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Reviews
Ostanovilsya poezd (1982)
Absolutely ageless
This is an ageless picture because it poses fundamental questions before a viewer. The questions which need to be answered if he wants to be a citizen in the highest sense of the word. The main hero who is an investigator is an example of a man who wants to find out truth notwithstanding the tremendous resist from people surrounding him. These people are united by sin as much as by mutually intertwined interests. Though their main interest is to not allow the investigator to find out truth in order to preserve status quo. For me there is a lot of pessimism in the view of the movie makers in that fact that the main hero practically doesn't meet genuine ally who would be ready to search for the truth till the end. But I'd rather tend to share this pessimistic look particularly in relation to Russian society which is totally conformist.
Actually I'd like to have the same level of integrity which the main hero possesses. Though I am not sure whether it is possible but at least to strive to be like him...
It is never boring for me to watch this movie because of its profound content. And beautiful acting by Oleg Borisov and another actors.
Taras Bulba (2009)
We have powder still in our flasks? - Yes,sure we do.
"Do we have powder still in our flasks?" asks Taras his comrades during a violent battle. It is quite often that this very question is attributed to contemporary Russian movie makers meaning whether they are still able to create genuine works of art. And for me this movie gives an affirmative answer, at least in relation of Vladimir Bortko. I watched this film yesterday and I am still impressed with it. I enjoyed how actors played though sure Bogdan Stupka makes an absolutely outstanding performance, but the whole actors' ensemble is very well doing. Also I found cinematography very interesting. And sure Bortko deserves praise for his solid work which reminded me about those soviet times when such masters as Gerasimov or Romm created their epics.
This movie is about tremendously difficult choice between different values, between devotion to motherland (fatherland) and love for a woman, between traditional values of Russian people and values of west though in this movie we see how allegedly enlightened polish gentry (regarding itself as beings of higher order than cossacks ) executes cossacks in the most cruel way.
Though I have to honestly admit that I don't know how fully this movie renders Nicolai Gogol' story. Anyway I found the movie very interesting by itself not even in relation to the original source.
Idiot (2003)
Not a masterpiece
Having read many comments here i came to a conclusion that this mini is seen as a masterpiece. I can't say that i share such an assessment. In my opinion this mini couldn't be compared with a screen version made by Ivan Pyryev. That one was a genuine masterpiece, that one could boast plentiful actors' performances, excellent directing, music and so on -- all was so nice harmonized. And another thing -- i can't say that Evgeniy Mironov is very persuasive as Prince Myshkin, whereas Yakovlev's performance in the 1958-year version was genuinely splendid and precise. Moreover, it is well known how it is difficult to screen Dostoevsky's novels, and Pyryev managed to find the only possible way how to deal with Dostoevsky. He managed to bring expression and exultation to the screen, without these too things Dostoevsky is not Dostoevsky. And what couldn't pass my eyes and ears is that Pyryev really understood what is a Christian humanism, we can observe it in every shot, every scene of Pyryev's Idiot. And you hardly find all this in Bortko's 2003 version. I found that this recent version of Idiot is uninspired and unoriginal, and it lacks of what makes some work a masterpiece -- it lacks divine strength and spark in it. I give 7 to this mini.If you want to watch a genuine Dostovsky on screen -- look for Ivan Pyryev's (1958) version. I recommend also his version of Karamazoff's brothers.
Orca (1977)
the music is divine
the music of this film will never let to forget about the movie itself. The main melody of the movie is one of the most beautiful theme of the world cinema. Sometimes it reminds me of lullaby or maybe requiem, maybe because practically any requiem contains such a lullaby-like melody. But the theme of the opening sequence of the movie is nice as well, the whole music is superb. The music adds an epic character to the whole movie, it does a lot of job which the director failed to do. It is strange sometimes to here that Morricone wrote his best music for Sergio Leone's westerns, no no and no -- he wrote so much nice music besides those westerns -- 'the 20th century', 'Mission','the red Tend', 'Proffessional','New Cinema Paradiso' -- it is only a small part of the list of superb by Ennio Morricone. Morricone is the great melodist and the music for Orca is the next confirmation for this. Bravo, maestro Ennio Morricone!!!
Tikhiy Don (1957)
Once upon a time there was 'Tikhiy Don'...
This is one of those movies which would haunt you again and again after you watched it once. And more over -- the more you watch it the more you find something new about yourself,people and life. Thikhiy Don depicts life of two -- man and woman, their love, their hardships, their fight for their love and all this happens against the backdrop of a wide picture of life of the whole country during a very dramatical and crucial period of Russia, including WW1, civilian war,and a lot of others events. I don't know another movie where love was depicted so sincerely and so nicely as it was done here. Petr Glebov and Elina Bystritskaya not played they lived on the screen, as did the love of their heroes. The movie turned out to be very realistic, with big respect for details. Before the movie was set out actors lived several months at the khutor where events of the book really took place. A lot of beautiful Russian actors performed in this movie, each performance is a little masterpiece. The music was written by Yuriy Levitin, one of the best follower of Shostakovitch and it matches the movie very well. The director did a superb job, there are no details missed in this movie, all was in check by director, even the river itself which gave the name to the whole thing was one of the actors -- Don i mean. In my opinion it is one of the best movie made in the 20 th century. Some people could compare it with 'Gone with the wind'but i appreciate it much higher. I rate it 10.
Delovye lyudi (1963)
ripping and innovative
This is a nice troika of films each of them is screening of some story by O'Henry. All movies were made with humor and what is also important with great respect for the source. But i want particularly dwell on the first movie,'The Roads We Take'. I think that many cinematographic discoveries and means were used in this movie two years before they were shown in Sergio Leone first movie of his famous trilogy. Close-ups, black humor, unusual perspectives -- 'The Roads We Take' is very innovative in this sense. In my opinion this movie is a genuine masterpiece, Gaidai foresaw many things which then used and developed by Leone. i rate this trilogy or troika as i called it above by 9,5 Such a shame that this masterpiece is not well-known in the West.
TASS upolnomochen zayavit... (1984)
Excellent work
I don't know why this is so underrated here. In my opinion it is one of the best political detective stories produced in Soviet Union. Yes, it was shot during Cold War and it is sure permeated with the ideology of fight between two superpowers of this time but nevertheless all this can not overshadow plentiful merits of this mini -- elaborated plot, attentive and careful direction, superb music by Eduard Artemyev. And another thing which strikes me every time i watch it -- every, literally every actor and actress hits directly here, there is no at least one bad performance!!! Director manages to create suspension, and he does this not worse than Sidney Pollack in The tree days of Condor. The plot is very intriguing and really absorbing. I want to point out also to another aspect of the movie -- despite the time set in it soviet movie makers tried to depict Americans as very worthy enemies -- American agents of CIA presented here with big respect which means that soviet respected themselves. And this goes in contrast to most of Hollywood production shot during the Cold War where soviets were depicted simply as morons. It is an excellent movie, and i rate it 9
Dvoryanskoe gnezdo (1969)
Nice movie
This movie manages to deliver a mood of the Turgenev's novel, but the director added also his own vision of the Russian life in the 19th century. All elements, all components of successful movie are presented in this work -- scenery based on literary classics,nice cinematography, excellent direction, beautiful performance by all actors, unforgettable music, and amazing Russian landscapes. This is one of those movie which i like to watch again and again, and every time i will find something new, something that will touch my soul. It is a clever movie made with sincere love of Russia. What i would like to emphasize particularly is the nice women shot in this movie, beautiful actresses -- Irina Kupchenko and Beata Tyshkevitch, one can easily fall in love with, as it happened to the director, as i know from his reminiscences. i give 9,5 of 10 to this masterpiece, the excellent exemplary of how classics has to be brought to screen