radlov

The Italian brothers Taviani have produced a master piece on the basis of one of the great novels of Lev Tolstoy. It is a dramatic story of moral downfall and a subsequent attempt at redemption or "resurrection". Especially moving is the interpretation of the role of Katiusha Maslova by Stefania Rocca.

The only external review mentioned here is that of the Russian newspaper Izvestia, in which the movie is duly praised, as capturing the Russian spirit more than almost any other Western production about Russian themes. It is also mentioned that the great length of the film (3 hours) permits a global rendering of the novel, in all its aspects, without serious truncations.

In other words, it is a real masterpiece and I wonder why so few people have paid attention to this great movie.

This is simply one of the best movies ever made.

Unfortunately, it is too refined to ever make it into the IMDb Top-250, I fear.

The qualities of this film are well described in some other comments. A marvelous story, based on a great novel. Somewhat too slow for some people. Psychological depth, even though the main character (you can't call him "hero")is rather despicable. A beautiful picture of 18th century society and morals, underlined by beautiful 18th century music. Great acting. Splendid photography. Three hours is not too long for so much beauty.

Those who exclusively like action films should stay away. Those preferring films which are more subtle and profound should by no means miss the opportunity to see it.

This is no movie for those who only like action films. Amators of Italian and French social-realist dramas from the '50s, however, will find it very much to their taste. Director Lydia Bobrova pictures the bleak life in the Russian countryside by showing some events in the life of three brothers and their families. The three brothers are different in character, but all suffer from the dreariness of kolchoz life, which contrasts starkly with the glamour of the celebrations of the Moscow Olympics of 1980, which the protagonists can see on TV. Before Gorbachov's perestrojka, the director would not have had the chance of making this sad, but sensitive and realistic movie. At the Toronto film festival, a critic wrote. "...the film achieves a powerful air of authenticity that is destined to make it a classic of Russian cinema.' The title is derived from a nostalgic Russian song that is performed several times in the movie. The wild geese have the possibility of moving on to milder climes, a possibility that Russian country people don't have.

I have seen this film on Dutch television about 35 years ago and never saw it again since. So my memories about it have faded a lot, even though the film made quite an impression on me at the time. The jester tells a tale about a small boy and a small girl who go through a lot of adventures against the very grim background of the Thirty Years' War (1618-1648), in which Czechia suffered enormously. The movie is a clever combination of cartoon and acting, skillfully integrated. (Maybe it won't make that much impression on a contemporary public "spoiled" by modern computer simulation technics).

The film is a good representation of the books story. A two hour film can not, however, render all the charming details of the book. To name an example, the moving idyl between Hagrid and dragon baby Norbert got far too less attention in the film.

In 1302, king Philip the Fair of France staged a coup against the mighty order of the Templars, which he considered to be a state within the state. The Grand Master was accused of sacrilegical practices and burnt at the stake. According to the legend, from the stake the Grand Master cursed the king and all his descendants. In fact, the king himself would soon die, and all his three sons would succeed him, but each only for a couple of years and each dying without issue. Therefore, these kings are often called "Les rois maudits", the "cursed kings".

The series describes the lifes of some common people during the reign of these kings, when France was struck, inter alia, by a terrible famine and by plagues. It is beautiful pageant of Medieval Life. The video, if it existed, would be an ideal educational tool for the teaching of French and European history.

The small daughter of a female police officer (played by Annie Girardot) has been kidnapped and a ransom letter has been received. The ransom is paid, but the small girl is murdered anyhow. At last mother finds out who did it. Someone very close to her. Out of jealousy. "Every family has its cross to bear", so the title of this film says. It is a well made film, with a lot of suspense, but not a merry one.

After seeing this film, I thought it slightly apologetic towards Richard Nixon. In the customer reviews, however, I read that a lot of American viewers consider it unfair and slanderous towards a president they admire. Considering this, I arrive at the conclusion that Oliver Stone succeeded rather well in giving a balanced picture of this controversial former leader of the Western world. Some criticize the movie as containing quite a few factual errors. For heavens sake, a movie play of about two hours is no historical documentary and even less a historical monography! I think the movie very well illustrates both Nixons strong points (intelligence and perseverance) and the weak points in his character, that finally lead to his downfall. Let those who think this movie is unfair, consider for a moment that Richard Milhous Nixon himself has never been very fair towards his opponents! I think this is one of the best American movies of this decade.

I think that in this movie Borman succeeded very well in capturing the spirit of the myth. That he takes some liberties with the story of the Arthur saga is of no consequence. A myth aims to convey some strong moral ideas. This movie succeeds in this better than any other movie I know. The idea Borman compellingly depicts in this beautiful movie is the following. Men strive very hard at achieving harmony. Once in a while, for a short moment they succeed in realizing it. But than someone makes a small, stupid mistake (in casu: the affair between Lancelot and Guinevere) and the world falls back into war and disorder. And than it takes ages of effort and suffering to find the Grail again. This is the stuff myths are made of!

This movie leaves me with very mixed feelings. I can understand those who call it one of the best Westerns ever. In fact, it is quite well made and well acted. It really gripes the audience. But don't forget to look at the negative side: this movie really is excessively violent! Within the first quarter of on hour, the protagonist, played by Clint Eastwood himself, kills three men and rapes a woman. A devils advocate might argue that this is no celebration of gratuitous violence, that the protagonist is no hero, but an anti-hero. But I am afraid the protagonist might well be considered as a role model by some people. Especially testosteron tormented juveniles who are still in the process of consolidating their moral value system, might conclude - after seeing this film - that it is quite `cool' to massacre and rape. The ambivalent attitude of the raped young lady towards the protagonist might contribute in letting them believe that only those women get raped who really like it. I therefore conclude: this movie is technically good, but morally wrong.

First World War. A more or less forgotten front: in the Italian Alps Italian and Austrian troops face each other. The Italian general Leone orders his men to storm the heavily defended Austrian lines without proper artillery support. They are butchered. Discontent finally leads to a mutiny.

This is a very dark movie that in a very moving way describes war in its utter absurdity. I consider it a great movie.

This movie should merit a place in the upper region of the 250 top movies, somewhere in the neighborhood of "Citizen Kane" and "Twelve Angry Men". Apparently it is not very well known in the USA.

In Germany and in countries where the German language is rather familiar, it is rightly considered as one of the classics of cinema.

Amazing, that Sternberg, only a couple of years after the invention of the "talky" could produce a masterpiece that has seldom been surpassed. It was this movie that launched the carreer of Marlene Dietrich, with her famous song "Ich bin von Kopf bis Fuss auf Liebe eingestellt".

I had seen the movie many years ago. When I saw it for the second time about a year ago, I realized that Emile Jennings acting, as the rather silly teacher at the local grammar school who sacrifies his career because of a cabaret girl, was not less impressive than that of Marlene Dietrich. A pity that I did never see another film with this great actor.

A splendid movie! A colourful picture of the traditional life of Tibetan herdsmen, set in the bleak but majestic scenery of the Himalaya. The story of the youth of a future village chief, centered around a caravan journey through the mountains, a real epic of pride and endurance. If once in a lifetime you get the occasion to see this movie, don't let it pass!

This movie, which is situated in Italy in 1944, when the Nazis were being driven out by the American army, drew a lot of attention in Italy when it came out in 1980. I watched it in an Italian cinema the year after its release and did not like it.

In my opinion, the director tried to draw a large audience by producing a movie wíth a maximum of shocking scenes, hoping that it would be discussed a lot (which was the case). The movie perspires, however, such a negative atmosphere, that even the presence of such famous actors like Marcello Mastroiani and Claudia Cardinale could not save it.

That a war movie presents some shocking scenes is quite natural. But in « La Pelle » they are not balanced by any scenes transpiring humanity and positive sentiments.

That a movie about the same period can be an enjoyment to watch, is shown, for example, by « La Notte di San Lorenzo » by the brothers Taviani, a film I can warmly recommend. I would not recommend « La Pelle » to anyone.

In general, I don't like radical feminists, because they are mostly devoid of any humor. The movie "Antonia's Line" depicts a kind of feminist utopia: a "dynasty" of strong women who come along quite well without more than a minimal interference of males in their lifes.

Nevertheless, the movie skillfully avoids every tendency towards dogmatic preaching in favor of the "good cause", and is in fact full of humor.

Even a "male chauvinist pig" like Radlov could enjoy it.

I found this Dutch historical TV-serial very interesting and entertaining. At the beginning of this century a young doctor is entrusted the care of "patient number 4", who claims to be the third son of former King William III, all of whose three sons are presumed to have died at a young, or rather young age. The suspense over the question whether "Patient number 4" really is Prince Alexander is kept up almost to the end. The picture given of King William is excessively dark, but this is historically justified because it reflects the point of view of a party at the court (the estranged wife and sons of the king and their friends) who used to call him "King Gorilla". The complexity of the story (continual changes between the current story and historical flash backs) has put off a large number of viewers. I found the serial quite interesting. The acting varied from decent to pretty good. The historical set up was splendid.

This movie is a free adaptation of a novel by the well known Dutch author Hella Haase. A white Dutch boy and the son of an Indonesian servant grow up together. Later on, their lifes take different paths. When they meet again after many years, in the period of the Indonesian war of independence, their outlook has grown so different that they are not capable of finding a common language any more.

The movie - in which apart from Dutch a lot of Bahasa Indonesia is spoken - is impressive because of the magnificent Indonesian scenery. The acting by the Dutch and Indonesian actors is in general quite decent. Nevertheless, the movie fails to fulfill its promise.

In an effort to present a "politically correct", anti colonial point of view, quite a few scenes have been turned more into a caricature than into a realistic picture of the period concerned. It should have been possible to avoid this, as Hella Haase, in her considerably more subtle novel, did draw a much more equilibrated picture.

This movie is a successful parody of TV-serials with their incoherent succession of dramatic events. By increasing the speed of these events a little bit more, a very comic effect is attained. The story is situated in the Italy of around 1980, with all the fuss about the Red Brigades. Mother just starts to think that her daughter in law is somewhat secretive and not very nice. And see: almost immediately it turns out that she is a leftist urban guerilla who gets arrested because of her participation in a bomb attack. But that is quickly forgotten, because other events speed on! Life goes on (la vita continua)!

This movie brilliantly and movingly, but always with a lot of irony, describes the plight of an Italian migrant laborer in Switzerland. Some scenes are among the best in the history of cinema.

A group of migrant laborers are doing some filthy work in a ramshackle barn. Through a small window they see some beautiful young Swiss adolescents riding on horse back. These youngsters look like gods compared to the poor ants in the barn!

In another scene the hero of the film has been trying very hard for some time to assimilate, to become even more Swiss then the Swiss themselves. But he can't suppress his deep feelings of identity for ever. One day he enters a pub and watches a soccer match between Italy and Switzerland. At a certain moment he can't control himself any more and starts shouting to encourage the Italian team. He makes such a nuisance of himself that the Swiss throw him out.

Utterly brilliant!

In this interesting British movie the inner circle of Stalin is depicted as a kind of absolute monarchs court. Very realistic rendering of an atmosphere of autocracy, distrust and terror.

Abuse of power is rampant. Beria exercises a "jus primae noctis" with all the young ballerinas of the prestigious opera houses. But also the mighty may fall, when the Wise Leader starts to distrust them.

Some keep their faith in the bolshevist creed until the very end. In front of the firing squad a stalwart bolshevist of the first hour exclaims: "Even in the best democracy errors are being made!"

How is it possible that no one before wrote a review of this movie and that less than 30 persons voted on it?

Maybe the predominantly American audience of IMDb is not much aware of French movies. French ladies (and especially young ladies!) and gentlemen, give your comments! The honor of France is at stake!

The movies of the "Angelique" series are the ULTIMATE SENTIMENTAL CLOAK AND DAGGER STORY! A whole generation of French (and not only French!!) teenagers has swooned over these movies. So much adventure, splendid 17th century costumes, romantic love, faith and treason, it is all there! Of course the events often transgress the limits of what is credible, but who cares? Just don't be ashamed of enjoying these movies! And, of course, Michèle Mercier is splendid as the incredibly seductive and courageous heroine "Angelique".

How is it possible that no one before wrote a review of this movie and that only 11 persons voted on it? Maybe the predominantly American audience of IMDb is not much aware of French movies.

French ladies (and especially young ladies!) and gentlemen, give your comments! The honor of France is at stake!

The movies of the "Angelique" series are the ULTIMATE SENTIMENTAL CLOAK AND DAGGER STORY! A whole generation of French (and not only French!!) teenagers has swooned over these movies. So much adventure, splendid 17th century costumes, romantic love, faith and treason, it is all there! Of course the events often transgress the limits of what is credible, but who cares? Just don't be ashamed of enjoying these movies! And, of course, Michèle Mercier is splendid as the incredibly seductive and courageous heroine "Angelique".

How is it possible that no one before wrote a review of this movie and that only 11 persons voted on it? Maybe the predominantly American audience of IMDb is not much aware of French movies. French ladies (and especially young ladies!) and gentlemen, give your comments! The honor of France is at stake. The movies of the "Angelique" series are the ULTIMATE SENTIMENTAL CLOAK AND DAGGER STORY! A whole generation of French (and not only French!!) teenagers has swooned over these movies. So much adventure, splendid 17th century costumes, romantic love, faith and treason, it is all there! Of course the events often transgress the limits of what is credible, but who cares? Just don't be ashamed of enjoying these movies! And, of course, Michèle Mercier is splendid as the incredibly seductive and courageous heroine "Angelique".

Very funny, very coarse, very Woody Allen. This movie not only has autobiographical elements, Harry Block to a large extent is Woody Allen himself. I think never a director exposed the weaknesses of his own "ego" as mercilessly as Woody did in this film, descending into the deepest layers of the "id", into the very depths of hell (literally, with all the molten lava and sulfur smoke that go with it)! But Woody Allen covers this merciless exercise of psychoanalysis with a thick cover of humor. It is also a very funny movie!

Those who like the genre should not miss the (rare) occasion to see this movie. It is a splendid cloak and dagger story, full of adventures, fights and love. Of course, somewhat incredible at times. Unforgettable is the scene in which the bandit Cartouche (Jean-Paul Belmondo) with the corpse of Venus (Claudia Cardinale) in his arms demands jewels in ransom from French nobles, in order to have a treasure to be buried with his beloved Venus, who has been killed in a fight.