"The Red and the White" is a Hungarian film about the Russian Revolution that apparently irked some Soviet officials enough that they banned the movie in the USSR. I assume that the version I watched from Kino was the original version--not the one that was re-edited by the Russians. Regardless, this film was supposed to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the revolution but didn't sit well with the Soviet overlords. However, in the West, the film was better received and it even won some awards. I was hoping that I would enjoy the picture but was left feeling a bit cold.
A big problem with the film is that it is missing context--context that might have been understood just fine back in 1967 but which would only confuse viewers today. But, I am a retired history teacher and I'll try to explain a bit. The film does not begin in 1917 as you'd expect but 1919. The communists (Reds) have nearly won the revolution but there are lots of pro-Czarist (Whites) troops throughout the country. Although they probably shouldn't have been there, Western troops who were no longer needed to fight in WWI were now free to assist the Whites. While the stated mission of this multinational force was just to ensure the safety of their people within Russia, they did assist the Whites but ultimately were of no value. No mention is made of this in the film. However, some foreign communists also came to Russia but to assist the Reds. By 1919, the war was winding down--though you might assume watching the film that the Whites won--as through most of the film they seemed to be in control. But, this is only a small portion of a much larger war.
As far as the plot goes, there really isn't much nor is there much in the way of plot development. Mostly, it consists of Whites capturing Red soldiers and massacring them. At the end, the Reds lead a counter-attack and the film ends.
All in all, I really thought the film was pretty dull.You didn't learn much about the revolution and you never really learn much about the two factions nor about individuals. A rather cold film, actually.
By the way, one reviewer said that this was among the best anti-war films ever. I'd disagree as, just off the top of my head, I can think of quite a few that were much better--such as "Fire on the Plain", "Westfront: 1918", "Burmese Harp", "All Quiet on the Western Front", "The Eagle and the Hawk". The list goes on and on--mostly because these other films make you care about the folks in the film. But in "The Red and the White", I really just didn't care.
A big problem with the film is that it is missing context--context that might have been understood just fine back in 1967 but which would only confuse viewers today. But, I am a retired history teacher and I'll try to explain a bit. The film does not begin in 1917 as you'd expect but 1919. The communists (Reds) have nearly won the revolution but there are lots of pro-Czarist (Whites) troops throughout the country. Although they probably shouldn't have been there, Western troops who were no longer needed to fight in WWI were now free to assist the Whites. While the stated mission of this multinational force was just to ensure the safety of their people within Russia, they did assist the Whites but ultimately were of no value. No mention is made of this in the film. However, some foreign communists also came to Russia but to assist the Reds. By 1919, the war was winding down--though you might assume watching the film that the Whites won--as through most of the film they seemed to be in control. But, this is only a small portion of a much larger war.
As far as the plot goes, there really isn't much nor is there much in the way of plot development. Mostly, it consists of Whites capturing Red soldiers and massacring them. At the end, the Reds lead a counter-attack and the film ends.
All in all, I really thought the film was pretty dull.You didn't learn much about the revolution and you never really learn much about the two factions nor about individuals. A rather cold film, actually.
By the way, one reviewer said that this was among the best anti-war films ever. I'd disagree as, just off the top of my head, I can think of quite a few that were much better--such as "Fire on the Plain", "Westfront: 1918", "Burmese Harp", "All Quiet on the Western Front", "The Eagle and the Hawk". The list goes on and on--mostly because these other films make you care about the folks in the film. But in "The Red and the White", I really just didn't care.