Come And See
 

Does anyone have any comments on this 1985 WWII movie? I hear great reviews on this Russian flik and there is a KINO release. Any better versions out there?

I rented this movie from blockusteronline and thought it was an OK movie. I probably was expecting a little more action. Very long movie, ~2 hours.

I've not seen a direct comparison of the different versions out. DVDBeaver has a review of the the R3 Korean release by Spectrum and there's also a UK release in addition to Kino's. All these contain the same extras. I own the UK release as it has the film on one disc, whereas the R3 and Kino has it split up among two.

Unlike 68Shelby, I love this film and although I've seen it several times, I still find it to be a quite impressively haunting experience. Nonstop action isn't exactly what Klimov was striving for, so if that's what one's interested in, search elsewhere.

Can't say about different editions, I only saw it on TV a couple of times. But the film is really great. I have to agree with Shelby - it's a bit long and slow-going, but it's the case when you won't get bored. A true masterpiece, and I'm saying this not just as a person whose country this film was made in.

I thought it was just OK. However, it does have a few things to say and it's certainly better than the vast majority of movies about the horror of war.

Some reviews here I own the Korean disc and I'm happy with it.

If you want a better scripted recent film about war then you can't go far wrong having a look at The Cuckoo I liked that a lot.

So how does the UK release compare in audio/visual aspects? Because the cover says it is "digitally remastered."

I have the Kino release and have to say that the movie is simply stellar. I thought I read somewhere (in a review by a user) that the Kino release was full screen (not open-matted, cut to full screen) but I don't know enough about the original film, honestly.

Hmm...this is one that somehow never showed up on my radar prior to your mention. Looks like I've got both R2 and R1 options (limited and pricey as the R1 choices might be). Time to order. Thanks!

I've seen the Kino disc, and frankly, although the UK release is stated as being remastered, I didn't notice a significant difference between them.

Agreed, I own this as well. A wonderful film. Highly recommended.

A few comments:

1. First of all The Cuckoo is not even close to Come and See...these are two completely different films with Come and See widely regarded as one of the best war films made in the former USSR. The two deal with two completely different subjects! The gritty realism Come and See is saturated with is hardly comparable to any other Soviet production I can recall.

2. The original aspect ratio for this release is indeed 1.37:1. Some online sites incorrectly state that the picture is in Sovscope, it is not!

3. The Kino disc is a PAL-port of the old Ruscico release.

4. The UK disc is not and it is properly-converted. One thing I do not know about this cut is whether or not it is the same print (that would imply the restored version) which was supposedly meant to be shown at Cannes a few years ago. I do not know what happened exactly but from what I understand a complete version of Come and See was never assembled.

It's the only half-watchable USSR [war] film. There's not a big list! There will not be a 10 Disc DVD Collector USSR War Film Collection anytime soon. I don't understand it's high placing in 'best war movie lists' but I'd guess it's because it used to be a rare film/DVD and people like secret movies. It must be seen however and I do rcommend watching it.

I don't want this to turn into a comparison movie thread but the differences of the 2 films isn't that much if you think about it. And there's one thing for sure if you watch either of these films you will have to think which is -as I said- rare.

Can't agree with you about this film being the only half-watchable USSR war film. Here's the list of Soviet war films which imho are great - don't know whether you know them (or maybe you do and you have your own opinion about them). But just in case:
V boy idut odni stariki (Only Old Men Are Going to Battle )- http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0070861/
Goryachiy sneg (Burning Snow) - http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0212194/
Letyat zhuravli (The Cranes Are Flying) - http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0050634/
Oni srazhalis za rodinu (They Fought for Their Country) - http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0073488/
Djariskatsis mama (Father of a Soldier) - http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0169828/
A zori zdes tikhie (Dawns Here Are Quiet) - http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0068161/
Ballada o soldate (Ballad of a Soldier) - http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0052600/
Zhivye i myortvye (The Alive and the Dead) - http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0057717/
Aty-baty, shli soldaty... (One-Two, Soldiers Were Going...) - http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0074161/
Proverka na dorogakh (Check-up on the Roads) - http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0067625/
Semnadtsat mgnoveniy vesny (Seventeen Moments of Spring) - http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0069628/ - this is a TV-series, but one of the greatest things I've seen made about WW2.

And two recent ones:
Svoi (Our Own) - http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0403579/
Polumgla - http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0482567/

Don't actually know about the DVD releases, but it's quite possible to check this out, if you're interested.

Not to mention that most of Eisenstein's output was technically in the war-film genre (POTEMKIN, ALEXANDER NEVSKY, OKTOBER, etc.), though obviously not about WWII. Perhaps POTEMKIN transcends the label "war film," but it's a damn fine film and the Odessa Steps sequence is still an exciting action sequence.

There are also numerous other Soviet war films that are good (in addition to Giggles' fine list):

THE FORTY FIRST
DESTINY OF A MAN
WAR AND PEACE
MY NAME IS IVAN
COMMISSAR
STORM OVER ASIA

All of the above titles are available on DVD.

I never said there wasn't Russian/USSR war films. There are a few watchable films in the lists above but not many classics and most are technically very poor. Just not my bag.

Bollywood? Russian cinema with better dubbing. Mostly.

I enjoy watching those films, as do many other fans of Soviet cinema, so I'm not sure why you keep referring to them as unwatchable or not classics. If you don't happen to like them, that's fine, but a number of these films have won extensive critical and popular praise over the years.

In fact, I can't see how anyone could refer to an Eisenstein or Kalatozov film as "technically very poor." Have you ever actually watched Kalatozov's The Cranes Are Flying? It's one of the most beautifully filmed movies of the 1950s. And the impact of Potemkin on world cinema is undeniable.

EDIT: Sorry, I don't mean to sound as argumentative as I probably do above. It's just that words like "watchable" and "classics" sound objective and definitive, whereas your comments about the perceived quality of Soviet war films are wholly personal and subjective.

I was also surprised by your saying there're few watchable films among those. Myself being very critical towards Russian cinema, mostly disliking and bashing it at the first opportunity, I think the films I listed are really great. But since it's not your bag... Everyone is entitled to his own opinion.

I agree, avoid all the old crap, go for the new stuff like Bimmer and Sword Bearer if you want decent Russian cinema.

Oh, come on now! Stop corrupting other people's brains.

Actually, I'd enjoy watching some cold war era Soviet propaganda movies. I'll bet they're fun to watch.

Actually the films I listed are not propaganda movies. Although there really are lots of those you mentioned and they are indeed fun to watch.

Since I started this thread, I thought I would give an update.

I bought the R2 release from Sendit.com at a reasonable rate and watched this last night. I was not sure what to expect due to the varying opinions but I was enthralled by the story and the technique of the film. The extras clued me into the arduous road leading to the making of the film and the use of live rounds flying over the actor’s heads. A very powerful performance and some of the scenes particularly harrowing - the aging of the young boy, burnt victim, the barn scene, cow in the field .... So much to admire and like.

A must have for your collection.

I'm really glad you liked it 'cos it's truly great. I know some people find it not so good, but since you liked it, I'm absolutely positive you'll enjoy Check-Up on the Roads (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0067625/) and The Ascent (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0075404/). Those are two of my favourite Soviet war-films, and they're just as deep and thoughtful as Come and See. Maybe they're even better. I'm surprised they're not that well known because they really deserve to. If you have a slightest opportunity to watch any of them, just do it - I promise you won't regret it.