freerange18 Reviews

White Sun of the Desert (1970)

Instant favorite!

[8/10 · 4 August 2022]

Watched this last night and loved it so much, I am actually watching the whole thing all over again tonight! (Something I never do.) What can I add to what others have said? It is a marvelous mix of drama, action, and wit that often makes me laugh out loud. The characters are unforgettable, the landscapes beautiful, cinematography is great, even the music is enchanting. (I later found out that the composer is the same man who did the music for one of my other Russian favorites, "Dersu Uzala.")

There's an additional "special sonething" about this movie that has made it a sort of cult favorite in Russia these past 50 years. Some intangible, magical x factor that's hard to put into words. All the best, most beloved classic movies have it. The interview with screenwriter Valentin Ezhov that was included as a bonus feature on the DVD, in which Ezhov told the story of how the movie came to be, kind of explained, at least for me, how some of that magic got into it.

But you just have to see it. Full disclosure: My favorite American "Western" of all time (I've lost count of how many times I've watched it) is "The Outlaw Josey Wales." The sensibility of this Soviet "Eastern," even set as it is in such a different culture, in such a different time, nevertheless reminds me enough of the feel of that Clint Eastwood classic that if you are a fan of Josey Wales, I can just about guarantee you will like "White Sun of the Desert."

Sunstroke (2014)

It's an allegory

[7/10 · 5 June 2022]

I won't give away the "key" -- that's for the viewer to discover -- but until I figured it out for myself, about 2/3 of the way through, I was so exasperated by this movie that I was tempted to just give up on it and quit. I thought it was incoherent and disjointed, and actually got peeved since I thought it was screwing with me.

But THEN... I figured out who/what the young officer in white, and the various appearances of the attractive woman, represented... and my whole experience changed. By the end of the movie, I was devastated. The lingering final image and text -- and the song sung over it -- left me trembling and weeping. The whole thing haunted me for days, then weeks, afterward.

I intend to watch it again from the beginning, now that I know what it's about. But I am waiting a bit, since I still haven't recovered from that first experience.

This is a very different kind of movie. It's NOT a straight story/narrative, and expecting such will just leave you frustrated. Mikhalkov is a sort of poet, who has used seemingly unconnected images to evoke feelings and impressions. He uses visual/emotional images to conceal deep realities of history. And, for this viewer at least, realities of humanity in general. For though the movie is concerned with 20th-century Russia/USSR, it speaks to me, as an American in 2022, of a more general truth, one we should all take to heart as our own glittering Western consumer culture heads for collapse: Concealed beneath superficially beautiful things (and hoo-boy, are the "in-color" parts of this movie a sensual feast for the eyes!) can lie the ugliest horrors of which humans are capable.

Leviathan (2014)

For pretentious, godless Russophobes only

[2/10 · 29 April 2022]

If you're a snobby critic with no faith or higher purpose in your life, and/or you are a Russia-hater who wants to get your hate on, then this movie is for you.

I give it two stars for some beautiful cinematography and the opening and closing music that's reminiscent of Philip Glass.

The filmmaker seems to have a deep hatred of the Orthodox Church. I don't doubt that are some bad apples -- as there are in EVERY human organization -- but to demonize the Church as this film does, is over the top. No wonder the Russia-hating, Christianity-hating, pompous lords of Hollywood are ga-ga for this movie.

The Barber of Siberia (1998)

Ugh. Just awful!

[2/10 · 24 April 2022]

The only reason I give this any stars at all is that it was pretty to look at. Great cinematography. Alas, all style and no substance. Actually, negative substance. What a silly, stupid, shallow movie. Not only did I rue wasting 3 hours of my time, and resent the insult to my intelligence, but I also felt something akin to betrayal, since it was, after all, a film by Nikita Mikhalkov, whom I really like and previously felt some spiritual kinship with. I loved his movies "Burnt By The Sun" and "Urga" and was hoping for another film of that caliber. No such luck. I got the impression that Mikhalkov tried to "go Hollywood" with this one, and in that regard, I suppose he succeeded: It's as worthless as most of what comes out of Hollywood! Except it's an hour or so longer than typical Hollywood fare, which in this case just means an additional hour of being clubbed over the head with the boring, the buffoonish, the banal. The story was ridiculous, and the stereotypes and caricatures were just plain embarrassing. (And I'm not even Russian.) I kept asking myself: What exactly is the point of this movie? Answer: None that I could discern.