Thread: NonRussian films (work in progress)

Originally Posted by Оля

I know it's considered as a good movie, but I didn't like it. First of all, I didn't like acting. Igor Petrenko is too young or maybe not enough talanted, but he didn't convince me he was a person from 1930-1940 years. His eyes... They looked like he's just playing a role, not living in the USSR, being at war... I can't explain it better.

Oh I agree about the poor acting. Petrenko - as hansome as he is - didn't seem to have done all that much on this movie - though perhaps that's just the role. And the girl was, frankly, horrible (in terms of acting, natuarally). But for me there are three things that redeem the flaws of this film: 1) the beautiful music, 2) the heart-rending end - I cried my eyes out - when he keeps saying "Земля, земля, я звезда" and Vorobyshek dies, and then she answers, and the Germans are getting closer... and at the very end when the soldiers are shown going to Poland or somewhere and it's said that only 1 in a 100 of them is going to come back... it's awful... 3) some of the other guys played very well - for example, Анатолий Гущин, who played рядовой Быков - there's a moment when they're nearing his native village and he sees that it was burnt and some people were hanged - there's just such a look on his face - indescribably sad. I'd give him a prize just for that one look.

I did hate it when they had to kill the first German they captured. Poor guy. Wars should never, ever happen.

Originally Posted by Оля

Also, I suppose you didn't live in those years. How could you know that marrying a man without being virgin was okay?

You're right, I suppose it's possible that she had no other choice. It's very difficult to struggle with life. I can't talk, anyway, as have no backbone whatsoever myself. Плыву по течению.

Originally Posted by starrysky

Oh I agree about the poor acting. Petrenko - as hansome as he is - didn't seem to have done all that much on this movie - though perhaps that's just the role.

Oh, come on, the role was a great scope for showing good acting! An actor could only dream about such a profound role. Especially a Russian actor, I mean how much this war means for us, even nowadays.

And the girl was, frankly, horrible (in terms of acting, natuarally).

To be honest, I don't remember any girl there.

But for me there are three things that redeem the flaws of this film: 1) the beautiful music, 2) the heart-rending end - I cried my eyes out - when he keeps saying "Земля, земля, я звезда" and Vorobyshek dies, and then she answers, and the Germans are creeping nearer... and at the very end when the soldiers are shown going to Poland or somewhere and it's said that only 1 in a 100 of them is going to come back... it's awful... 3) some of the other guys played very well - for example, Анатолий Гущин, who played рядовой Быков - there's a moment when they're nearing his native village and he sees that it was burnt and some people were hanged - there's just such a look on his face - indescribably sad. I'd give him a prize for just that one look.

Well, to me, a film is good only if everything is good in it, not only one or two episodes. As for other actors' acting, I don't remember it well, but I'm sure if there was anything extraordinary, I wouldn't have forgotten it. I remember that the film in general left me cold, but yes, the last scene touched me.

I did hate it when they had to kill the first German they captured. Poor guy.

The one from the hospital? I dimly remember it, and I liked this episode. I don't mean I liked that they killed him. It was awful.

starrysky to the thread and MR!

Wow, your English is good. Ususally I try to correct the English posting of non-natives. Would you like me to make edits on your postings as well? Example:

Originally Posted by starrysky

Sorry, I got everything confused. I[s:23ve98nt]'d[/s:23ve98nt] never [s:23ve98nt]say[/s:23ve98nt] said that I hated or even disliked "The Cranes Are Flying".

Just remember one thing, when you are posting to me, I am the one who does NOT know any Russian


Now as to your thoughts about "Cranes" and the rape scene and how life might have been back then. Thankfully, I have never had this experience, yet from the way it is portrayed in the news and in films/tv even today, it seems as this is one of the most horrific things to happen to a person AND each person reacts differently to the experience and situation.

And then you have the dirty stigma of rape. Many women never admit to being raped because of exactly what you said, "She does bear some blame." I guess you would also say it takes "two to tango":

Originally Posted by from 2000

Maryland lawmakers and children's advocates joined yesterday in criticizing a Montgomery County judge who said an 11-year-old girl was partly to blame for a 23-year-old man sexually molesting her because the girl invited him into her bedroom and "it takes two to tango."

Del. Cheryl C. Kagan (D-Montgomery) called Circuit Court Judge Durke G. Thompson's comments "an outrage" and said the state legislature's Women's Caucus plans to look into his handling of the case.

"It's clearly been a while since Durke Thompson has been in the company of 11-year-old girls; he doesn't realize how young and vulnerable they are," Kagan said. "His remark was ill-advised, naive and just dreadfully unfortunate

... and Director Roman Polanski is innocent as well?

Did you know that currently in France, the cost of hymenoplasty is actually reimbursed by the state in cases of rape or trauma?? That is how import being a virgin still is TODAY to many people.

So, in the case of our poor Veronika... she had lost her parents. The man she THOUGHT was her friend and best friend of her fiancee, is now attacking her. The bombs are going off all around her... which is probably causing flash backs about her parents and making her also think about Boris and how is HE doing right then. The dust settles and she is left with what??? NOTHING. Her job and the piece of scum of the earth who loves her or so he says. AND what if, what if... she might be pregnant now??? How would she explain that one to everyone if she did not get married???

And yet, you also have the case here in the States of 115 girls in one high school who are pregnant! If that was going on back then, maybe our Veronika would have had other options?
http://cbs2chicago.com/local/Robeson...2.1251642.html

Originally Posted by Оля

Oh, come on, the role was a great scope for showing good acting! An actor could only dream about such a profound role. Especially a Russian actor, I mean how much this war means for us, even nowadays.

Well, yes, seeing how this is the leading role, he could've done more with his facial expressions and all that stuff... I read the book by Kazakevich after watching the movie to understand the character better, and he is supposed to be very reserved, but, hey, that's no excuse.

Originally Posted by Оля

The one from the hospital? I dimly remember it, and I liked this episode. I don't mean I liked that they killed him. It was awful.

Yes, him. He said he wasn't a Nazi... I felt awfully sorry for him.

Thanks for the welcome, rockzmom. Do feel free to correct me - I'd be grateful. You know, it's so frustrating, I've been learning English, oh for so long now, and I still make lots of mistakes - have to constantly edit myself as always notice some mistake or other. This is partly because I'm always in a bit of a hurry when I post, partly because I lack practice - I read and listen a lot, but rarely get to speak English. So that's why I'm registered here and on a couple other English boards - to talk to all you guys and not lose the knack entirely.

Originally Posted by rockzmom

I guess you would also say it takes "two to tango":

Eh... We have a much ruder saying here - something along the lines "If the b..ch doesn't want it, the dog won't do it." Very rude. Certainly, it's outrageous to use something like this as an excuse for child-molesters! And I don't think it applies in Veronika's case. I see the rape scene as somewhat ambiguous because she could've shown a bit more fight, but it was rape all right. When I said that she does bear some responsibility for her unhappy situation, I meant her marrying Mark - no one forced her to do that except the circumstances. Which, it would seem, were difficult enough.

Quick change of topic here.....

One of the short documentaries I saw at the Film Festival was "She Should Have Gone to the Moon." I had never heard about this period of time in U.S. history or about Jerri Truhill. The film is funny, informative and very eye opening about an event not that long ago. Most of all it is inspirational to females. The only boring part is the part where they have the singer! OMG please shut her up!!! I also thought they should have mentioned Valentina Tereshkova & Svetlana Savitskaya...however... she really does stress that she wanted to be a "pilot" and they talk about Eileen M. Collins, the first woman to pilot NASA space shuttle.

IMDb link http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1146163/

Link to 8 minute trailer on MegaVideo http://www.megavideo.com/?v=G8H9L72G

Summary of film:
She Should Have Gone to the Moon presents a uniquely personal chapter in the history of the space race. It tells the astonishing story of the pilot and pioneer, Jerri Truhill, who was trained in 1961, as part of NASA's top secret Mercury 13 programme, to become on of the First Lady Astronauts. The documentary is a lyrical journey propelled by childhood aspirations, shattered dreams and a lifelong battle against female sterotypes and male prejudice. In the film, the tough talking and sharp witted Jerri Truhill looks back at her compelling life via a phone call with the filmmaker. This conversation becomes the catalyst for the director's imagining of key events in Truhill's potent narrative and inspires a journey to meet the heroine in Texas. Along the way the filmmaker places herself in Truhill's story, first wandering across the surreal landscape of White Sands and then suspended in zero gravity inside a water tank. Included are staged scenes, dreamt-up moments from Truhill's story, which evoke the popular melodrama of 1950s American cinema. These fictional moments bridge the gaps of time and distance between the filmmaker and her subject. Their stylised and dreamlike quality is counterpointed by shots from both Truhill's and NASA's film archive. The various strands produce the film's heady timeline, as they circle through real and imagined spaces, past and present.

I received an email that this month, The National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C. is showcasing films by Joseph Losey (1909-1984).

Born in Wisconsin 100 years ago, Joseph Losey (1909-1984) made his mark in American cinema as the insightful outsider who distilled his style in exile, in London, England. A selection of Losey's rarely screened early work from the late 1940s through the 1960s, along with his three Harold Pinter partnerships, is included in this series.

I located a two of the films online that they will be showing during this showcase:

The Servant is Harold Pinter's 1963 film adaptation of the 1948 novel by Robin Maugham. A British production directed by Joseph Losey, it stars Dirk Bogarde, Sarah Miles, Wendy Craig, and James Fox.

The Servant is a tightly-constructed psychological dramatic film about the relationships among the four central characters examining issues relating to class, servitude, and the ennui of the upper classes.
(1963, 35mm, 112 minutes)
link to watch The Servant online

Accident
Accident is Harold Pinter's 1967 dramatic film adaptation of the 1965 novel by Nicholas Mosley. Directed by Joseph Losey, it is the second of three collaborations between Pinter and Losey, the others being The Servant (1963) and The Go-Between (1970). At the 1967 Cannes Film Festival it won the award for Grand Prix Spécial du Jury. It is the debut film of actor Michael York.
(1967, 35mm, 105 minutes)

link to watch Accident online.

I looked, yet could not quickly locate a copy of "The Go-Between." If someone locates a copy, please post the link for it. Thanks.

I know, I know... double postings are a no-no... HOWEVER.... it just seems so WRONG not to repost this wonderful masterpiece about The Very Same Munchhausen which Vbar wrote and to also add the links... so that someone digging through this very long thread might come across it and say "WOW! I want to watch this movie!" and then be able to!!!

“The Very Same Munchhausen” (Тот самый Мюнхгаузен, Tot samyy Myunkhgauzen) 1979
(Comedy/Fantasy)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Very_Same_Munchhausen

Movie in Russian ONLY
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WiDHFbJZm9E ТОТ САМЫЙ МЮНХГАУЗЕН (1979) 1 1/7

English Subtitles
http://www.divxsubtitles.net/page_subti ... p?ID=65464
OR
http://narod.ru/disk/9511150000/Tot%20S ... D.srt.html
http://narod.ru/disk/9511195000/Tot%20S ... D.srt.html

For those of you who want to learn more about the "poem" (some would say the book) Orlando Furioso
Wiki: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orlando_Furioso
The poem translated into English http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/orlando-furioso-canto-1/

Originally Posted by Vbar

Some months ago (31st or 32nd of May) I saw a beautiful film directed by Mark Zakharov.
I was so impressed by this film that I gave a copy to a colleague of mine -- I have become a sort of Italian ambassador for Soviet films among my colleagues.
There followed an interesting debate which I’d like to share.

The Very Same Munchhausen is a film rich in humorous scenes and dialogues, perhaps with satirical allusions to contemporary events, but it is above all a story about a man who, despite Martha’s love, feels alone and misunderstood. Or rather, it is a story of man who, despite his love for Martha, fails to understand and accept his society, his city, his world.

In Ludovico Ariosto’s Orlando Furioso, it is said that all things that are lost on Earth could be found on the Moon. The Baron knows that on the Moon there exists the intelligence of many humans who on Earth are considered wise and sensible. This is perhaps the reason why the Baron wishes to go to the Moon (or rather, to return there). Reading these remarks, you could ask me the same question put to Ariosto: Ludovico, wherever have you found such rubbish?
- Messer Lodovico, dove trovaste mai tante coglionerie? Господин Лодовико, где ты нашел такой вздор?

I believe that certain films, like certain poems or novels, are like dreams. And dreams always conceal a riddle which in turn conceals a desire, or its opposite, a fear. Like dreams, this film is made of desire and fear, of misleading and absurd perspectives, where each thing hides in itself another thing. We could say, to borrow some words from Calvino: The pleasure you derive from a film depends on the answer it gives to your question... or on the question the film asks you and to which it compels you to respond.

The Baron’s final embrace of Martha is a beautiful and tender gesture: with his arms and hands he cradles her head and presses it to his chest. It’s as if he wished to carry away with him her eyes, her mouth, her brain, and give her a little of his heart before travelling to the moon in search of something he could not find in his city. One could comment on the Baron’s final farewell to his city with the help of Calvino’s ever relevant words:
“My dear citizens, the inferno of the living is not something that will be. If there is one, it is what is already here, the inferno that we inhabit everyday, that we form by being together. There are two ways to not suffer it. The first is easy for many: accept the inferno and become such a part of it that you no longer see it. (Baron, join us. Join us, baron. Господин барон, присоединяйтесь. Присоединяйтесь к нам, барон).
The second is risky and demands constant attention and apprehension: seek out and learn to recognize who and what, in the midst of the inferno, are not inferno—then make them endure, and give them space.
I will try to find a third way: do as Astolfo did in the Orlando Furioso, and fly to the Moon.
Smile, my dear viewers, smile. Улыбайтесь, господа! Улыбайтесь.”

The film ends on a poignant musical note, and the viewer finds herself with her eyes full of tears.

I saw this movie Deja Vu and thought it was really funny. The lead actor was very good. Those soviet movies have really good set designs. English subs available at
http://notabenoid.com/book/4097/13375/

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0097253/
http://www.kinopoisk.ru/level/1/film/44394/

"The very same Munchhausen" is one of my father's favourite films. Yankovsky is great in it and I like him in this film much more than I do in others. I first saw him in the "Militia Sergeant", an adaptation of the book by Lazutin which was a bestseller in the 50-60s, where he played a bad guy.

In "Munchhausen", his character is likeable, if somewhat quirky (khm, khm, more like very quirky), and he has a moustache. In other movies (at least those that I've seen) Yankovsky plays "baddies" and has no face growth. And of course, "Munchhausen" also has Churikova, who is fabulous, as always, and Yarmolnik who is terribly funny.

I liked "Militia Sergeant" ("Сержант милиции") well enough, both the film and the book, and remember them fondly, even if I wouldn't call then a "must-see" and "must-read". I think, the film can be found at http://getmovies.ru here http://www.getmovies.ru/search.aspx?...86%D0%B8%D0%B8.
The book is here http://www.lib.ru/PRIKL/LAZUTIN/serjant_milicii.txt

Also, not meaning to change the focus but what about films from countries other than Russia, USA or UK? Do you guys watch them and do you have any favourites? I am by no means a cinema buff, in fact, I'm quite ashamed not to have seen any Fellini or Kusturiсa. Oh well, I'll get round to it yet, I suppose. French cinema is quite well-known and loved in Russia. And Indian as well. "Seeta aur Geeta" was a huge hit in the USSR. I've only seen about 3 Indian films, but I really like them - they're so vivid and colourful - a feast for the eyes. My favourites are "Main Hoon Na" (I'm Here) and "Devdas". I also love some Chinese films, like "The Hero" and "The House of Flying Daggers". They are just so beautiful and special, although totally different from Indian cinema, because they're tragic. Indian films usually have a happy end. I suppose I should post some reviews but I'm not sure I'm quite up to it, especially time-wise.

"Top 50 Cult Films Ever" according to "Entertainment" magazine (US).

But actually, I have only see three films on this list: The "Texas Chainsaw Massacre" , "Akira" and "Bladerunner". Should I be worried?

How many have you seen?

1. This Is Spinal Tap (1984)
"It's such a fine line between stupid...and clever."
"He died in a tragic gardening accident... Authorities said... it's best to leave it... unsolved."

2. The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975)
"Hi, my name is Brad Majors..." (Asshole!) "...this is my fiancee, Janet Weiss." (Slut!)

3. Freaks (1932)
"Gobble gobble, gobble gobble... We accept her... One of us, one of us..."

4. Harold and Maude (1971)
Harold: "You sure have a way with people."
Maude: "Well, they're my species!"

5. Pink Flamingos (1972)
"Filth are my politics! Filth is my life."

6. The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974)
"Hey, Grampa, we're gonna let you have this one!"

7. Repo Man (1984)
"Let's go get sushi and not pay!"

8. Scarface (1983)
"Shay 'jello to my wittle vrend!"

9. Blade Runner
"Wake up. Time to die."

10. The Shawshank Redemption (1994)
"Get busy livin' or get busy dyin'."

11. Five Deadly Venoms (197
"Hwayiii!"

12. Plan 9 From Outer Space (1959)
"All you of Earth are IDIOTS!"
"Greetings, my friends. We are all interested in the future, for that is where you and I are going to spend the rest of our lives. And remember, my friends, future events such as these will affect you in the future."

13. Brazil (1985)
"That is your receipt for your husband...and this is my receipt for your receipt."

14. Eraserhead (1977)
(A pervasive hiss of unsettling white noise.)

15. Faster, Pussy-Cat! Kill! Kill! (1966)
"Honey, we don't like nothing soft. Everything we touch is hard."

16. The Warriors (1979)
"Warriors come out to plaaay." or
"Can...you...dig it?"

17. Dazed and Confused (1993)
"That's what I love about these high school girls, man: I get older, they stay the same age."

18. Hard-Boiled (1992)
"There's no room for failure now. The innocent must die!"
"Give a guy a gun, he thinks he's Superman. Give him two and he thinks he's God."

19. Evil Dead II: Dead by Dawn (1987)
"Groovy" or
"I'll swallow your soul!"
"Let's head on down into that cellar and carve ourselves a witch."

20. The Mack (1973)
"We can settle this like you got some class, or we can get into some gangster s---."

21. Pee-Wee's Big Adventure (1985)
"I know you are, but what am I? Infinity!"
"There's a lot of things about me you don't know anything about, Dottie, things you wouldn't understand, things you couldn't understand."

22. Un Chien Andalou (1928, France)
(It's a silent movie, but shrieks and gasps can often be heard in the audience."

23. Akira (198
"Tetsuoooooo!"

24. The Toxic Avenger (1985)
"They're going to nuke the monster!"

25. Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory (1971)
"What is this, Wonka, some kind of fun house?"
"Why? Having fun?"

Originally Posted by starrysky

Also, not meaning to change the focus but what about films from countries other than Russia, USA or UK? Do you guys watch them and do you have any favourites? I am by no means a cinema buff, in fact, I'm quite ashamed not to have seen any Fellini or Kusturiсa. Oh well, I'll get round to it yet, I suppose. French cinema is quite well-known and loved in Russia. And Indian as well. "Seeta aur Geeta" was a huge hit in the USSR. I've only seen about 3 Indian films, but I really like them - they're so vivid and colourful - a feast for the eyes. My favourites are "Main Hoon Na" (I'm Here) and "Devdas". I also love some Chinese films, like "The Hero" and "The House of Flying Daggers". They are just so beautiful and special, although totally different from Indian cinema, because they're tragic. Indian films usually have a happy end. I suppose I should post some reviews but I'm not sure I'm quite up to it, especially time-wise.

Excellent point Starrysky!
I have to admit I don't know too much about films other than American/British, Scandinavian, German... and maybe something about Russian and Japanese.

Interesting to hear that French film is so popular in Russia. What is the reason, do you think?

The last French film I saw was many months ago: "L'ecole - Innocence" a filmitisation of a book called "Minehaha" by Frank Wedekind. Very surreal, sweet and quite good. The book left a lot of room for improvisation and many points are never made clear.. The film draw some conclusions of its own in order to make the film more focused. (There is a very cheezy Italian filmatation of the same book - I didn't like that at all. )

Originally Posted by Johanna

"Top 50 Cult Films Ever" according to "Entertainment" magazine (US).
How many have you seen?
1. This Is Spinal Tap (1984)
2. The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975)
9. Blade Runner
10. The Shawshank Redemption (1994)
25. Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory (1971)

We were just talking about Rocky Horror THIS week as one of older daughter's teachers was playing Time Warp in class and NONE of the students EXCEPT her knew the song! It is a great song and classic cult movie. I am a BAD, BAD, BAD mom as my kids have seen this movie as I OWN a VHS copy of it and the LP from the movie!!! (My girls are also fans of George Carlin! they love his Class Clown LP).

I actually remember PMing with Lt. Columbo about Rocky Horror and asking him if he thought anyone on this forum would know about Rocky Horror or not. It is soooo funny because so many famous actors were in that movie... Tim Curry, Susan Sarandon, and Barry Bostwick.

Anyway, here is a clip from The Drew Carey Show that has BOTH Rocky Horor AND Priscilla Queen of the Desert.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L6ZU5TJlbMU

Rockzmom - I know British people know the "Rocky Horror Show"... I remember it because the name is memorable. But I have never seen it and I don't know what it's about. But it's probably not known outside of the English speaking world though...

Speaking about "cult" horror movies - I can't believe there's been a remake of "Children of the Corn"! (an old-ish series of horror films with some very spooky religious kids) Just saw it in a magazine today.
I only know this series because an American girl I used to know brought several parts of it over to Sweden and everyone was hooked. LOL!! After you've seen a couple of films from that series you'll never want to walk across a corn field again as long as you live.... !

The other horror film series I remember is all those Italian ones by Dario Argentos. Class! And oh yes, the "Omen" series.

All about

Speaking about French cinema, has anyone here seen 'Le fabuleux destin d'Amélie Poulain' (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Am%C3%A9lie)? It's one of my favorite movies, and the music is great too. I like French movies. I would also recommend 'Un long dimanche de fiançailles' (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0344510/) and 'La tourneuse de pages' (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0487503/).

And do I have to be ashamed I haven't seen any of those cult movies?

French films... I believe mentioned before that I really liked the film Diva from 1981. I do own the DVD of this movie.

Here is the subway chase scene:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4oQQBtXr6YQ

and here is the Aria scene with - Wilhelmenia Wiggins Fernandez
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2hsmoo97CVA

For those of you who want to know what she is singing about... here is what it says in the notes:

Fernandez sings the aria "Ebben? Ne andrò lontana", from Act I of Catalani's opera "La Wally." The piece is a haunting reverie on the theme of traveling alone and far from home. Catalani died in 1893 of consumption at the age of 39, only a year after the triumphant premiere of "La Wally" at La Scala.

This performance plays a prominent role in the 1981 French romantic thriller, "Diva" - and is an excerpt from the DVD. Roger Ebert, film critic for the Chicago Sun Times, rates the movie 5 stars out of 5.

This was one of the most frequently "favorited" videos on BestArts.

The opera, based on a German novel, has a libretto by the young Luigi Illica, who went on to collaborate on the texts for "La Boheme," "Tosca" and "Madama Butterfly." It tells of a wild, headstrong Swiss mountain girl who loves one local huntsman and is loved by another. Eventually she wins her true love, the pair embraces high in the Alps, an avalanche entombs the hero and she leaps after him to her snowy death.

------------

Originally Posted by devochka

And do I have to be ashamed I haven't seen any of those cult movies?

Actually I was surprised that Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory & The Shawshank Redemption were on that list. Both of those IMHO are good films.

Here is a great scene from Shawshank http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GAJ2skOJvdY

But actually, I have only see three films on this list: The "Texas Chainsaw Massacre" , "Akira" and "Bladerunner". Should I be worried?

I've only seen "The Shawshank Redemption" from that list and it's a great movie, very well-known and loved here - I often see it on people's TOP lists, as well as "The Green Mile". But I would never watch the "Texas Chainsaw Massacre", no-no-no, I'm not into horror movies. I usually don't watch movies if I know there are some horrors in store - for that reason I'm not sure I'm ever going to see "Taras Bulba", which is a screen adaptation of Gogol's famous novel, "The Passion of the Christ", "Andrei Rublev"...

Interesting to hear that French film is so popular in Russia. What is the reason, do you think?

Maybe it's because we've always had good relationships with France... and looked up to it as the paragon of culture, history and civilization. I mean, in the 19th century Russian nobility used to speak French among themselves and know it better than Russian, and I suspect even the Napoleon invasion didn't deter them from teaching it to their children. The French films that many Russians really love are those with famous French comedians, like Pierre Richard and Louis de Funes:

"Le Jouet"
"Le Grand Blond avec une chaussure noire"
"Fantomas" (1964)
"Angelique" - which is a beautiful period drama, a screen version of the series of novels by Anne and Serge Golon about the time of Louis XIV. Here are some photos from the film http://michelemercier.ru/foto/7

All those films I know and love from childhood, although they are quite old. I think people really liked them in the Soviet Union because a) they were a window into the West and therefore something exotic and curious, b) they're very beautiful in terms of costumes, sets, locations, etc, "Angelique" actually caused quite a bit of scandal in the USSR, because of Michele Mercier's naked back c) they're just great remarkable movies.

As for Italian cinema - well, everyone knows it too. Many great names there - Fellini, Sophia Loren, Marcello Mastroianni...

And oh yes, the "Omen" series.

Yes I remember that one. Must be one of the few horror films I ever saw, it wasn't so very scary, not graphic at least, as far as I remember.

Speaking about French cinema, has anyone here seen 'Le fabuleux destin d'Amélie Poulain'

I think it's also many people's fave. It's a nice film, very original.

I think that following link will be interesting for those who are interested in USSR culture/history http://www.cccp-tv.ru. This site about the USSR television and contains TV program bank of those days. It is opened not long ago. Unfortunly it is all in Russian.

Originally Posted by Иван

I think that the following link will be interesting for those who are interested in USSR culture/history http://www.cccp-tv.ru. This site is about [s:2opw7xpl]the[/s:2opw7xpl] USSR television and contains a ton of TV programs [s:2opw7xpl]bank of[/s:2opw7xpl] from those days. It [s:2opw7xpl]is[/s:2opw7xpl] opened not long ago. Unfortunately (for Rockzmom or others just learning Russian) it is all in Russian. (For others it will be great to help you learn/practice Russian and learn about Russia!)

Originally Posted by Johanna

"Top 50 Cult Films Ever" according to "Entertainment" magazine (US).
How many have you seen?

10. The Shawshank Redemption (1994)
16. The Warriors (1979)
18. Hard-Boiled (1992)

Hard-Boiled. This film is actually in my personal cult movie list but I did not expect this film ever to be in US top cult list. I watched it once again just about a month ago. After this movie the director John Woo moved to Hollywood and we, spectators, got fantastic action films such as: Hard target, Broken Arrow, Windtalkers, Face off, Paycheck (The last one is my favorite).

The Warriors. I’ve seen it by occasion this year some time ago. Some TV channel aired a series of cult US movies along with the “Godfather”.

I wonder why the film “Leon: The Professional” by Luc Besson is not in the list? In the thread about translation for a video project Ник made a short video where the main character was a killer. I have not seen his video before the translation proposal and did not know that the killer was a maniac. So I supposed that the killer was some sort of a contract killer. In this way some lines I proposed where a compilation of what Leon said.

You take the shorter knife to come closer to your aim. You like to foretaste the prey's aroma.

Originally Posted by devochka

Speaking about French cinema, has anyone here seen 'Le fabuleux destin d'Amélie Poulain'

This movie was aired in Russia many times. It is a really cute movie with quite an original idea. I believe that this movie deserves to be in the cult movie's list.