Russian Cinema
 

I do apologize for duplicating myself, but I couldn't find the previous thread even though I remember starting it.
As to self promotion, I guess I'm guilty a bit. Though my site is pretty unique in a sense that it's the only complete reference catalog of Russian movies in America. But in 8 month it exists, mostly used as information resource. Unfortunately I'm still unable to spend enough time & money to finally make it into Russian Movie DataBase, due to lack of both.

Back to Russian films. What do you think of Russian Ark? I'm biased, because it's a visually stunning "single shot" excursion into one of the greatest museums in the world - Hermitage (Winter Palace) in St. Peterburg, where I was born.
"Âîçâðàùåíèå / The Return" was mentioned in the previous thread, but I only realized how great the movie really is after watching it second time.
I'm about to get my hands on "Íî÷íîé äîçîð / Night Watch", which is advertised as a bit like Matrix with Horror twist. I'm not a fan of 'scary' movies, but it will be interesting to see the film that has beaten Spiderman 2 in Russia.

What part of <i>nyet</i> is so difficult to understand: one topic, one thread.

What is the problem: this time you can't use the excuse that you couldn't find your original thread. If you have additional comments or thoughts to share, it should be done in your original thread.

Original thread was closed

It seems both the previous threads were closed, so feel free to continue discussion here, but please refrain from promoting your site blatantly within your posts.

It's not exactly on the subject, but has anyone seen any Russian plays? I've always dreaded live theater, but a lot of the ones I've seen on TV, back in Russia, was great. The one I've been watching a lot recently is "Áåçóìíûé äåíü èëè Æåíèòüáà Ôèãàðî / One Crazy Day, or Marriage of Figaro", it stars Andrey Mironov, his theater works are my favorite.
Also "Òðóôôàëüäèíî èç Áåðãàìî / Truffaldino from Bergamo" with Arkady Raikin, I first saw as a movie and then the play, both are wonderful. Raikin is the head of the most western of Russian theaters.

I've just watched Slave of love (Раба любви), which I've seen before. But this time around it made much bigger impression upon me. The film is set in a southern Russian town during civil war after revolution. The story revolves around prominent silent film actress, who slowly learns what really is going on around her.
The movie made me think of how so many people, like the heroine of the feature, do live in blissful world of ignorance. But what I really enjoyed is how director Nikita Mikhalkov kept the overtone of the film very lyrical almost all the way through, and in the end to the contrast of what was happening.
Have any of you seen any of his other works? And did you like it?

pgmatg,

can you recommend any films or filmmakers for someone whose knowledge of russian film pretty much ends at the works of Tarkovsky and Sokurov?

Have any of you seen "Night watch"? It's a very good Russian Sci-Fi / Fantasy movie. It's been out on DVD for some time, but since Fox bought all American distribution rights, they have mandated to stop making NTSC formatted dvds of it. The disk has been slowly disappearing from even Russian stores in America. And Fox kept postponing the release (next week), while sequel "Day Watch" is already out in Russia. Ain't US movie studios grand ;) :(

I just saw Elem Klimov's "Agony" aka "Agony: Rasputin" from 1981. Pretty much about Rasputin's influence on the tsar's family (and Russia). It's a very dense film, full of references that I'm sure went over my head. And it mixes real footage with the narrative, and by narrative standards, it's almost an experimental film, centering on Aleksei Petrenko's stunning performance as the mad monk. And there's some wicked black humor as well.

As for a fascinating look into Russian/Soviet film, Chris Marker's 1992 documentary "The Last Bolshevik" centers on Aleksandr Medvedkin, with looks into his contemparies. If you can find it, that is...

I may not be Russian but have a fairly solid Eastern European film education (part of the professional path I've chosen). So, allow me to contribute a bit:

Moscow Does Not Believe in Tears- back in days of Soviet State regulated cinema this was a film that even the socialist aparatchiks could not resist.

The Little Vera- The film that everyone feared...the begining of the end.

The Flying Cranes- an obvious and very predictable choice. The fist Russian, extremely highly-decorated film at Cannes.

Ballad of a Soldier- not as good as the classic novel but certainly a Soviet classic.

A driver for Vera- a more recent Russian production which I posted in the International forum. Rather good.

Bronenosets Potyomkin- the classic film which many European directors refer to as the most complete Russian film ever made. Sadly, mistreated in the US.

Zemlya- never really thought that this was as powerful as teh critics thought it was but it is nevertheless a Soviet classic.

Ori okeanis saidumloeba- one of the greatest Russian tales. Spectacular if often very naive film.

Sadko- the classic fairytale.....

Lukov's Dva Boytsa....


...and so on and so on....

Ciao,
Pro-B

Aleksandr Ptushko is my favorite fantasy director. Many of his films like The Stone Flower, Sadko (US: Magic Voyage of Sinbad), Ilya Muromets (US: The Sword and the Dragon), Sampo (US: The Day the Earth Froze), and Scarlet Sails are wonderful mythological/fairy tale movies pioneering different effects which still look impressive today, all of the stories are straight out of ancient Russian tales.

Well, Night Watch came & went in US theaters. American studio ruined chances of yet another foreign film to be seen:
waited too long to release it, didn't properly advertise it, and showed it in too limited number of theaters.
But I guess American viewers are just not too interested in what is going on in the rest of the world.
Even though majority came from Europe in not too distant past (1-4 generations removed).
So did most American actors, and a few have Russian roots, like Michael Douglas & Harrison Ford.
I found 45 Hollywood actors who's parents or grandparents came from Russia or Soviet Union

Elem Klimov's "Come and See" is quite possibly the most powerful war film I've ever seen. It's a brutal film, and often hard to watch, but it's also completely unforgettable.

I also enjoyed the Academy's choice for best foreign film of 1994, "Burnt by the Sun", though I found it to be flawed in several respects.

My dad (who speaks Russian fluently) highly recommends "The Twelve Chairs" and "Until Monday" which he saw while visiting Russia several years ago, but unfortunately we haven't been able to track down copies in the U.S., so I haven't seen them yet. Several of the films of Rostotsky ("The Dawns Here are Quiet", "White Bim Black Ear") interest me, but I, once again, have not been able to find any copies of them.

Has anyone seen the Russian film 4? I thought it was the best thing I've seen in quite a while. Reminded me a little of Tarkovsky. Excellent nightmarish qualities, drunkeness, fairy tale surrealism. Excellent insane film!

Here are two excerpts from the restored Russian Sadko. One can also find the entire MST3K "Magic Voyage of Sinbad" rip-off on youtube in 10 parts.

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Re: Russian Cinema
 

http://arnoskatas.files.wordpress.co...in-dza-dza.jpg

I just got the long-awaited English subtitled DVD release of Russia's science fiction/comedy classic KIN DZA-DZA. This film is a great foreign sci-fi flick from 1986 and it's totally entertaining. KIN-DZA-DZA basically feels like a Mad Max-type film directed by Terry Gilliam about Earthlings lost on planet Tatooine. The special effects and set design in this film are pretty damn good as well. I really miss movies that don't use computers for all their special effects such as in this one.

This film is currently getting a Russian animated treatment in the works right now.

http://www.film.ru/img/shots/0905/pluk.jpg
http://s.afisha.ru/Afisha7Files/UGPh...850090/p_f.jpg
http://img.afisha.ru/Afisha7Files/UG...185012/p_f.jpg

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Here are the DVD specs from the DVD website: http://www.ruscico.com/dvd.php?lang=...fcd5d71c77d3e8

I bought my DVD in a Brighton Beach DVD store since I had trouble finding it for sale online. I've only seen the old non-English subtitled DVDs for sale at Russian online DVD stores. Good luck trying to find it! I think you can order it from the Ruscico website.

The 2-disk PAL DVD9 is of very good quality. The movie is split onto two disks, with extras on both disks as well (movie trailers, filmographies, director interview). The video is excellent 1:33.1 Full Screen and both Russian audios (mono and DD 5.1) are great too. There is an awful English dub option as well (please skip that). And the English subtitles are excellent!

FILM: 8
DVD VIDEO: 8
DVD AUDIO: 8
EXTRAS: 4

Re: Russian Cinema
 

I thought Daywatch was pretty weak to be honest.

I'm sure it will elicit some laughs, but I picked up Wolfhound the other day because it looks kinda cool and has the girl from Lilya-4-Ever in it.

Re: Russian Cinema
 

Tell me how Wolfhound is when you are done watching it.

Re: Russian Cinema
 

It wasn't too bad actually, give it a rent. I Will say that it must have had a pretty decent budget because it certainly didn't look like a cheap movie, it was well made.