I saw this ego-centric "effort" at achieving a film of "epic" status in the company of several native Russian family members. Five people gave 5 different reactions, from Mikhalkov worship to my cynicism.
I saw a movie that looked like Mikhalkov took a lot of "Canal +" money, put some of it in his (and other's) pockets and turned the project over to a bunch of film students. I counted at least 4 different "styles" in the movie. There is no way that the same director is responsible for these different scenes. Contrast these for yourself:
·Cadets polishing shoes with a dog.
·Train station scene (saying goodbye to Andrei).
·Outdoor panorama shots.
·Ormond talking through the keyhole.
·Initial attempt on the Grand Duke and later chase scenes to get Andrei back to sing in Figaro.
·Fencing sequence
Julia Ormond is faster than superman. Learning about his transfer belatedly, she gets all the way across Moscow in one minute to say goodbye to Andrei.
The Russian natives felt that the impression given of Russian life was "caricature" and not history. They called it "tourist postcard" Russia.
They were all proud that a Russian director/producer/fixer has managed to break into the "big time" and be able to waste over 30 million dollars of other people's money while maybe putting a little into local pockets during filming.
If you want to "think" you have seen Russia go see this movie. Drink some coffee before you go.
I saw a movie that looked like Mikhalkov took a lot of "Canal +" money, put some of it in his (and other's) pockets and turned the project over to a bunch of film students. I counted at least 4 different "styles" in the movie. There is no way that the same director is responsible for these different scenes. Contrast these for yourself:
·Cadets polishing shoes with a dog.
·Train station scene (saying goodbye to Andrei).
·Outdoor panorama shots.
·Ormond talking through the keyhole.
·Initial attempt on the Grand Duke and later chase scenes to get Andrei back to sing in Figaro.
·Fencing sequence
Julia Ormond is faster than superman. Learning about his transfer belatedly, she gets all the way across Moscow in one minute to say goodbye to Andrei.
The Russian natives felt that the impression given of Russian life was "caricature" and not history. They called it "tourist postcard" Russia.
They were all proud that a Russian director/producer/fixer has managed to break into the "big time" and be able to waste over 30 million dollars of other people's money while maybe putting a little into local pockets during filming.
If you want to "think" you have seen Russia go see this movie. Drink some coffee before you go.