# Forum About Russia Russian Movies  Reviews and discussions of Russian language films

## Hanna

Обитаемый остров" aka "The Inhabited Island".   _(I couldn't resist watching this film first in my Russian movie exposé --- since I love Sci-fi...)_  
TRAILER
[video:kpjp5gbd]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ojw7I016Puw[/video:kpjp5gbd]  *My Review and Reactions*: 
Gosh that must have been an expensive film! Lots of extras (people), sophisticated interiors and dramatic special effects... * I liked the "steam punk" theme* of the equipment and outfits.. Very cool.  But the plot was quite hard to understand!   _It didn't help that the subtitles were really bad. I got them online, and these were the only subs I could find. They were full of spelling, grammar and vocabulary errors, unfortunately. So I had to keep stopping the film because the subs did not help me to understand what was being said._  
Towards the final quarter of the film I finally began to realise the purpose for the "towers" and the role of the "Degenerates" and the "Unknown Fathers". I actually still don't understand exactly how the dictatorship was organised and I think that was part of the message of the plot. I didn't understand why Maksim kept saying that the sky was a dome when it looked like a normal sky.  I think this might be a girl thing though - I often don't get the full plot in action films because the shooting and violence is so distracting...    ::  
The film sure used* parts of every scary dictatorship that's ever existed* to put together a truly spooky society to base the plot in...  
As I understood the plot, the citizens still supported the dictatorship because of the power of suggestion that the dictators had over the population. *
The hero (Maksim) looked like a California surfer dude* and I didn't particularly like the performance of the actor apart from the fact that he is very good looking. But I thought his friend Guy was a better actor..  * Or perhaps his super naive, slightly cheesy personality (or lack thereof) was actually part of the story?*  
The departure of Maksim in the red tank towards unknown lands was classy though, and I thought it was *a pretty good way of ending the film*. 
I WILL watch the second part despite my slight reservations about the first one.  
I think that for me, a lot of this film might have been "lost in translation" unfortunately.. If anybody knows of better subs, please let me know!   I'd love to hear what others thought who have seen this film?

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## Оля

I've seen the both parts of "The Inhabited Island".
First of all, I must say that I've read the book, and even more than once, and the book is perfect; I love it. I strongly recommend you to read the novel.
So... As for the plot, if it can console you, Johanna - many of Russian viewers, those who didn't read the book, could not understand the plot, either. The film looks like several clips put together. Also, many plot lines are distorted. I must admit that I liked some things in the film. Or rather say, some shots. For example, the shot when Maxim leaves his spaceship and takes his first steps on the planet. The picture is beautiful and very exact: those who read the novel can see right away the _refraction_ of the horizon, as it was described in the book. I also like the main hero's appearance - and I don't mean that I like him as a man, but that his appearance is quite close to what I imagined when I was reading the book. Although, many other Russian viewers write on the internet that 'this permanently smiling blond guy' can be Maxim only in a nightmare.
I also don't like the way he acts; but I don't think it's his fault, he's only a student who has just entered a theatre school. He did what the director told him to do. 
Well, as for the environment the director created in the film. I didn't like it at all. It all looked like something I have already seen a thousand times in different American movies about terrible future of the Earth or something. It was a "hi tech" style, and that's not at all what I imagined when reading the book. For me, it should rather look closer to the Middle Ages. I mean, a tavern should rather look like... a simple tavern, not like a modern bar or a café, and in addition with some twinkling letters... well, I don't remember well what is was. If it's a civilization where the the ruling top uses some high tech, it doesn't mean that high tech is all over the world, in every house, for every simple person. As I could understand from the book, people live _very poorly_ there! Why all that "twinkling" bar then? And "twinkling" streets, and so on? It looked too "glamourish" and too "high tech", no one knows for what reason. 
Also, I'd like to add some words about the role of Fedor Bondarchuk, the film director. Before I see the film, I saw one of his interviews on TV where he spoke about this film, and he said that the role of Prosecutor-General, in his opinion, is his best role in cinema. Well, I told myself then that I want to see him in that role. And.... when I saw him finally..... I realized that the guy obviously has no idea about good acting. It was so clear which great actors he was trying to imitate in that role... But in his execution it looks so wretched... 
As for the second part, I think it's a bit better than the first one. But some really important plot lines are distorted which I didn't like at all. But I liked some shots there, too. 
Oh, and about permanent smiling of the main hero - yes, it's supposed to be so because he's a naive and kind guy from a happy world,....... BUT! The director obviously didn't know where to stop with it. In the novel, Maxim stops smiling quite soon, when he understands how cruel and unhappy is the world he got to. In the film, Maxim keeps smiling even when he's fighting with thugs and mutilating them, and blood is all around. That's just stupid.

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## Hanna

What a great review. I wonder if the other good film critic, rockzmom could be convinced to watch this film?   
Yeah, I agree that the decor was a bit overdone at places. The tavern was one of them... And the word "tavern" implies a basic beer-hall or an inn. Not a chic city bar.   _There is actually a bar near my house which looks surprisingly similar to the "tavern" from this film, with the same retro 1960s style glowing furniture._  
I didn't know about the book but I'll check it out.  
It sounds like a really great book. It's always hard to watch a film after you read a book - because you have a mental picture of the story, and you know all the details that the film couldn't hope to convey. 
I just noticed that Wikipedia has an entry for this film. It's mentioned that Maxim's voice is actually not that of the actor we see on screen - another actor is doing the voice! But it is not explained why...  
On the negative side, this film did nothing for my Russian --- the speaking is just too fast most of the time, and the vocabulary too advanced.  ::

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## Оля

> I didn't know about the book but I'll check it out.

 If you or someone else is interested, here's the link: http://www.homeenglish.ru/StrugatskyPrisoners.rar 
(it doesn't look too long, but I don't know if the text is unabridged...)

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## sperk

I watched a movie called The Needle (Игла).  http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0097561/
It's a good movie for those who want to try and tackle a Russian movie without subs because there isn't a lot of dialogue and what there is of it is spoken at a resonable pace and enunciated well. The movie itself is termed a "cult movie;" there isn't much of a plot really but it's very pleasing visually, the scenes etc. I also liked the soundtrack a lot.

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## Hanna

My gosh that's the film that Victor Tsoi was in, isn't it!! 
A friend and I wanted to see this film ca 1990 but we couldn't make it to the cinema that showed it, because we were stuck at boarding school and it was only on for a very short time. 
So I never saw it.  *"Cult movie" can mean anything though!* _Some "cult movies" aren't actually that good... 
"Terror on Elm Street", "Friday 13th" etc_

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## Оля

> I just noticed that Wikipedia has an entry for this film. It's mentioned that Maxim's voice is actually not that of the actor we see on screen - another actor is doing the voice! But it is not explained why...

 Russian Wiki page about Василий Степанов says that he _burred_ at the time the film was shooting, that's why the voice in the film is not his.

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## sperk

> My gosh that's the film that Victor Tsoi was in, isn't it!! 
> A friend and I wanted to see this film ca 1990 but we couldn't make it to the cinema that showed it, because we were stuck at boarding school and it was only on for a very short time. 
> So I never saw it.  *"Cult movie" can mean anything though!* _Some "cult movies" aren't actually that good... 
> "Terror on Elm Street", "Friday 13th" etc_

 Wow, you have a good memory for films!

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## sperk

> Originally Posted by Johanna  I just noticed that Wikipedia has an entry for this film. It's mentioned that Maxim's voice is actually not that of the actor we see on screen - another actor is doing the voice! But it is not explained why...   Russian Wiki page about Василий Степанов says that he _burred_ at the time the film was shooting, that's why the voice in the film is not his.

 Sorry, my English isn't up to speed.   ::  What is burred?

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## translationsnmru

> Sorry, my English isn't up to speed.   What is burred?

 She means he had trouble pronouncing his r's.

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## Hanna

КУКУШКА (The Cuckoo)   *I have watched this film and I give it 9 out of 10 stars!*  ::   ::   ::   ::   ::   ::   ::   ::   ::    *What an allround top-class film!* 
EDIT: Following comment from Olya I upgrade my rating to 10/10. Do not miss this brilliant film! Must-see!  
The story was more or less realistic, and so were the characters.
So much human drama emotion and history  taking place in a non-descript valley in the backwaters of Finland... For me as a Scandinavian person, the story was particularly interesting.   Background: In 1939 the USSR tried to annex Finland which had previously once been Russian but declared independence in 1917. The Finns, largely, were not interested in being "liberated" by the Red Army and fought back, quite successfully, with the official help of Germany and the inofficial help of Sweden.    Plot: A politically suspect Russian captain, a Finnish conscript and a Sami woman find themselves thrown together in her little hut. She has been missing her husband for many years... Nobody can understand the language of the other two - this problem is at the centre of the story.  
The nature is breathtaking. Apparently it was filmed on the Kola peninsula and not in Finland. But it looks the same, I'm sure. The acting is great and the filming brings out the best in all the scenes...  
Naturally the two soldiers are very suspicious of each other, throwing political insults and prejudice at each other, despite the fact that the other cannot understand.... All while the Sami woman thinks the two men are pretty similar, apart from the fact that the younger (Finnish guy) is better looking! A kind of friendship and understanding develops between the three. 
History doesn't seem to have been re-written, Hollywood style. I would have been furious if that had  been the case - this is important history!  
All the historical facts seem right, to my knowledge. I almost fell out of the sofa when I saw the SS insignia on the Finnish soldiers uniform. But the reason it was there is explained half-way through the film, and no doubt it's based on the truth. 
I DO think that Anni's clothes (the Sami woman) were a lot nicer and cleaner than what you see on old photos of the Lapps. Also, it is very strange that she can't speak Finnish - the Swedish Lapps could speak Swedish at that time. But it's possible that the policies were different in Finland, I don't know.  
I didn't understand the beginning of the story! Was the Russian captain about to get executed or imprisoned for his anti-Soviet comments? The only thing that I understood was that he was in trouble due to some comments that he had made. Also, why was the Finnish soldier chained to the mountain?   
I think all of the characters were portrayed in a very human, very realistic way and their dilemmas were fascinating:  
1) Anni's disinterest in the war and very human need for a lover and male company.... 
2) The Russian soldier's conflict between patriotism, ideology and sense of having been sold out and betrayed. 
3) The simple philosophy of the Finnish soldier: "I'm done fighting..."  
This war is (was!) a real "torn in the side" in both Finland but also Sweden. If you know the history you'll know why, else I won't bore you with it.. The "Karelia question" was really sensitive and hardly ever mentioned in media during the cold war, for various reasons. To see a Russian-made truly excellent and very sensitive film about it really made a difference to me. It's all truly in the past and history now.  
In the "The making of" clip that was included with the film, I heard Ville Haapsalo speak great Russian! Very impressive. If I can get as good as him I'll be very pleased!  *
Possibly the best film I've watched this year.*  
Highly recommended - do not miss!

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## Оля

Thanks for your review, Johanna! It's very interesting.   

> Possibly the best film I've watched this year.

 And still you give the film only 9 out of 10 stars?  ::    

> I didn't understand the beginning of the story! Was the Russian captain about to get executed or imprisoned for his anti-Soviet comments?

 Maybe the former, maybe the latter, but anyway, nothing good would expect him.   

> Also, why was the Finnish soldier chained to the mountain?

 As someone explained me, Germans dressed captive Finns in the fascist uniform and gave them weapon so that Soviet pilots tried to kill such 'German', and he, defending himself, could shoot down one or two Sovite planes.

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## alexB

I couldn’t agree more, the movie is great. I don’t remember how I got to watching it, maybe Ville Haapsalo, the actor I very much like for some reason, perhaps for his speaking Russian so well and being so Russian friendly, caught my eyes in the trailer, anyway I wasn’t disappointed. The only disappointment is that he (Ville Haapsalo) seems to be getting closer and closer to becoming, how shell I put it, an alcohol dependent person. Every time I caught a glimpse of him on TV lately, in interviews or whatever, he appeared to be drunk.

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## Hanna

Thanks for the comments Ollie - I really appreciate your view - I consider you probably the top film authority on this site! I have watched a film called "A zori zdes tikhie" - I will write a review of that one too. Since it's a war film (one of your specialities) I look forward to your view too. Very interesting film. 
Actually  -  I will change my "rating" of Kukushka - I only held back the star because of Anni's clean&stylish clothes which I thought were unrealistic..  ::  Not a good reason really!   *@Alex* - I see what you  mean about Ville Haapsalo and the booze. I saw a Finnish interview with him on Youtube, and yeah, he was definitely not sober.... That's tragic. Other than that he's a really impressive guy.   _For some reason lots of people from the Nordic countries drink too much when they go to Russia! It's weird really. I know two guys who have lived in St Petersburg for a many years (Swedish), both definitely drink too much. In Scandinavia it's very difficult/complicated to buy alcohol - to prevent people from drinking. I guess Russia doesn't have any restrictions and they go wild..._

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## Hanna

just some corrections!   ::   ::    

> Maybe the former, maybe the latter, but anyway, nothing good would expect him.

 Hm, this sentence is wrong in two places, I know what you want to say, but the whole sentence must be changed:  _"One or the other. He had nothing good to look forward to"._  _(that's the closest sentence I can come up with)._    

> As someone explained me, Germans dressed [s:1m09zte3]captive[/s:1m09zte3] CAPTURED Finns in [s:1m09zte3]the[/s:1m09zte3] fascist uniform*S* and gave them weapon*S* so that Soviet pilots tried to kill such 'German*S*', and he, WHILE defending himself, could shoot down one or two Soviet planes.

 A comment based on my own mistake: If you use the word "fascist" when you speak with English or American people, just remember that to them, it means ONLY fascism like Moussolini's in Italy. I don't think they are familiar with the more general meaning of the word.  I made this mistake once when I was discussing politics and people totally misunderstood me.    ::

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## Hanna

_I caught a nasty cold... so recovering on the sofa and watching... "Stirlitz". I managed to find some English subtitles for it._ 
My rating, 4,5/5   ::   ::   ::   ::   ::     
I hadn't heard of this series until I joined this forum, but i have understood from the posts here that *it is a Russian classic*, so I decided to watch it.  
Normally I HATE war films, particularly films about WW2. But this is interesting for reasons other than "entertainment". Plus, I am beginning to like the Russian approach to war films. I like the slower pace, lack of exaggerated heroes, gory shooting and blood. I particularly like that the focus is on normal people and how the war affects them.  
"Stirlitz" starts a bit slowly --- at a pace that we are not used to anymore. But back in the days of state TV only (I've experienced that too...) they could afford to be more "artistic" and less worried about viewers getting bored and changing to another channel.... On the whole, I prefer quality and art over a quick "entertainment-fix".  
In Stirlitz, great emphasis is placed on introducing the characters and the backdrop of the series. Very helpful and sets the atmosphere.   
So far my impression is that* it is a very good series* with some really interesting dialogues. *I like that the Germans are portrayed as normal people and not robot-like monsters*, like Hollywood films about WW2. The British/American view on the war is much better known to me than the Russian view, but I was interested in learning more of the Russian view.  
It also seems to me that the film is filling the purpose of educating viewers a bit about the main events of the war. Perhaps in the early 1970s, the war was so close by that it hadn't quite become "history" to be studied in school, and people needed to get the facts straight.  
Also, I must say I do get the impression that *there seems to be a fair bit of Soviet ideology* vowen into the plot. Whereas other films from that era don't contain it. I can only guess that the war touches so many politcally sensitive areas that it was inevitable. But this is not unique to Russia/Soviet. Anybody who's watched a Hollywood film has come across ideology too -- just a different one. So the ideology doesn't bother me, but it's the first time I've noticed it in a Russian film.    Minuses: Some of the details are not quite right, such as a couple of street scenes that are supposed to be from 1945 but are filmed in East Germany at a much later date. Plus the English voices are not done by native speakers.. But this is a well known phenomenon from Hollywood... Nevertheless, getting these details right would have made me more impressed by the film. However, I accept that for the Soviet viewers in the 1970s it was probably completely irrelevant.  
I guess they filmed in black and white so they could use old news material for some of the scenes. Other Russian films from that time and earlier are in colour. I much prefer colour.  
Anyway, so far I like the series and will continue watching the next episode.  
Another interesting thing is that the word "господин" is used a fair bit. I was beginning to think that only Russian courses and text books used this word! First time I hear it in a film, as far as I can recall.   *The dialogue is interesting and witty. It's an intelligent and artistically excellent series. The actors speak clearly, quite slowly and the subtitles are good. So this series is good for learners.*

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## rockzmom

> _I caught a nasty cold... so recovering on the sofa and watching... "Stirlitz". I managed to find some English subtitles for it._  
> I hadn't heard of this series until I joined this forum, but i have understood from the posts here that *it is a Russian classic*, so I decided to watch it.  
> I guess they filmed in black and white so they could use old news material for some of the scenes. Other Russian films from that time and earlier are colour. I much prefer colour.

 Johanna,
Sorry you are not feeling well! When I was watching this one I had LOTS of questions. If you have any or want to read mine and the answers, take a look at pages 16 and 17 of the BIG movie thread. 
Also about the whole B&W thing, there was a thread about that before too, but it is in Russian. HOWEVER it has still photos as the movie was colorized! You should take a look at it! http://masterrussian.net/mforum/view...p?f=23&t=17253

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## Hanna

Thanks for the tips, I'll check that.... !
So you watched the whole series?

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## rockzmom

> Thanks for the tips, I'll check that.... !
> So you watched the whole series?

 Yup! I really liked the series and it was great to watch while hanging around in bed and in the car (I watched part of it on a little portable DVD player). I have found that these old series like this one and Meeting Place Should Not Be Changed (the one I just finished today) are at a slower pace and therefore much easier to watch when you aren't feeling well! Now they do take concentration to keep track of the large cast and the plot twists, but that is what the rewind button is for and the cheat sheet!!! The acting in these older series is amazing and so is the directing, script writing, sets, lighting, well... just everything!  
They would probably not go over well in today's world... maybe they could be compared to Out of Africa or The Natural... a slower pace and no special effects to cover up for the lack of a good script and acting.  
You have posted about why Hollywood does not use Russian actors for Russians, that is a good question. Maybe because they are afraid they would out act our American actors just like the British ones do! The Brits are already taking over all the good American TV roles and using American acents to do it!   ::

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## SAn

How about more easy and fun movies? 
I recently watched the «Сваты» series (Сваты, Сваты-2, Сваты-3). The film is about two Russian (or, may be, Ukrainian?) families, whose children get married and have a small daugter. 
The film is so easy, so fun, it shows Russian life in so true and exagerrated manner! But I bet it will be very hard too understand by non-native speakers. 
The plot of series is very simple: two pairs of grandparents by chance are living together trying to look after their granddaughter. But grandparents have very different characters: one family is from a village, other are civilized people from a city. As a result, they have a lot of conflicts is a SitCom-like style. So, the film is about beginnings and solving of these conflicts in a Russian manner. Vodka is often play central role in the plot, but it shown not as a way to solve a conflict (as you might expect), but mostly as the origin of all problems. 
The film is extremily realistic. The only unfeasible thing is the frequency of fun situations the heroues meet with.

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## Hanna

Good film SAN - I'd really like to watch it. Perfect way to learn about the country and the language at the same time.  
But without subtitles I will miss too much of the plot... So I must find a version with subtitles. 
It's funny that you don't know whether the film is set in Russia or Ukraine... It's supposed to be two different countries, lol..... Either way is interesting for me though.

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## Оля

> I recently watched the «Сваты» series (Сваты, Сваты-2, Сваты-3). The film is about two Russian (or, may be, Ukrainian?) families, whose children get married and have a small daugter.

 It's about Russian families, of course.
I've seen a couple of episodes because I like a lot Fedor Dobronravov. Yes, it's not that bad...

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## Basil77

> I recently watched the «Сваты» series (Сваты, Сваты-2, Сваты-3). The film is about two Russian (or, may be, Ukrainian?) families, whose children get married...

 It's just "Meet the Fockers" a la Russe. Rather well-made and funny though .

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## starrysky

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.

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## rockzmom

> "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.

 Ahhhh! You know, Lampada keeps telling me to check out that forum; but, with my lack of Russian I stay away from it! Anyway, I updated the BIG Movie list with your link to the theme for "17", thanks for finding it!  
I have mentioned previously how much I enjoyed this series. It was really great for me to watch especially as I was feeling so poorly while watching it. It gave me something to take my mind off things. They just don't seem to make shows like this any longer. I really think it goes all around, directors, writers, actors, sound...everyone... I just don't think they care as much about their craft. They are more concerned about CGI and special effects, their paycheck and so on. I guess that is why when a film like say "Precious" comes along that is low budget and in your face, it makes such an impact.

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## Оля

> 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.

 +1.
That's what I keep writing all the time, especially in Rockzmom's "big movie thread". Exactly my thoughts. I'm glad you think and feel the same.

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## starrysky

Uh-huh. I am as anti-war as it is possible to be but I don't think we have the right to forget our history... It doesn't mean nursing old grudges, just giving credit where credit is due. And some recent developments in the evaluation of history are very disturbing to see. I understand the resentment that some countries feel that were formerly occupied by the Red Army but to listen to them you'd think they would still prefer to be under the Nazis... Now, this is indeed too upsetting to even think about.    
Anyway, since most films and books that are worthy of the name 'art' are usually concerned with ordinary people and how they get caught up in historical events and the impact that war has on them, they can be appreciated for themselves. For example, I liked very much "La mort est mon metier"/"Death Is My Trade" by Robert Merle which is a 1952 French fictionalized biography of Rudolf Hoess, commandant of the concentration camp Auschwitz. It describes his childhood and shows how such people became what they became. I suppose the "Reader" with Kate Winslet is a bit similar in this respect but I haven't seen it yet.   

> They just don't seem to make shows like this any longer. I really think it goes all around, directors, writers, actors, sound...everyone... I just don't think they care as much about their craft. They are more concerned about CGI and special effects, their paycheck and so on. I guess that is why when a film like say "Precious" comes along that is low budget and in your face, it makes such an impact.

 Yes... Whenever I hear the word 'CGI' used too much with regard to a film, I immediately feel like not watching it. For this reason I skipped "Nightwatch" -- the commercials seemed to go on and on about how great its special effects  were and it's just not what I care about in a film... For the same reason I am reluctant to watch "Avatar" though I have read only rave reviews. It's quite different when CGI is incroporated seamlessly into the film, like Gollum in LOTR and the special effects in "Titanic." Though Gollum used to bug me a little at the beginning as well. Maybe I'm just too conservative.   ::   
Well, guys, you have absolutely convinced me to watch "Kukushka."   ::  Not that I didn't want to, I just never got round to watching it but now I think I'm gonna get the dvd.

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## sperk

If you like Russian war movies check out Аты-баты, шли солдаты. It's excellent. They don't make movies like this the US - war movies there are all about shooting and killing, very boring.

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## Zeroset

Also check ДМБ - very fuuny

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## sperk

I just finished the Брат movies (Brat and Брат 2.) I thought Brat was excellent, I loved the look of the movie and I thought the script was concise and well written, no fluff. It was a simple movie but there was depth to the characters and somehow a familiar story (gangsters) seemed renewed. 
Brat 2 I found sort of silly and childish.
The lead says "it's not money that is power but having justice on your side." Throughout the movie he kills about 30 people, none of whom had anything to do with his hockey friend getting ripped off (the basis of his "crusade for justice.") He then flies home first class with a prostitute. Some people thought it was an attack on America but I never felt that. It moves along and keeps you interested but it doesn't compare to the original.

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## Hanna

> Brat 2 I found sort of silly and childish.

 I watched it quite recently, and I agree.  
But there were some funny scenes though! I thought the scene when the Russian people were sitting at a campfire and eating polluted shrimps was very funny and symbolic, in an ironic sort of way. Also, his brother is hilarious when he falls in love with the US.   
I agree that there was way too much crazy killing. But why did you have a problem with the prostitute? It was just a woman who had fallen on hard time, who was "saved" by Daniila. I thought it was a good thing.   *But this is an exaggerated picture of Russia, isn't it?* None of the people are very sympathetic apart from arguably Daniila. It also portrays some very grubby areas and environments. If that is a true representation of the business world in Russia then I want nothing to do with that.  
I agree that the first film was a LOT better than the second film.

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## starrysky

> If that is a true representation of the business world in Russia then I want nothing to do with that.

 Things have changed a bit since then. The 1990s are notorious for their lawlessness.   

> If you like Russian war movies check out Аты-баты, шли солдаты. It's excellent. They don't make movies like this the US - war movies there are all about shooting and killing, very boring.

 Mhmhmh... I've seen this film recently... To be quite honest, I thought it was a bit boring, despite the fact that it had Leonid Bykov and Vladimir Konkin (Sharapov from "The Meeting Place Cannot Be Changed) in the leading roles and Boris Vasilyev for a scriptwriter... Maybe I just wasn't in the mood, I dunno. It just seemed that the whole film was talk-talk-talk. But the final 5 minutes were very tragic.   ::   
My favourite film with Leonid Bykov is "В бой идут одни старики"/"Only Old Men Are Going to Battle", which I mentioned in another thread. That one I highly recommend. It's mentioned among the most famous Soviet-time films in the wiki here and it's got a lot of famous war-time songs, "Смуглянка" (smuglianka = swarthy-skinned woman, смуглый -- swarthy) among them, which plays at the very beginning of the movie. And there are English and Russian subs for this film.  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kTQFx...x=0&playnext=1 
Как-то летом на рассвете 
Заглянул в соседний сад. 
Там смуглянка-молдаванка 
Собирала виноград. 
Я краснею, я бледнею, 
Захотелось вдруг сказать: 
Станем над рекою 
Зорьки летние встречать!  
Припев: 
Раскудрявый клен зеленый, лист резной, 
Я влюбленный и смущенный пред тобой. 
Клен зеленый, да клен кудрявый, 
Да раскудрявый, резной!  
А смуглянка-молдаванка 
Отвечала парню в лад: 
- Партизанский, молдаванский 
Собираем мы отряд. 
Нынче рано партизаны 
Дом покинули родной. 
Ждет тебя дорога 
К партизанам в лес густой. 
Припев.  
И смуглянка-молдаванка 
По тропинке в лес ушла. 
В том обиду я увидел, 
Что с собой не позвала. 
О смуглянке-молдаванке 
Часто думал по ночам... 
Вскоре вновь смуглянку 
Я в отряде повстречал.  
Припев: 
Раскудрявый клен зеленый, лист резной, 
- Здравствуй, парень, забубенный, мой родной,- 
Клен зеленый, да клен кудрявый, 
Да раскудрявый, резной!

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## sperk

I saw "Белое солнце пустыни" (White Desert Sun;" eng subs available) recently.
I thought it was a quirky but entertaining movie. It sort of rides that edge between humor and seriousness so you're not exactly sure how to take the movie. It's basically a Western (cowboys and indians) set in Russia. The cinematography is gorgeous. Well worth a watch.

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## Hanna

*Recently I watched the Russian film "Вор" (Thief) from 1997.*  
I had read somewhere (here I think) that this film was good, and I was interested in watching something from the 1990s.   *I was fully expecting a gangster film or something similar,* but was surprised to find that the film was mostly about a little boy and his mother!   
Excellent film, but for completely different reasons than I had expected.  
The film takes place in the early 1950s and follows a little boy whose single, attractive mother hooks up with an individual who first appears to be a very handsome captain in the Soviet army.  
He becomes the lover of the boys' mother, and a step father, of sorts to the boy. You just "know" it's too good to be true, lol....  
So gradually it emerges that the war hero in fact has another profession on the side, and that besides being very charming, sexy and attractive, he is also quite ruthless, egoistic and faithless....    
Due to circumstances which I won't reveal (so as not to spoil the excellent plot) the family splits up.... Later in life, the son encounters his "stepfather" again....  
As an adult, the man (who was a boy in the 1950s) can be seen commanding some kind of military/commando unit in an area that looks straight out of hell (Chechnya in the 1990s??) He reminisces about how he ended up in that line of work and about human nature in general.  
The film is "dark" but has some very sweet, tender and touching moments. It's also an interesting insight into life in 1950s Russia as it possibly "really" was  (I wouldn't know.. )   *RECOMMENDED!!!*   ::   ::   ::   ::

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## rockzmom

> *Recently I watched the Russian film "Вор" (Thief) from 1997.*  
> I had read somewhere (here I think) that this film was good, and I was interested in watching something from the 1990s.

 You are correct, what a good memory you have! It is buried deep in last July on the really BIG thread and there are links to the film there if anyone wants them. We had mixed thoughts about the film. I was very impressed with the acting by the young boy in the film.

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## Hanna

Oh now I again have to look through that mega-long thread to find the info about this film to find out what other people thought!
I think I remembered the film from compiling that spreadsheet that I made last autumn.  
So people didn't like that film, huh? 
I thought it was very good.  
My criticism would be that it was trying to do too much in one single film though; Romance, Human portrayal, historical and philosophical musings.... Sometimes for films it's better if they stick with one or two main themes.   But nevertheless it was 
not boring
not predictable 
not cliche-ish
not factually or historically incorrect  It had a
Good plot
Decent actors
Interesting subject matter 
This, to me. is the formula for a good film. 
=============================================== 
Edit: 
Oh rockzmom it was you that didn't like it!
Didn't you feel drawn into the situation of the single mother; getting hooked up with this handsome yet dangerous man... I really empathised with her.  
And I agree with Olya that the environment seemed well portrayed although I wouldn't know much of that era, in Russia.  
I kept thinking that the man seriously reminded me of a guy that I certainly wish I'd never met who was British army officer but not a gentleman....  
I'm with the jury on this one!   

> The Thief (Russian: Вор, Vor) is a 1997 Russian  drama film written and directed by Pavel Chukhrai. It was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film and won the Nika Award for Best Picture and Best Directing. Also winner of the International Youth Jury's prize, the President of the Italian Senate's Gold Medal, and the UNICEF Award  at the 1997 Venice Film Festival.

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## rockzmom

> Edit: 
> Oh rockzmom it was you that didn't like it!
> Didn't you feel drawn into the situation of the single mother; getting hooked up with this handsome yet dangerous man... I really empathised with her.  
> And I agree with Olya that the environment seemed well portrayed although I wouldn't know much of that era, in Russia.  
> I kept thinking that the man seriously reminded me of a guy that I certainly wish I'd never met who was British army officer but not a gentleman....  
> I'm with the jury on this one!

 Wait one minute now... don't throw me under the bus just yet... it wasn't just me... Coffeecup and Basil were not fans of it either!   
You had just joined the forum at the time, but when I watched it, I was actually in the hospital (or as I was calling it my "vacation" as I was there for 10 days and it was July; however, it was anything BUT a vacation!!!) and it was the only movie I watched as I did not feel up to watching anything! So, that might have something to do with my thoughts about the film. As I recall, I was looking forward to watching this one and I think all the hype about it might have also clouded my judgement.  
That being said, the film just fell flat for me. I remember the young boy's performance was amazingly good. But I also recall thinking that after having seen sooooo many other really very good Russian films and then seeing this one, it was sort of a let down. Especially after I had no idea how wonderful the Russian films were. I was like a kid in a candy store tasting all these new flavors and seeing all these new vibrant colors for the first time and then, then, tasting one that was just so-so and was a dull dusty color so to speak.

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## CoffeeCup

> Wait one minute now... don't throw me under the bus just yet... it wasn't just me... Coffeecup and Basil were not fans of it either!

 Yes. I'm the one who don't like this movie. I can't say that the movie is bad. It is clear that the director, photographer and actors worked very hard and did their best. But the idea and the plot doesn't touch me, even more it is repulsing. It so repulsing that I've never seen the entire movie. I always switched it off after the beginning.

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## gRomoZeka

> So people didn't like that film, huh? 
> I thought it was very good.

 I'm not sure, but it could be me who recommended this film.  ::  I really liked it, and I believe that it was one of the best movies of the 1990s. Yes, it was mainstream, so to speak, but the acting was great, the plot was good, and they made an amazing job of recreating the details of the era. I did not like the end (it did not ring true in my opinion), but the film is still very, very good.

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## Hanna

> Originally Posted by rockzmom  Wait one minute now... don't throw me under the bus just yet... it wasn't just me... Coffeecup and Basil were not fans of it either!   Yes. I'm the one who don't like this movie.
> (...)
> It so repulsing that I've never seen the entire movie. I always switched it off after the beginning.

 Haha rockzmom, never heard that bus expression. 
Ok you are off the hook, especially since you were ill at the time.  
I am not surprised the guys didn't like it; I think it's more of a womens' film. The thing that interested me was that she stayed with the man despite all...  
@CoffeeCup
What precisely was it that you found repulsive? I didn't see anything that particularly put me off? 
The silly thing was that I wanted to watch a film about the *1990s* in Russia -- but this is about the 1950s, just MADE in the 1990s. 
Russia in the 1990s did not seem like an uplifting place from the outside. It seemed pretty grim to be honest. I wanted to see a realistic film from that decade, to understand what it was like.

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## CoffeeCup

> What precisely was it that you found repulsive? I didn't see anything that particularly put me off?

 I can't recall any specific point which put me off. But there also were no any point which would touch me. It is just not my type of movies.   ::

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## CoffeeCup

> The silly thing was that I wanted to watch a film about the 1990s in Russia -- but this is about the 1950s, just MADE in the 1990s.
> Russia in the 1990s did not seem like an uplifting place from the outside. It seemed pretty grim to be honest. I wanted to see a realistic film from that decade, to understand what it was like.

 I would certainly recommend "Brother" (the first movie only). Maybe it's too grim but it's a cult movie for that time.  

> in the Big Film's Thread[/color]]
> The movie "Brother" was really the cult movie in Russia. The level of cult was so high as to be compared with that of the "Godfather". Returning to the background impression, here it is mainly performed by the music of the cult Russian rock band "Nautilus" (in some scenes one can see the leader of this band). This music saturates the entire movie.

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## BappaBa

> I wanted to see a realistic film from that decade, to understand what it was like.

 Taxi Blues (1990)  
(English subs) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZUE71zyywVc http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ngi3x...eature=related http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=clPsj...eature=related http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2L884...eature=related http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wr7fl...eature=related http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IR1wU...eature=related http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xvoyq...eature=related http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8mQKC...eature=related http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CgWWN...eature=related http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TyKYP...eature=related

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## Hanna

Very interesting! I will watch it. _What about something from 1991-2000 approx? Basically the Yeltsin era. Brat is the one film I've seen from that era so far._ *
About Taxi Blues, a reviewer on IMDB writes:*    

> Besides this, I have only seen one movie by Pavel Lungin, namely Luna-park, which also comes off highly recommended. Taxi Blues is an excellent work all in itself. Lungin very well transcends the chaotic atmosphere in Russia during the late Perestroika period, and prior to the break-up of the Soviet Union itself. The tumultous relationship between two main characters represents bipolar parts of the Russian society, and shows degradation of the social fabric. Piotr Mamonov (who is also the leader of the well-known Moscow rock-band Zvuki Moo) turns in an impressive performance as Lyosha - a westernized, alcoholic Jewish mucisian. The rest of the characters are equally picturesqe, be it the strong willed, conservative, nationalistic taxi driver, or his neighbor, an old man of the Stalinist generation. The film's unsettling pacing and incessant moodswings further contribute to the overall picture. An excellent film from one of Russia's leading directors.

 If someone doesn't like watching this on Youtube, then they can download the whole film. I discovered that there are subtitles available to download on subs sites. This is high up on my Russian-films-to-watch list.

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## starrysky

> *Recently I watched the Russian film "Вор" (Thief) from 1997.*

 I first read it as [bop], you know, in English.   ::   
I liked "Вор"... Saw it a loooong time ago. I remember it was really touching. Children often seem the best actors because they are so natural. And Mashkov is a very charismatic actor. But I don't want to rewatch it ever again, it was just too sad and depressing.

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## hannyflow

The research team worked together to design a model in three dimensions and projects. In addition, the Union of artists of foreign partners who have contributed to the design of computers in several Hollywood films. Inhabited the island are extremely complex makeup. While characters in the film, dozens of variants of specific styles and makeup have been developed. It has been used in developing a unique technology that has no analogues in Russia. CGI is an important part of the film.

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## Der Doktor

The most recent Russian film I watched was called Я люблю тебя (translated into English as "you I love", though I'm not sure why the word order was switched. Perhaps to make it stand out a bit more)   
The reason I watched it was because I was intrigued to see what I believe is the first film in Russia to openly deal with the subject of homosexuality (someone correct me if I'm wrong), so I was curious to see how it would work. 
Overall, I enjoyed the film though I wouldn't say it's anything particularly special except for its significance in Russian film history. The two main male actors are Damir Badmaaev as a Kalmyk day worker called Uloomji and Evgeny Koryakovsky as office worker Tim and they are very good. Well portrayed characters enhanced by the fact they are very contrasting, above all culturally. So, not only does the film deal with homosexuality in Russia, it also deals with cultural differences within Russia as well. Does it do this well? I'm not sure. I would have to be a native to be a true judge of that. The portrayal of Uloomji's culture is hardly flattering and I'm not sure whether this is an accurate portrayal of his traditionalist heritage or merely an outdated portrayal. Indeed, the whole "parents shamed by gay son" has become very cliché and, although such a storyline can be pulled off well, I don't think it's particulary good in this film. It ends up being very simplistic with very hollow portrayal's of Uloomji's family. In fact, they get in the way of what was already a decent story. I'd be fascinated to see what a native had to say about this particular film, so if anyone has seen it, I'm open to other reviews. 
Another qualm I have with the film is that, despite being the first film to deal with homosexuality, the main character Tim is more bisexual, suggesting that Russia is not necessarily becoming more tolerant to homosexuality in itself. That is to say, homosexuality is fine as long as the man in question is also attracted to women. Then again, perhaps the film is a critique of this. 
So, I did enjoy it, though I expect better films to come from Russia of this genre in the future.

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## Hanna

Interesting review! I don't like films with a homosexual theme, so I am not going to watch this but it's interesting to learn that a films of this type are made in Russia.  
I have no idea about the situation with homosexuality in Russia either but on the whole, I think Russia is a bit less "PC" than the rest of Northern Europe so I guess people think twice before coming out as gays there.

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## Hanna

*The Cranes are Flying / Летят журавли (1957)*   
I just have to add* "The Cranes are Flying" (Летят журавли)* to this thread.
I will not say anything about the complex story,  but to summarise:  *This is a war movie for women, and a very, very good one.* 
I *never* would have thought that I'd *love* a black/white 1950s Soviet war movie... but I did! 
As you can see from the cover below, it is a Palm d'Or winner.      
Incidentally everyone speaks very clearly and the subtitles are good.  
One more comment: Someone below... say, 20.. is unlikely to appreciate this; it requires a bit of life experience....   
Very touching and very well filmed. I think it's a masterpiece.

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