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The best contemporary Russian films stand up well against those of any country.

136.37.101.134
Posted on October 15, 2020 at 07:20:10
tinear
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 I'd argue, in fact, they surpass all others. Yes of course there's lot of dross--- but Hollywood's greatest films also were but a tiny percentage of its vast output.

In no particular order of worth:
The Ascent.
In the Fog.
Russian Ark.
Mother and Son.
Father and Son.
12.
Roads to Koktebel.
Cargo 200.
My Joy.
The Island.
Brother.

 

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This is just plain nuts nt, posted on October 15, 2020 at 09:57:16
Victor Khomenko
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 .


 

And some people hate caviar and vodka. nt, posted on October 15, 2020 at 11:33:28
tinear
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 d

 

Truth is - you list is OK... not great, but your claim is way over the top, posted on October 15, 2020 at 11:58:58
Victor Khomenko
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 You left out many truly wonderful films... which is understandable, but really... 12??? That pale rendition of the old jury trial theme by the most obnoxious Putin ass licker hardly deserves to be on any such list.

I don't know how far back you would like to go, but like I said, your list is not great by any stretch.


 

You are 100% right, tin - but you left out T-34!, posted on October 15, 2020 at 12:13:53
Chris from Lafayette
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 Actually, I have to say that I'm not really a fan of Russian Ark - although the continuous-take "stunt" has a certain impressiveness I suppose.

 

I was listing "contemporary." Say, from 2000s, only. And I stand by my statement, Victor. NO, posted on October 15, 2020 at 12:48:59
tinear
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 country has greater films over that stretch. If you disagree, name a country and provide a list of the films. I dare you!

 

RE: The best contemporary Russian films stand up well against those of any country., posted on October 15, 2020 at 13:02:02
pictureguy
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 Russian Take on the Stanislaw Lem novel .....Solaris.....is an awesome and LONG movie.
Too much is never enough

 

That's the thing, posted on October 15, 2020 at 15:48:14
Victor Khomenko
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 To get to REALLY good movies of the ussr and Russia you need to go back to the earlier decades - the sixties, the seventies, the eighties... it's been all downhill from there. You will simply not find anything comparable to the Ballad of a Soldier, or The Cranes are Flying in the more recent years.


 

Tarkovsky is a giant! "Nostalghia," however, posted on October 15, 2020 at 16:35:58
tinear
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 is largely a mess, as is, I hate to add, "Sacrifice." Brilliance in pieces, but the whole is, well, a mess.

 

While not a widely heralded film, posted on October 15, 2020 at 18:40:10
Road Warrior
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 nor is the original version contemporary, The Dawns Here Are Quiet definitely didn't suck.The superior 1972(?) original was remade as a mini series in 2005 that was ok. Available on the 'zon for a cupla bucks. Remake free. One note tho, the original is shown in two parts on Amazon. Part 1 is subtitled. Apparently some suit thought dubbing part 2 in English was a good idea. Not.

You left off a fine contemporary one that I think you recommended previously, The Return.

And of course, as someone else mentioned, T-34 /s

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

"E Burres Stigano?"


 

Giant? Not enough output to be called that., posted on October 15, 2020 at 19:28:21
Victor Khomenko
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 I think only two of his works have long term staying power - the already mentioned Solaris, and also The Mirror.


 

"While not a widely heralded film" It is HIGHLY praised in Russia, posted on October 16, 2020 at 05:20:22
Victor Khomenko
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 Has been, since its appearance.

However, still 1972.


 

Thanks, ain't seen, "The Dawns..." Didn't mention "The Return" 'cause Vic mentioned it. Great film. nt, posted on October 16, 2020 at 08:03:47
tinear
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 d

 

"Andrei Rublev." Greatest of all his films; should be on greatest of all time lists. "Ivan's, posted on October 16, 2020 at 08:06:22
tinear
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 Childhood" I'd put close to "400 Blows," too.

 

I suspected it would be your favorite, posted on October 16, 2020 at 08:11:52
Victor Khomenko
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 Just from your list, all those Cargo200, My Joy, Island, etc, all that dystopian dark stuff.

They have a name in Russian for such works, it is Чернуха (Chernukha), and it is not a complimentary term.


 

Well, Russia and dystopian go together like Ukraine and Crimea., posted on October 16, 2020 at 12:02:10
tinear
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 Used to, anyway...

 

"It is HIGHLY praised in Russia". Great! ^, posted on October 17, 2020 at 22:06:58
Road Warrior
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----------------------

"E Burres Stigano?"


 

Have you seen the 10 part mini series, Life and Fate?, posted on October 17, 2020 at 22:11:09
Road Warrior
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 If so, what'd ya think?
----------------------

"E Burres Stigano?"


 

No... I know the book, so will look for it, posted on October 18, 2020 at 10:35:24
Victor Khomenko
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 Not sure if my wife will be willing, but I will try. :)


 

It turned out, we already watched it., posted on October 19, 2020 at 08:04:48
Victor Khomenko
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 My wife reminded me, and she refused to watch it again. I am more forgetful, so I decided to do it on my own, and so far I am recalling it as I am going.

In general I have serious problems with the Russian war films - they are not much than the most shameful propaganda. Their regime keeps milking the war theme, as they have nothing else to grab on. Furthermore, this movie is only very loosely based on the book - as stated... I can't really compare the two, but I suspect the term "artistic freedom" was pushed to its limit... considering the source of the production - the Putin Channel.


 

A question for you, posted on October 21, 2020 at 05:48:10
Victor Khomenko
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 As I started watching it I realized that last time we went through about 2 hours, and then, for some reason, bailed out. This time I got absorbed into it, and continue watching.

So my question is as follows - how does a movie like that work for an American? It is so full of subtle clues, small details, historic references that are bound to be lost - do you feel that as you watch it? Does it engage you?


 

This series engaged me almost from the outset., posted on October 21, 2020 at 21:56:11
Road Warrior
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 Keep in mind, it's been 2(?) years since I saw it. First, I saw people, not nationalities, so my being born and raised American, had no bearing on how I received this movie. The themes were universal. The fight for survival on the front lines. The perceived ignorance up the chain of command. The loss felt at home. I'd posit, that any person, regardless of nationality, not moved by the mother's visit to the hospital and then the gravesite, must have the heart of stone. Altho it's Russian and, yea, there were some things I may not have gotten, there were some things I learned as well about the cohesion in the platoon, i.e., that Russian soldiers weren't just faceless masks in the horde of manpower that Russian had to draw upon. They, at least as shown in the series, cared about each other as troops of other nations did. And yes, I did notice the funny cigarettes that still appeared in the 1980s movie, 9th Company.
----------------------

"E Burres Stigano?"


 

Thank you for thoughful response, posted on October 22, 2020 at 06:25:56
Victor Khomenko
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 The film is producing avalanche of emotions - its director Sergei Ursuliak is a good master, and here he shines.

The very battle was completely unnecessary - just two bloody murderers killing the untold number of innocent participants for the sake of their egos must count as one of the most disgusting episodes in that horrible war.

I also found it rather unfortunate that this epic work has received... four... that is correct - four... reviews on imdb. That tells you something about the average... and not so average... viewer. Makes you feel those hundreds of thousands truly died in vain.

Such events are rare... but it made me wonder if I hate the soviets enough.


 

I did a double take when I saw your comment that there were only 4 user reviews., posted on October 22, 2020 at 06:52:26
Road Warrior
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 and yes, that's correct. Quite surprising considering what an epic production this was. I'm going to catch this again if for no other reason than to refresh my memory, vis a vis, the battle scenes. My recollection was they reeked of authenticity, similar to those in the opening scenes of City Of Life And Death (thank you Tinear for the reco). I also recall reading that the movie diverged from the book towards the end quite a bit. That surely must have been a choice made by the producers when weighing the resources they had to tell the story. I found the ending lacking and short but the journey to get there more than made up for this. BTW, that's my only real criticism of the series. Glad you're enjoying this the second time around.
----------------------

"E Burres Stigano?"


 

More than enjoying, I am engrossed, posted on October 22, 2020 at 07:01:17
Victor Khomenko
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 I can't wait for another night... I wait till my wife retires, and spend 40-50 minutes with it... it was more last night, I just didn't have strength to stop it - mother visiting the hospital episode.

Thank you again for mentioning it. I am going to download the book, it's been long time.

BTW, perhaps a good companion book would be "In the Trenches of Stalingrad" by Viktor Nekrasov, take a look if you have not read it.


 

I won't say I wept, posted on October 22, 2020 at 08:19:18
Road Warrior
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 but I can't honestly say my eyes were dry either throughout that hospital/graveyard episode. Very, very, powerful scenes.


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

"E Burres Stigano?"


 

RE: I won't say I wept, posted on October 26, 2020 at 11:14:20
Victor Khomenko
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 Since I finished watching the film, I can't stop thinking about it and its characters and situations. I also read some critical articles on it, which I invite anyone interested to do also.

Just a couple of points here... one - Grossman draws direct parallel between nazism and communism. Among the Russians whom I know, this is the subject of endless discussion. I, for one, totally agree with Grossman, that the two systems were basically the result of the same ideology.

The other interesting point concerns the result of the battle - instead of the frequently presented beginning of liberation, to Grossman (I agree with him here too) it was the conclusion of total enslaving of the soviet people.

After the battle power of Stalin and his henchmen, their grip on the population, have reached their pinnacle.

The film leaves out some significant chapters, those dealaing with the German concentration camps. These are also incredibly important, but perhaps were edited due to the overall size of the work.


 

Thanks for your insights Victor, posted on October 26, 2020 at 19:31:53
Road Warrior
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 The victory resulting in total enslavement of the Soviet people makes perfect sense. I had never thought of it like that. Agree that the left out content was a decision based on available resources to the film makers.

Grossman's story, in regard to the writing of the book, and its eventual publication after his death, would make one Helluva movie.
----------------------

"E Burres Stigano?"


 

Thanks to you and Road Warrior for the discussion: I just finished watching, for the second time, , posted on October 29, 2020 at 10:26:28
tinear
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 "The Cranes are Flying," so I'm feeling a little battered, also, by that war. Tatyana S, as Veronica, is astounding. I thought she looked familiar and see she also starred in, "Letter Never Sent," and "Anna Karenina." Quite a résumé!

 

How did you like Batalov?, posted on October 29, 2020 at 10:43:25
Victor Khomenko
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 I know male heart always responds to female beauty first and foremost, but Batalov was a wonderful actor with many great works to his credit. His Boris was vulnerable, gentle and ah, so human... His departure scene is something I shall never forget.

The circular camera motion was done there for the first time, and it became a classical masterstroke.

Also, I wanted to add, that the soviet war films of that era were honest and humanist, unlike the current wave that is simply shameless propaganda.


 

RE: Thanks to you and Road Warrior for the discussion: I just finished watching, for the second time, , posted on October 29, 2020 at 11:08:54
rivervalley817
 every time I see that film title I think of 'The Snow Goose'

and then want to listen to the Camel record based on the tale

regards,

 

Batalov! What an amazing performance. It is a compliment to the director that the, posted on October 30, 2020 at 06:40:02
tinear
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 film's power could absorb his loss; I thought his was the best performance (among a host of excellent ones!). I knew I'd seen him before, but couldn't remember. An IMDB check showed, "The Lady with the Dog" and "Moscow Does Not Believe in Tears." Wonderful characterizations.

 

I would not waste my time on "Moscow", he is just OK there, posted on October 30, 2020 at 07:57:15
Victor Khomenko
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 But I liked him VERY much in Nine Days of One Year - a very good film, also has Smoktunovsky there. Directed by Michail Romm... not sure where you can find it though.


 

Even. if I have to buy it! nt, posted on October 31, 2020 at 06:41:52
tinear
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 k

 

We watched The Snow Goose last night, posted on October 31, 2020 at 07:11:39
Victor Khomenko
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 The quality of a Youtube copy was awful, I wonder if a better one exists someplace... but the movie was rewarding - quiet, insightful, very human. Both Richard Harris and Jenny Agutter are pleasure to watch, and the corny story looks not corny at all.


 

RE: We watched The Snow Goose last night, posted on October 31, 2020 at 08:39:05
rivervalley817
 info on the title at IMDB:

Jenny Agutter won an Emmy for her portrayal of Fritha

according to a few reviewers it's unavailable in other formats despite other Hallmark TV movies of lesser merit being so ... it has an 8.2 IMDB average rating, a marquee actor, won an award etc. so that's odd - my search results seem to confirm this

the screenplay for the Hallmark production was written by the author

the album by Camel is some very nice 'new age' style music and I pretty much despise the genre with very few exceptions, cinematic use being one ... it's also quite a bit out of character for the group

anyway, I'm glad my mention of the title piqued your interest and you found that vid title ... I was unaware of it and will give it a look

best regards,


 

The Cranes Are Flying?, posted on November 1, 2020 at 17:36:26
Road Warrior
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 How did I overlook this? 8.3 IMDB, 1 Hr 35 min, Russian, backdrop of WWII. When we get bk from the lake Thursday this is gonna get put in the queue, provided I can find it.
----------------------

"E Burres Stigano?"


 

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