I don't agree with previous writers that this film is a masterpiece or that it's hokum or that's it's a rerun of Burnt by the Sun. As a non-Russian, I found its evocation of the period (1962) enthralling & its depiction of characters multifaceted. The title character is torn by ambition (partly grounded by his upbringing) & attraction; the general is both ruthless & a loving father; the KGB man spins a web of intrigue but has integrity. Some,who are cleverer than I am, may have figured out what would happen next, but I couldn't. The camera work is gorgeous & made me want to visit the Crimea. Main drawback is the script's over-use of our old friend Coincidence. Even so, the film's pluses outweigh this minus & make it well worth seeing.
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hendersonhall7 May 2009
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insudo20 November 2004This is the best movie I've seen over years. I am not sure if it's available on DVD in English, but if it is - don't even hesitate a minute! Everything is perfect about this movie, the cinematography, the music, and most importantly the drama that builds up with the very first seconds.... The tension that builds up is immense and holds you until the very last second. There are so many layers in this movie... The human tragedy and ocean of emotions, love and hatred that unfolds on the screen and all the fabula is ruled by the powers that are not even present. Maybe I am too sentimental, but I was touched so deeply many times during the movie that I felt tears in my eyes several times during it.
I saw this movie three days ago and still keep on thinking about it...
In my opinion this movie definitely should be released by Criterion and will go straight into 250 best movies of all time.
In my opinion it is unquestionably in top twenty. Truly, truly a masterpiece! -
gleto31 December 2004The movie is somber, make no mistake, so be sure to have a hanky handy. Bright moments do sprout out on occasions--but they soon will be tangled and forgotten, as the movie further delves us into a place of a waning of era with disillusioned characters.
The players are all trap in their own roles with conflicts, decisions taken only within their power--never for convenience, never for whims. Maybe the telltale sign of the government, or some poetic semblance, whichever--the result is a masterpiece effusively tragic, and beautifully shot.
Communist era, as depicted in the movie--was just at its zenith before the regression.
The story declines in a way as to match at best of the country's stages of travails. We were able to delve into the politicking, and its deadly nature were scapegoats are wrought, and lives are paid.
The film evokes these panoramic moments, and tableau's. Longshots, marking out as those of stageplays, or out of Koreeda's Maborosi. Later these scenes, for instance the Cliffside--comes back, and reestablishes itself with a rendered darker atmosphere, as the film progress, or regress if you like.
I won't go much in debt with the characters--but I believe they're well fleshed out. And that purports well with performance--especially Vera...
Sigh, makes me sad just thinking about her.
Regardless. I'm much excited for the director/writer's next project. Thief was a narrative spectacle wrapped in a simple allegory--this on the other hand was well executed, and well fleshed out.
I hope it'll be available in the U.S. soon, for such a rare film as this deserves exposure to all, if not the world.
Might I add it's a memorable movie? Verily. -
adipocea1 February 2010One of the best Russian movies of the new era, it has nothing to envy to any American thriller. Good reconstruction of the times,early 60's, which is not an easy thing, viewing that in many American period movies there is a perfect reconstruction of the set, scenery, furniture, interiors,clothes, but the actors often fail to reproduce the speech, the gesture, the attitude of the times. Also a romantic story perfectly told, paced, credible, with to people you can figure out being together and falling in love, again differently from the Anglo-Saxon movies, where I find it difficult to understand the chemistry, physical and emotional , between two people romantically involved. Worth the money and time, not a masterpiece but a very close one to that name.
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DupontWest23 August 2005"The Driver for Vera" is simply excellent cinematography. The pace and intensity of this two-hour film is such that you don't notice passage of time. It's like dozing off and waking up from an intense dream where for a few seconds you don't know who you are or where you are. If a regular Hollywood production is like leisurely afternoon tea with some sweets, this film is like taking shots of espresso every minute for two hours. In the first few seconds the movie grabs your attention, your emotions, your very soul, and holds that grip until the very finale (in my case, it's been about 24 hours since I watched the film and I am still under the grip). The background scenery (Moscow and Sevastopol of the early 1960's) is spectacular and the music is extremely powerful. In the geopolitical background there is the power struggle between the figures of the police, the army, and the special services, a struggle that ensued in the power void after Stalin's death. Career, ambition, love, sex, power, violence, birth and death are a devilish mix in the film's shockingly realistic story line.
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jeeap25 June 2018A beautiful daughter of a poweful soviet general is lonely, pregnant and desperately looking for a man. Not for a man of her dream but just for about anybody. Even her personal driver would be OK. Sounds strange? It's not over yet.
The driver is given his assignment without any background check. The general picks him up like a seashell on a shore and he doesn't mind him going after his beloved daughter. The driver is also threatened to regret his deeds if he doesn't take his approach seriously.
At this point you might stop watching this crap but you would miss the following plot gems: a record-breaking time for a child birth, the driver mating around on premises despite the warning, a cuban soldier abusing russian girls on cruise ship, the driver holding his car with bare hands while it's hanging over the abyss, a mighty KGB screwing up its operations by doing stupid (if not insane) things, a car chase ending with escape of unarmed and unskilled person from men in chemical protective suits, etc.
All of this is to remind you how USSR government was bad to its law abiding citizens.
As to pure cinema values this film definitely has one in Alyona Babenko. Her beauty is in 10 stars range so she balances everything else and I gave it 3 after calculating the average )) -
tabetorv8 January 2005Story has nothing to do with the reality. A crowd of retarded secret Soviet agents carry out an assassination of a military general, but are so impatient that can't wait while the all the witnesses are gone. So they decided to kill all who witness their crime, including generals daughter, driver, cook, babysitter and even a newborn! However, they appear so dumb, that unarmed driver escapes with the newborn. Otherwise the movie seems realistic, with correct, IMHO, uniforms, cars, titles.
I think this movie has a good actor's play and the major problem is the script. From the very beginning you can tell who are the bad guys and who are the good ones, like in kids films. Also, all the actions and motivations of the heroes seems completely unnatural to me. -
summer_cat7 May 2007This movie is a mere imitation of another Oscar-winning movie Utomlyonnye Solntsem (1994) (aka "Burnt By The Sun"). In places Voditel Dlya Very was boring and you could guess what is going to happen next. The villain was so obvious that I simply don't understand why positive characters did not do anything about him. Even though the whole idea of the plot is not new, I would appreciate this movie if it portrayed the events taking place in late thirties or forties during the Stalin's era. But I do NOT believe that such events could possibly unfold in late sixties. Although I did not like the movie, I must admit that actors played well. And there are beautiful sceneries depicted.