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I have to admit - of all the films on Russian Civil War, The Red and the White might be the most unusual one... and I suspect I have seen hundreds such works. It has been reviewed here before, so I will not go into any great detail, sufficient to say that it creates strong impact, its mesmerizing aura will be with you for a while. Includes a wonderful cast with many great Russian actors - I don't know if anyone noticed Nikita Mikhalkov in his small role?
What captures your attention is the overwhelming sense of boredom the participants exhibit in the middle of all the mayhem - they kill with no emotions, and they also show no emotions while in turn being killed. The sense of confusion and lost focus is intertwined with utmost bravery and abandon, and creates an almost playful atmosphere, bringing the memories of the most horrific scenes of Salo.
All told - a VERY interesting film, and at a risk of sounding like a broken record - once again the familiarity with region's history is mandatory for its full appreciation.
Follow Ups:
"Men on the Mountain;" "Man on the Tracks; and, "Eroica."
Hungarian films can be superb!
Netflix streaming is destroying our ability to keep up with the queue - it is so easy just to scan through their suggestions and pick some, I am becoming almost too lazy to even load the DVD into the player! :(The last two are of course Polish, their cinema needs no introduction. In Hungary I am at a loss naming the second great director.
Edits: 10/29/10
different that is hasn't gotten the attention it deserves. Being a Hungarian film doesn't help either, does it? Miklos Jancso has created one of the most terrifying films, one that somewhat answers your earlier question about decent people and horrible acts.
Strange and absorbing film, with some moments reminding of Tarkovsky hand.
Civil wars tend to be very brutal and bloody, and here we have yet another, but non-traditional take on the theme, with the participants appearing almost anesthetized, and one must but wonder - perhaps that near-zombie state is the key, the prerequisite to survival?
Hungarian films have a unique perspective to them. The past 150 years indeed have been cruel ones for those nations stuck between far more powerful antagonistic nations.
I don't know if I would call that film Hungarian... yes, the director was from there, but the location and most of the actors were Russian, most of the language spoken was Russian too. Not that I am trying to be nationalistic here.
Regarding your interesting take on the film's nationality: that's a can of worms, for sure.
Is "Solaris" a Russian film? The main actor is Lithuanian.....
While living there, nobody considered Banionis a non-Russian. Sure, if someone questioned his nationality that would be mentioned, but nobody cared... for all of us he was just another Russian actor, albeit with a strange name... but there were so many others.
After all... ALL Red Army soldiers were "Russian soldiers"... including my Zionist father-in-law! :)
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