Thread: Films & TV: Russian & Non - Q&As/Reviews/Links all in here!

Oh my god.........
Rockzmom, I'm afraid I will be reading your review for two days or something, to understand it properly. What a hell!!
It's just that I can't wait to tell you what I think about that movie! Some time ago, I was my favourite movie. Now I only want to say that "Дама с собачкой" is a great masterpiece from all possible points of view!
Also, it's not a love story at all!! It's not supposed to have a happy end. It had not to have and "end", or to give any explanations to a viewer. First of all, it's literature (I mean it's just a short story Chekhov wrote). It's not for entertaining a viewer! And there's no place for "liking" the film, in the simplified sense of the word "like". It's rather to make a viewer think, feel, ask. Not for entertaining or giving answers. Actually, as is well-known, art never gives answers. It only asks questions.
I'll probably write some more when I completely read and understand your post.

"The Lady with the Dog" (Дама с собачкой, Dama s sobachkoy), 1960
Yet another awesome film review rockzmom!

I found myself being careful while reading it, because I haven't seen it and I didn't want to read any spoilers...

After reading this I will try to get hold of this one plus decent subs and watch it when I get a chance.

What a pity with the lack of colour. I always prefer it although some films are so good that it doesn't matter.

Speaking about black and white films: I saw a comment from someone who said they never seen "CASABLANCA" . This is film is the classic of classics. I really recommend that you watch it... I doubt there are many adults in Europe or the US who haven't seen it. It's got some classic lines (things that the actors say) so it's best to watch it in English.



I have to say the older Russian movies re much better than newer ones for learners... Not sure why but they seemed to keep it simpler and speak more clearly...

Originally Posted by Оля

Oh my god.........
I'll probably write some more when I completely read and understand your post.

No, I beg of you, write more once you have calmed down and are no longer stabbing pins in your Voodoo Doll of me.

Originally Posted by Оля

First of all, it's literature (I mean it's just a short story Chekhov wrote). It's not for entertaining a viewer! And there's no place for "liking" the film, in the simplified sense of the word "like". It's rather to make a viewer think, feel, ask. Not for entertaining or giving answers. Actually, as is well-known, art never gives answers. It only asks questions.

What is the purpose of a film? Why is it made in the first place? Is it to educate? To Inform? To suspend reality for a short period of time? To take us from our own lives and troubles and transport us to someone else's? To make us laugh and forget our troubles? To let someone who has not or can't read famous literature see it and hear it or maybe understand it in a new light? To bring people of different cultures, backround and languages together?

Yes, a film can make a viewer think, feel and ask...There are many reasons for films and "entertainment" is a BIG one. Because even for a short story such as this one, if a film does not entertain, even on some miniscule level, then no one would finance the production of it and it would not be made and then no one would ever see it.

oops - just saw Olya's comment...
I simply can't add anything here. You two are in a league of your own....
I'm simply not observant or intellectual enough....
I sort of agree with both comments...

Originally Posted by rockzmom

No, I beg of you, write more once you have calmed down and are no longer stabbing pins in your Voodoo Doll of me.

Please don't react so. If I seemed rude to you, it could be so because of my bad English. I didn't mean to write anything bad about you as a viewer (I feel it's another clumsy sentence...), and I thought you knew that.

Because even for a short story such as this one, if a film does not entertain, even on some miniscule level, then no one would finance the production of it and it would not be made and then no one would ever see it.

Please remember that the film we're discussing was shot in the Soviet time, and at that time the government financed cinema, and it financed the production of a lot of films that did not entertain, believe me

I think there are more than one meaning for the word "entertain"... As well as for the verb "to like". What I mean... well, I think you understand what I meant when I wrote "entertain", don't you? You see, for example, there is a documentary "Обыкновенный фашизм", a great post-war film about fascism and nazism in which a famous Soviet director Михаил Ромм expressed his own view on it, and it's full of terrible details. Well, what I mean, is that one can't say that he likes this film. "I was shaken by this film" seems more appropriate...
The same about "to entertain". Probably it's not the same as the Russian verb "развлекать". Maybe it's "to amuse", "to divert"? In Russian, "развлекать" means something light, not serious, light-headed, frivolous; something you can enjoy eating icecream or chips.

Also... Please believe me and please don't feel hurt, but I can assure you that the language used in this movie is extremely important, and unfortunately, many nuances of what heroes say is just lost in translation. Also intonation means so much in it! How she pronounces, "My husband is.... a lackey..."!
As for the plot... I don't know why you thought it was an "old fashion romance". But believe me, it's a very bad description for this film.
I can tell you, for example, that one the most important episodes is when Gurov is trying to start a conversation about his summer romance with an acquaintance, and this acquaintance says to him (completely missing Gurov's words): "You know, you were right: the flesh of sturgeon was stale". What do you think about that episode?
Chekhov wrote about banality and mustiness of life, and about impossibility to break out of it. The plot line is a romance, true. But the main is not about love.

As for your question about the rings - all orthodox believers wear them on the right hand, so it's a tradition in Russia.

Originally Posted by Оля

Originally Posted by rockzmom

No, I beg of you, write more once you have calmed down and are no longer stabbing pins in your Voodoo Doll of me.

Please don't react so. If I seemed rude to you, it could be so because of my bad English. I didn't mean to write anything bad about you as a viewer (I feel it's another clumsy sentence...), and I thought you knew that.

Oh, Olya.. I do understand you so much better than I first did almost a year ago. I know you are not being rude to me. I was trying to tease you back.

And as for your English... it is just fine!

Olya,

I know, this is long again...I'm sorry and if I could wave a magic wand or take a pill and write and think in Russian just so I could have these discussions with you - I would! Please read this as if I am sitting with you sharing a cup of tea and chatting with you as that is how I am typing it, with my cup of tea next to me.

I have had time now to read your second comments and you make excellent points and I agree that maybe we are having a discussion here about word choice and understanding.

Another good set of film examples would be some of Steven Spielberg' work - Saving Private Ryan, The Lost Children of Berlin, Schindler's List , So Very Far From Home. Some of these films were main stream "blockbuster hits" while others were smaller films that are more educational; however, all of these are about topics most people would not usually pay money to go sit in a theater and watch a movie about. Why would we subject ourselves to saddness and seeing images on the screen that would upset us as we know these are about events that actually happened in life? Yet, in order for anyone to watch an entire film and not fall asleep or tune out it's message (whatever that message might be) it has to on some level reach us, grab us, hold our attention - in simpelest terms, for good or bad - entertain us.

The script, actors, cinematography, editing, soundtrack, costumes, director and so on must all work together for one magical momment in time to make us stop thinking about our own lives, our jobs, our cellphones, our problems and focus instead on that big silver screen in front of us. This magically woven spell can easily be broken by one small second of bad continuity, a small unrealistic character decision, or an entire movie of bad accents. Even if the rest of the film is fabulous, one slight wrong step along the way and it can be spoiled.

It is the same with literature. Why do you select a book to read? The title? The cover art? The writing on the book jacket? Word of mouth? And once you start to read it, what keeps you reading it? Why do you want to finish a 700 page novel when there are so many other things you could be doing with your life? It is once again, no matter the topic, death, distruction, romance... on some level the author has sucked you in and woven a spell that compels you to finish or the author has not done a very good job and that book sits on shelves. Or by chance you finish the book anyway and swear never to read another book by that author again!

Originally Posted by Оля

I can tell you, for example, that one the most important episodes is when Gurov is trying to start a conversation about his summer romance with an acquaintance, and this acquaintance says to him (completely missing Gurov's words): "You know, you were right: the flesh of sturgeon was stale". What do you think about that episode?
Chekhov wrote about banality and mustiness of life, and about impossibility to break out of it. The plot line is a romance, true. But the main is not about love.

This part I did atually watch more than once! I was trying to understand it as I felt there must be something missing in the translation into English or I was not understanding the scene. I was thinking, "Is there a hidden meaning in the sturgeon?" And then I thought that the friend was trying to tell Gurov, in his own way, to forget about Anna. That it was was a form of symbolism. The sturgeon being bad and the idea of him thinking about the summer romance being bad.

Originally Posted by Оля

As for your question about the rings - all orthodox believers wear them on the right hand, so it's a tradition in Russia.

Thanks! I can once again tell Hubby that I learned something from a movie!!!

[video:3segcrib]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Dc5pmBVsLA[/video:3segcrib]

Originally Posted by rockzmom

This part I did atually watch more than once! I was trying to understand it as I felt there must be something missing in the translation into English or I was not understanding the scene. I was thinking, "Is there a hidden meaning in the sturgeon?" And then I thought that the friend was trying to tell Gurov, in his own way, to forget about Anna. That it was was a form of symbolism. The sturgeon being bad and the idea of him thinking about the summer romance being bad.

Since I find this question very important, let me please completely clear it up. All the more so because I didn't understand if the opinion you described in your quote above was your final opinion. If so, I strongly want to explain you the episode better.

No, the "friend" (I actually don't think we should call that man Gurov's friend) is not trying to tell Gurov, in his own way, to forget about Anna. Not at all. He simply doesn't hear Gurov. I don't mean that he doesn't hear him physically, that he's deaf. No, but he just in no way can perceive Gurov's words. He's completely merged into banality of life, when a person lives like an animal, and only drinks, eats, plays cards, spends evenings in clubs, visits formal dinner parties, and actually has forgotten how to think and feel long ago. A conversation with him about love, or something else like poetry, history, literature is just impossible. Gurov is surrounded with such people in his life. Actually, he himself recently was almost like that. But he is younger than that acquaintance, and a story happened in his life that woke him up. Actually, not only Gurov, and not only in the XIXth century, but also we, nowadays can be surrounded with people in a varying degree like this Gurov's acquaintance.

In fact, Gurov was trying to talk to that man about Anna because he has nobody to talk about her! And at once, that's the only subject he'd like to talk about.

Olya! I did not want you to think I was ignoring you. I started to read the English version of "The Lady With the Dog" and while it should have taken me about a half an hour or so to read, I have just not been able to devote the time I need to do it justice. Once I have finished it, I will get back to you and your comments on this.

Thanks again for helping me to see your point of view and understand Russian literature and movies! It is also helping me with what I have read so far!!

Does anyone know the Russian title of a movie called Two Soldiers from the 1940's about a Sasha who works in the Urals Auto Factory? Два солдата gives me an American movie on kinopoick.com

Thanks

Originally Posted by sperk

Does anyone know the Russian title of a movie called Two Soldiers from the 1940's about a Sasha who works in the Urals Auto Factory?

Два бойца.

I just finished watching "The Cranes are Flying." OMG, as hard as I tried I could not make it to the end without crying. I would like to blame it all on the fact that I have had massive amounts of medication today; however, I feel fairly certain that this movie would have gotten to me even without the drugs .

I do have many questions and comments which I will try to write up this week (and I still want to try and finish reading Lady With the Dog - but that is too hard for me to focus on right now).

One quick question...I would like to know how the men folk feel about the film. Is this strictly a chick flick?

And Olya...please, please, please... tell you that you liked this movie!

The fact that Tatiana Samoylova was a beautiful, very beautiful woman at the time, I hope ladies present will excuse my pointing that out, greatly helped the film win over the men folk as well. Yes, the movie was good, except for the cranes maybe. Those golden palms in Cannes aren’t given around for nothing. Could she have become a world movie star had she not been fenced out by the iron curtain?

Originally Posted by rockzmom

I could not make it to the end without crying.

I am very glad to hear that.

And Olya...please, please, please... tell you that you liked this movie!

It's one of the movies I don't consider to be "liked". It's one of the Great Patriotic War subject films. And those films mean soooo much to me. What I don't like about many of western people, it's that they often write about Russian Great Patriotic War movies that they're "too depressing". I think one should... no, MUST watch movies like those, so that not to turn into... I don't know... into someone who wants only amusement from movies and books, and only pleasure from life. We should know that there were people, exactly like us, and even much better than us, who died at war, just like that - just a second ago he was alive, and now he's dead. And his feat, if he performed a feat, remained forever unknown.
All those films always make me cry, and actually all that subject does.

One quick question...I would like to know how the men folk feel about the film. Is this strictly a chick flick?

I am not a man, but I don't think that this film can be considered as a "chick flick" by any Russian man.

I hope ladies present will excuse my pointing that out

Ladies present, at least me, only agree with you!

Oh, I have this film on my harddisk because I downloaded it. Now I REALLY feel like watching it.
Thanks for the review Rockzmom!

I agree with Olya that some art (cinema, litterature, paintings) are not necessarily there to be enjoyed as such... Or rather, whether one enjoys them or not is secondary... They are there to trigger certain emotions, describe a condition, convey a message or even just because their creator is a genius. Also, there is some art that people have to know about to be "educated" - so their opinion about it is doesn't really matter - hence the compulsory reading lists at school etc.

However, that said, there is some art that I nevertheless can't stand - which is simply too ugly, depressing, boring or pretentious. Some extremely "artistic" or pretentious films can be like that, some modern art (in my opinion) and some litterature. But frankly I am a rather simple-minded person when it comes to art. If it's too abstract I just don't 'get' it...

The ideal for me is of course when the artist/director can create something which is both somehow satisfying for the viewer AND is extraordinary art at the same time.. Such works are rare though, but it is SO exciting when you come across them. From the descriptions above it sounds like The Cranes are Flying might just be one of those works.

As for Russian "chick flicks" - I am sure there have been many made since then, but "Moscow does not believe in tears" (Москва слезам не верит) is a chickflick (in my opinion) which set in the 1960s and ca 1980. Basically on the theme of "girlpower". I really like this film. I think Rockzmom and any female student of Russian would enjoy it! I found a subtitled version on Demonoid.com.

[video:9qxe0t46]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kQbrvVVqQqQ[/video:9qxe0t46]

Музыка: С. Никитин
Слова: Д. Сухарёв и Ю. Визбор

Александра

Hе сразу все устроилось,
Москва не сразу строилась.
Москва слезам не верила,
А верила любви.
Снегами запорошена,
Листвою заворожена,
Hайдет тепло прохожему,
А деревцу - земли.

Александра, Александра,
Этот город наш с тобою.
Стали мы его судьбою,
Ты вглядись в его лицо...
Что бы ни было вначале,
Утолит он все печали.
Вот и стало обручальным
Hам Садовое кольцо.

Москву рябины красили,
Дубы стояли князями.
Hо не они, а ясени
Без спросу проросли.
Москва не зря надеется,
Что вся в листву оденется,
Москва найдет для деревца
Хоть краешек земли.

Александра, Александра,
Что там вьется перед нами?
Это ясень семенами
Крутит вальс над мостовой.
Ясень с видом деревенским
Приобщился к вальсам венским.
Он пробьется, Александра,
Он надышится Москвой.

Москва тревог не прятала,
Москва видала всякое,
Hо беды все и горести
Склонялись перед ней.
Любовь Москвы не быстрая,
Hо верная и чистая,
Поскольку материнская
Любовь других сильней.

Александра, Александра,
Этот город наш с тобою.
Стали мы его судьбою,
Ты вглядись в его лицо...
Что бы ни было вначале,
Утолит он все печали.
Вот и стало обручальным
Hам Садовое кольцо.
Вот и стало обручальным
Hам Садовое кольцо.

Originally Posted by rockzmom

One quick question...I would like to know how the men folk feel about the film. Is this strictly a chick flick?

That was the first Soviet film I ever saw and I liked it a lot. I was expecting a cliched blast of propoganda but instead found a moving, very real story.

Originally Posted by sperk

Does anyone know the Russian title of a movie called Two Soldiers from the 1940's about a Sasha who works in the Urals Auto Factory? Два солдата gives me an American movie on kinopoick.com

Thanks

Саша с Уралмаша из фильма "Два бойца".

[video:30mjamqd]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sDGLFLKa5o4&feature=related[/video:30mjamqd]

For the first time I see the Soviet film dubbed in English.

[video:s5l539qa]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-3jMDFG-rVk&feature=related[/video:s5l539qa]