Movies About Russia

[djingodjango]

It occurs to me that there have been many films made around the world about Russia that have either failed or have hit true to home in their depiction of the people and land. I pose a question. What is your favorite film about Russia. And why?

Some examples are: David Leans sprawling epic, "Dr. Zhivago" the recent WW2 movie, "Enemy at the Gates","Reds", and "Fiddler on the Roof", with Topol doing a magnificent job of portraying a man in daily conversation with his God.

Any suggestions?

[Tasker]

I have quite a few favourite Russian or Russian based films. For instance, "The Russia House" based on the novel by John Le Carre contains some marvellous footage of scenery of Moscow and Saint Petersburg, as well as being a clever (yet criticised as being mediocre) espoinage film.

What I consider to be the greatest of post-Soviet films has to "Burnt by the Sun", perhaps THE film that explores the terrible sufferings caused by Stalin's purges.

I also find Eisenstein's "Potemkin" another great cinematic classic that explores the sufferings of mankind as well as being an amazing Soviet film.

Would anyone happen to have any information on "Ivan the Terrible Parts One and Two" by the way?

[djingodjango]

Tasker, there is a great,little web site dedicated to the films of Eisenstein, and it discusses Ivan the Terrible, 1,2 and 3 (which has never been seen). Its URL address is:http://www.carleton.edu/curricular/meda/classes/media/severson/eisenste.htm You might want to try it. It even has some clips from "The Poltemkin" and "Ivan the Terrible". By the way, some folks think the interogation scene in ITT2 is reminiscent of Stalins secret police tactics. It sure got poor Sergei in trouble.

[Tasker]

Just a short note to say thanks for the info, it was certainly most helpful.

[Hans_Testicleese]

I enjoyed Enemy at the Gates, it was interesting for me to see a film about the hard working Russian troops for a change (albeit slightly hollywood!) instead of the typical "American's won the war" type film. I think the only thing that let it down was that there was not enough attention payed to the average Russian troops, Russia fought hard during WW2 often against the odds and won through regardless. Brave men and women, Russia I salute you!

Originally posted by Hans_Testicleese
I enjoyed Enemy at the Gates, it was interesting for me to see a film about the hard working Russian troops

In fact that movie was too hollywood. True tragedy and victory of Stalingrad are still unknown to western audience, but stereotypes became stronger.

[Voyager13b]

Originally posted by Alex_Ivanov

In fact that movie was too hollywood. True tragedy and victory of Stalingrad are still unknown to western audience, but stereotypes became stronger.

Alex,

That comment sounds like something Limey would say about the Britsh effort during WWII. Bear with me for a couple of minutes here. The film WAS Hollywwod, and was based on some fact and strong rumors about the history of the day. Even though it attempted to present a graphic portrayal of the Hell on earth conditions within the battle, and show a little Soviet heavy handedness to boot, those issues were secondary to the story. Once the inhuman conditions were established (which they pretty well were), the story moved to it's focus. That was the battle of wits between Zaitsev and Kohnig (did I spell that right?).

Of course, Hollywood has to add a romantic twist to most stories, so the broken love triangle of this script fit OK, and didn't detract from the story line. In the end, I think the movie gave two thumbs up for the average Russian soldier. It not only gave him credit for outsmarting Fritz, it cast him in a good light from a down to earth patriotic viewpoint as well. It also gave a glimpse of the Hell that was Stalingrad.

I don't think that the movie was a failed effort to make western audiences feel the horror of that battle. I think it was nothing less than a long overdue tribute to the Russian peasant soldier in the form of a docudrama about two men in time, with the Russian peasant rightfully ending the day as a hero warrior against the best offered by the "super race".

I knew who Zaitsev was because of of personal interest in the accomplishments of people who share my heritage, even though I was born in the US. Because of this popular movie, many Americans who grew up during the cold war, who never really knew much, if anything about the pivotal role played by Russia in the outcome of WWII, now know something about the battle that cracked the veneer of German invincibility.

More important, many Americans now know the name of, and respect the achievments of a Russian soldier named Vasily Zaitsev as a peer to the likes of American heroes such as Audie Murphy, or even Sgt. York from the last war.

How much can you ask of one film?

As to western understanding of the depth and scope of misery, suffering, and victory during the battle for Stalingrad in general, don't take the easy path, and dismiss all attempts to portray or understand that reality as futile. Since the Soviet Union went south, and the Russian archives have been open for the world to study, I have eagerly viewed many hours of documentary films on that one slice of history. I think it is safe to say that all have gone to great lengths to describe the horror, detail the Soviet sacrifice, and link the emotion of victory in a universal manner.

With the exception of people who were actually there on either side, I think it is reasonable to believe that given the current volume of archival information available just on TV, you don't need a Russian passport in order to truly understand the meaning of Hell from the perspective of Stalingrad.

Politics and patriotism aside, we are all human beings (well, most of us ), and we all experience suffering and happiness the same way.


Voyager