Wow, I've only just noticed this thread.

I personally think that Russian war films and books are among the gems of world cinema and literature... Not all of them, naturally. "Ballad of a Soldier", "The Dawns Are Quiet Here", "Officers" -- those are the best. I personally love war films. Well, 'love' is probably not a good word because how can you love war? But those are some of the most poignant and heart-rending movies I've ever seen. Soviet war films are indeed not about blood and gore but more about ordinary people -- because it is ordinary people who suffered most in WWII. Though I do think that films that depict the horrible realities of war are needed too, like "Saving Private Ryan."

"17 moments of Spring" is a great series. I only watched it less than a year ago, last spring, already coloured. First of all, I liked the theme song very much -- "Не думай о секундах свысока". I posted the lyrics and the link to dowload it in the music section a while ago http://masterrussian.net/mforum/view...=9335&start=30. The line "свистят они как пули у виска (мгновения)" (they hiss like bullets at the temple -- moments) is perhaps one of the most evocative and vivid lines I've ever heard in a song.

The second thing that I remember most of all in this film is the scene where Stirlitz meets his wife, though 'meets' is almost mockery. I thought it was an incredibly poignant and sad moment when they look at each other and that's the only thing they can do. I just imagined how I would feel if after years of not seeing a loved one, like my mum, I finally saw her and couldn't even come and hug her... I know I couldn't bear it, I'd break down.