the movie has any real substance or content, at all. I went into this with very low expectations, believing that Mikhalkov had sold out and just lost it, after the horrid "Barber of Siberia", and the disgustingly bad "1612", to which he had attached his name. However, I was pleasantly relieved, and now consider that this could truly be his Magnum Opus, although, since "2" is really only half a film, final judgement will depend much on the third and final instalment.
There are moments of surreal beauty in this, as when his daughter is nearly killed by a falling Stalin bust after a ship explodes, and the scene wherein his daughter bares her breasts to a dying tank soldier amid a vast snow covered wasteland of wreckage ... I found that almost unbearably poignant. All the reviewers laugh derisively at that scene .. Why ???? I can well imagine that if I were a young, inexperienced boy dying a lonely death, attended at the last moment by a lovely young girl, my last wish might be the same ... Isn't this human ??
The acting is good, and generally restrained, .. Menshikov puts in a strong performance, as opposed to his clownish overacting in "Barber" and his rather weak understatement in Dr. Zhivago.
Other criticism mentions that there is is a bit too much emphasis on the Orthodox faith in evidence here .. but that is far from historically inaccurate ... When faced with possible defeat Stalin did take the reins off for awhile, and there was a strong resurgence of the church, as there is today in Russia. Many newer Russian films suffer from a blatant , overt patriotism ... but this film is not thus guilty, neither side is depicted as perfect, and the sense of patriotism you do get from this is natural and realistic. I believe that the father/daughter framework in this story comes straight from Mikhalkov's heart. For evidence of this, watch his very personal and wonderful documentary, "Anna from Six to Eighteen".
While this film is possibly closer in tone to Klimov's "Come and See", than it is to Mikhalkov's earlier classic, I found it a great experience, and believe that, were it given a wider release in the West, it would likely find a much larger audience. Unfortunately the DVD currently available in N. America bears rather poor English subtitles, I found the film so thoroughly enjoyable, that this did not detract from the overall experience. I have a very low tolerance for bad films, seldom being able to sit through a full 90 minutes of Hollywood product, but , for me, the 3 hours of this film passed by like minutes!!
The Other Boleyn Girl (2008)
Sad Rip-off of a Truly great film
What a huge disappointment ... The historical tale of Henry the 8th's passion for Anne Boleyn, which resulted in the creation of Protestantism and the downfall of absolute Papal secular authority, is one of the great tales of Western culture,one of truly Shakespearean proportions, the consequences of which have reverberated for the last 400 years.
This movie, which seems at times like a simple shameless ripoff of the great film "Anne of the Thousand Days", and at other times, seeks to dumb this story down to a bland soap opera, with the elements of bodice-ripper dimestore romance novels, completely ignores the virtually earth-shaking political and religious dimensions of the actual events, and speeds up events in a "Reader's Digest Condensed Books" fashion, so that they become devoid of all meaning, while piling on absurd historical inaccuracies, is evidence of the extent to which popular culture has Dumbed down over the last 4 decades. Most of the acting is wooden and unconvincing, especially in the case of Eric Bana, who is only slightly less believable than he was in the first "Hulk" flick, although the two lead actresses, in particular Ms. Johanssen, do make a heroic effort to rescue some feeling from the otherwise banal and pedestrian dialogue. Anyone who is not particularly familiar with the historical events, or has not seen the superb film of this story done by Hal Wallis, starring Richard Burton and Genevieve Bujold, can be forgiven for considering this a passably interesting entertainment, but, to realize how fully awful this movie really is, one needs to watch "Anne of the Thousand Days". You will NOT be disappointed !!