This is a great movie. It reminds me a little bit of "Beloye Solntse Pustini" or in English "The White Sun of the Desert", same type of the 1920's action movie. I think this movie has some of the best cinematography that I have ever seen in any film. This is a very easy going-enjoyable-smart action film. Mikhalkov did a great job.
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imikhaylov19 July 2001
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joemargolies6 April 2013At Home Among Strangers, a Stranger Among his Own is a rollicking action and adventure film that nonetheless calls attention to deeply important themes in Russian history. Set directly after the Russian Civil War, the film looks and feels very much like an American Western, embodying motifs of greed, justice, honor, and betrayal. In the film, a shipment of gold being sent to Moscow for the purchase of food supplies is intercepted by a band of train robbers, who are themselves infiltrated by a Red veteran–accused of trying to steal the gold–out to see justice done and clear his name, and by the murderous villain who framed him. Meanwhile, the local Cheka attempts to solve the crime, leading to numerous chases and gunfights.
Along with the action and suspense that drive the film's plot, At Home Among Strangers explores the challenges in Russia following the Red victory over the Whites. After the war, an entirely new struggle of rebuilding a divided country begins. The film showcases victorious but overwhelmed reds, defeated but still greedy Whites, and bandits surviving however they can, bearing no political or ideological affiliation. The chairman of the Cheka embodies the struggle of uniting a country made up of such disparate factions; he struggles to do everything that must be done to transition from wartime to socialist peace. Likewise, a former cavalry officer grapples with settling finances, doing his part for peacetime when the battlefield is all he knows. Finally, demonstrating the fundamental divisions within Russian society, the hero Shilov struggles to retain the trust of his fellows, who know that his brother fought for the White army.
Stylistically, this "ostern" pays homage not only to the popular American cinema it emulates, but also to previous triumphs of Russian film. A scene in which machine guns are fired from atop cliffs at the water below recalls the final minutes of the Vasilyev Brothers' Chapaev, and some scenes in the movie, like flashes of comrades-in-arms celebrating their victory amid feelings of betrayal, and an image of a wagon tumbling down a hill as the exhausted Shilov makes his way down a similar decline to his waiting comrades, are unmistakable nods to the montage style made famous by Eisenstein and his contemporaries. When the gold is finally returned and old friends regain their mutual trust, shots of the men celebrating the end of the war are interspersed with those of them celebrating the safe return of their valuables. Ironically, their glee over the gold is matched only by the joy they had taken in their victory over such material possessions, and the superimposition serves to remind audiences that now, even amid all their struggles, wealth and camaraderie go hand in hand, and that hard-earned gains are for the benefit of all. -
nephihaha11 March 2010I'm very fond of this film, albeit with some misgivings about its one sided version of history (see later). It is basically a film about a group of friends who have just been demobbed from the Russian Civil War, and who are trying to get themselves back into civilian life, when one of them is framed for a gold robbery, and has to fight to prove his innocence.
Like many Soviet films of the time, it switches from colour to black and white at the drop of a hat, but in this film that works quite well. The music has a cheesy 1970s charm to it, and it reminds me of "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid" in a positive way. In fact, this film reminds me of "Butch Cassidy" in more ways than one. They both have the same feeling of sad nostalgia to them, and friendship.
I count myself lucky to have seen it in the cinema, since it is hardly ever shown in this part of the world. The action sequences are excellent, with the exception of the assault on the bandits' camp, which we don't see at all.
Of course, the one thing I am uncomfortable with is the revision of history in the film and the political aspects. At times, the film lards you with Communist propaganda, and completely ignores the fact that the famines in the Soviet Union at the time were partly because of the government. The Cheka is presented as an entirely benevolent force (we know from the Soviets' own records that it was often brutal and barbaric, and arrested innocent people.). There is a bit of stereotyping in the film as well - one of the Muslim characters is portrayed as a complete idiot.
However, if you're willing NOT to let that get in the way, it is a brilliant film. If you get hold of the DVD, I recommend watching it with English subtitles, rather than with the English dubbing (I have watched both versions), because that version is much better. -
Viktor Gabbasov28 January 2002One of the best Nikita Mikhalkov's pictures. A gripping, rather confusing adventurous plot, fragmentary editing, mysterious look of heroes - all this became a fresh breeze in the soviet cinematography of the 70th. The excellent crew including a big number of greatest russian actors in the beginning of their career. Beautiful and piercing main theme by Edward Artemyev thinly transfers the mood of the movie combining the romanticism of the 70th and the dramatic line of the picture. In 1974 the movie was sworn by critics. But years went by. And now it's considered to be the cult one.
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Should really be recognized as a Western classic, or at least world's best "Eastern" - Mikhalkov follows the rules of the genre impeccably, easily weaving in 1920's Russia setting, revolutionary romanticism and "cool" charismatic bad guys, a rare thing in Soviet cinema. Cast is superb - probably the best combination of young actors of the decade, including Mikhalkov himself as Yesaul.
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An easy-going movie that mixes black-and-white cinematography with the colour one and comedy elements with high-power drama. The only thing I feel sorry for in this film is the absence of widescreen. The film would be so much better visually in widescreen.
The scenes which represent Brylov's dreaming are quite funny and strange. Brylov's manners are ridiculous and weird too: he looks like a man out of this world, a loony criminal with "refined taste".
I cannot compare it to any other movie. It's done in a very unique way (hectic bizarre clipping, grainy picture mixed with fine colour scheme, freaking behaviour of the baddies and goodies, deep adult emotions flavoured by some childish spontaneity all through the film, erratic close-ups of the characters blended into the picturesque shots of wide valleys, etc.). "Beloe solntse pustyni" (1970) was completely different and to say the truth I never liked it much. As to this one, it's the only Nikita Mikhalkov's movie I really enjoy.
It's a festival of human emotions without unnecessary scenes (sex, bloody brawls, endless gunfighting) so frequent in action cinema. An action film can be like this: humane, captivating, tough, and emotional. Even a small child can see it and enjoy, learning a lesson or two about life...
If only it were in widescreen... Still, 10 out of 10. Thanks for attention. -
denis88826 September 2006There are very few films about this time in Russia - 1917 - 1922, which have no clear propaganda smack. This film, albeit made in the stuffy Soviet times 30 years ago, still sounds and looks so fresh and well. Nikita Mikhalkov managed to create a deeply adventurous and excellently tight atmosphere of a Western, but in a Russian soil. The plot is nice - after the main battles of the war, there are many regions which suffer hunger and famine. The local Soviet committee decided to send some gold to buy bread for those people. The secret group of undefeated former monarchists, so-called The White Gueard, attacks the train with this gold and kills all the people who had it. Thus, the film starts to get more and more thrilling. The main hero, a Comissar Shilov, played by the late lamented Yuri Bogatyrev, is indicted falsely for this assault, he escapes the shooting and starts his own investigation. Slowly, he gets into a gang of mountain bandits who rob the trains and there he comes across one of the White officers, played by also untimely demised Aleksnader Kaydanowski, who has the gold. You really must watch this brilliant film which is full of war romanticism, heroism and true feelings. It has none of the false patriotism or propaganda. Real must have!
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moscow-291555 September 20211920s, a small town in the south of Russia. The civil war is over, but the complete victory of the Bolsheviks is still far away. A group of bandits from former white officers rob a train with gold, with which they had to buy bread for the hungry, and five friends - former red fighters - engage in a deadly battle with them. Suspicion of treachery falls on one of them, and, having escaped from his comrades, he must return the gold to prove his innocence.
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Vincentiu15 July 2013a Nikita Mikhalkov. with each of elements who defines his work - humor, heroism, sacrifice, justice, melancholic crumbs. a kind of Eastern on the young Soviet Union construction. but out of political circle. because it is only a story. about duty, trust, friendship and profound truth. and not that bricks are fundamental but the manner to present it. with subtle irony, delicacy and a fine Russian style. a film about justice and a hero with has not ambition to be more than a common man. an interesting performance and few splendid images. and special atmosphere. is it enough ? is it too much ? it is just a pure Mikhalkov movie. ant this fact is only essential.
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Leofwine_draca13 February 2017I watched this under the title FRIEND AMONG STRANGERS. It's a mixed bag of a film, light-hearted in some places and rather heavy in others, with the usual Russian mix of masculine attitudes and heavy emoting. The story, set during a civil war in 1917, is about a group of buddies who decide to rob a train, and the fall out that subsequently ensues.
I found it quite a middling film despite the best intentions. The movie itself looks good when it's in colour, but it does swap to cheap black and white for certain crucial scenes. The cast is okay and the actors do fit their parts pretty well, but nobody really stands out as a sympathetic character. A debt of inspiration seems to have been paid to BUTCH CASSIDY AND THE SUNDANCE KID, but this is a far cry from the quality of that movie. -
rebe_afaro31 October 2015Set in the 1920's shortly after the end of the Russian civil war and released on 1974 during the Brezhnev era, at home Among Strangers, Stranger at Home is an action film that lives up to its genre and also manages to develop a more complex storyline than other action films that just focus their attention towards gruesome fight scenes. The scenes in which fighting did occur were much less graphic but still just as affective on eliciting the same level of excitement that is characteristic of an action film. During these scenes the movie is very reminiscent of American action films which depict western cowboy lifestyle.
The story itself deals with the character Shilov who is accused of treason after a precious shipment gets stolen under his watch and he gets framed for it. From the very start, the films images were particularly striking both cinematically and psychologically. The different settings of this intro which included a countryside (common for this point in time) and a small living area, all captured my attention immediately. The intro alone initiated a large list of questions with its seeming randomness. Such as why are they yelling and dancing? Or Why did they just push that carriage down the hill? What is strategically communicated through this intro despite the lack of dialogues is the character's deep bond with each other and their emerging friendship.
There are many other scenes later on in the movie that may seem random but serve a purpose to further convey these ideas of forged bonds. One such scene is when the train robbers are all jubilant after having stolen the gold. Through the different uses of genius cinematographically placed supporting scenes this film ended up being more than just a plain action movie. The character development was phenomenal and the action scenes ended up being one of its main attributes. -
kril106 April 2013Nikita Mikhalkov's 1974 At Home among Strangers, a Stranger Among his Own was a truly enjoyable "Eastern," a Soviet parallel to the American "Western." It did a great job in glorifying the Socialist Revolution and its ideology, while at the same time preserving the advantageous, "badass," gun-slinging attitude that audiences loved in the Western. I feel like contemporary viewers of this film would have savored it—a dramatized, heroic account of Soviet values set in the "wild east" would seem like the perfect soothing remedy for a disillusioned Soviet citizen during Brezhnev's period of stagnation.
Our Soviet western hero is Shilov, who was tasked with defending a large Cheka shipment of gold for the starving citizens in Moscow following the Russian Civil War. Naturally, the plan is quickly ruined as assassins kill everyone on board the train carrying the gold to steal it, drug Shilov, and let him loose in the town street, hence framing him for being the inside man for giving up the gold. As Shilov sets out to recover the gold and clear his name, the plot further thickens as the assassins get killed and bandits take the gold! The leader of the assassins, Lemke, lived however, and joined up with the bandits to try and discover where their leader, Brylov, was taking the gold. Shilov ends up killing Brylov and recovering the gold, and denies all of Lemke's pleads and temptations to share it with him and escape. Shilov maintained adamant in his Socialist position of giving up the gold, claiming that "even God taught us to share."
All of this activity is surrounded by recurring themes of train robbery, horseback chasing, rafting and mountainside firefights. Even the soundtrack emphasizes moments of male camaraderie as Shilov's name is mentioned among his Civil War friends with majestic trumpet solos. As Shilov returns to his wartime friends with the gold, they rush to him, barely holding back tears as they greet their "western Soviet" hero. The film shed some positive, adventurous light upon the Soviet values of collectivization and honor over corruption and private enterprise.