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The beautiful Keira Knightly stars along with Hans Matheson and Sam Neil in this PBS TV mini-series, now on DVD. I found the story far more absorbing than the David Lean feature film, which I have never gotten real close to despite several viewings (I'm now going to give it another shot). The film makers here overcome the lower budget by periodic skillful use of archival footage of events during the Russian Revolution. The Siberian house here is much more believable than in the feature film, as are all the settings. The overall effect is a more realistic grittiness. This is a top notch production, one not to be missed.
Follow Ups:
For instance, when the "masses" were marching and singing a tune, the track was taken from a well-enunciated choral performance and lip-synched. The costumes were *either artificially clean or artfully dirty. The snow was *so* fake. The makeup was overdone. The lighting was as well. The post-pro sucked.clark
Leanīs film was even worse the last time I saw it! It sucks.
English has improved...not one error and even the correct spelling and usage of an expletive: proof you have arrived as a polyglot.
Dr. Z (David Lean) would be turned off by even a man in solitary confinement: b o r i n g.
I don't think Dr. Z was THAT horrible. Mediocre, yes, but it also had some redeaming values. Last time we watched it (several years ago) I spent easy time, and some of the scenes did resonate nicely - they managed to preserve enough truth to make it a worthwhile viewing, in my opinion.Yes, I would like to see better works on that subject, but the Dr. Z, even with its tons of sugar on top, is still better than a complete void.
Yes, seventies, much so, but better than perhaps 88% of all "movies" out there, and given the skimpy coverage of that important period, has right to exist.
when I first saw this film I mostly responded to seeing a film on a Russian subject, not too common in the U.S. then. I really liked it and searched out other films about Russia. Of course this led me to finding many good Russian movies./Alexander Nevsky , etc. Still not seen that many(would appreciate some suggestions) So although this film would not pass the more critical , it got me into wanting to experiencing Russian subject films. So on that basis I would call it a sucess.
That was an interesting point, and for that alone it deserves credit.You might want to do a search here - I put together a good list (or rather a list of good films) for mishmashmusic (sp?) some time ago, and that should give you a good start with Russian films.
And you can no longer differ, He-he...
Any time you go to the Thrift Store and look through the records there, you see an incredibly disproportional number of the Dr.Z soundtracks. Apparently the American public fell so badly in love with the film that every household had to have at least one LP of it... seems like actually more than one was average number. It beats all the Barry Manilov's records about 3:1.Heck, it beats the Hawaiian music, and that is an achievement!
Even if I sometimes have my trouble about his real origin...
No wonder, on three words only...He-he...Have you read his long and very detailed biography?
A must for a cinephile.PS: Boring AND outdated. Seventies.
...when there are tons of great literature on that period written in Russia.Pasternak was one of the greatest poets of the 20th century, but his prose sucked. The only interesting thing about the book is its history.
The Revolution period is an incredibly interesting time, and it is shame better works are being neglected for this "celebrity" one.
Things like Bulgakov's White Guard and especially Heart of a Dog (I will not even mention the Master and Margarita) are incomparably more interesting and deep and poignant, yet they get no recognition in the West.
to make a good film from a poor story or novel, witness "The Bridges of Madison County". May I assume that you have not seen the
mini-series DVD?
I think it IS completely possible (although I would not consider the Bridges a great film), and I actually just ordered that DVD (I have not seen the series yet). My concern stems from the fact that the preoccupation with just one work rubs us of the ability to see a greater picture.
Did you like "Reds"?
No, I did not like Reds, but it has also been quite some time since I saw it... 25 years, perhaps. The book it is based on is rotten, and I thought so was the movie.But this is real shame. The Russian Revolution had a profound effect on world history, and, like its French mother, deservs serious studies. The original film, BTW, was not horrrible, but limited, and my hope was more films covering the events in serious way would follow... but none happened, and now, another version of the same lame book?
In an absoute sense, it is good that we at least have the movies like Reds and Dr. Zhivago, for without them the public knowledge of the events would have been even more limited.
So that was good start... but will there be a continuation?
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General Sherman sucks.
By one of those quirks of timing, both Nabakov and Pasternak had books at the top of the bestseller lists in 1957: Nabakov's "Lolita" and Pasternak's "Doctor Zhivago." Boyd's biography "Vladimir Nabakov: The American Years" discusses how it vexed Nabakov to no end that Pasternak's work had better reviews and higher sales. He would stand around and read passages aloud in both Russian and English to demonstrate that not only was Pasternak's original prose awful, but that the English translation only added to the sludge! Nabakov also felt that Pasternak's poetry was amazing, and thought it sad that the great writer was being so highly acclaimed for his what could very well be his worst work.Time of course has altered our perceptions: "Lolita" is taught in colleges and universities everywhere, it can be found in most any bookstore. I doubt we shall ever see a book titled "Reading Doctor Zhivago in Iran."
whose work has been turned into a far better movie (Lolita).
Nabokov's prose reads like highest poetry, he is a true master. But the notoriety of the Pasternak's work trascended its quality.Some people joked that they wished the KGB confiscated every comy of that dreaded work.
It does, however, contains some of the most beautiful poetry... those pages should be kept alive.
But I discussed this with my wife today - who would gladly give me in exchange for yet another Pasternak book - and she keeps cringing at the name "Lara". To a good Russian ear that name sounds so pathetically philistine (this is Nabokov's favorite word, BTW), it is impossible to understand how the master decided to use it.
I suspect given Nabokov's impeccable taste, it was things like that that really sent him ballistic.
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