videoflk

The charming and flamboyant reporter of a famous moscow based music magazine, named Guriev, enjoys the fast life. Married unhappily to a mobsters daughter, he takes way to many chances, by not letting opportunities (women) pass by. Now an old friend of Guriev is stepping into this scene, with some "new" ideas. This young and charismatic friend, a new breed of russian businessman, that no longer needs the mob to be successful. A man that actually believes in civil conduct, not only for his own profit, but also in establishing honest dealings. He wants to change the dreadfull reality with a burning passion. So Guriev is drawn right into the middle of an unfolding conflict. Torn by loyalties, he's desperatly trying to stay out of the firing line. Some dear friends of him getting killed, forcing him to make the right choice. (I do not speak or understand russian, but I found this movie refreshingly different from any movie that hollywood produces. I second the first comment made on this film. I run a Videostore in canada, with an increasing russian title collection. For the last 2 years I bypass our main distributers, who are very reluctant to carry (even the best) russian movies.

Yes, there are canadian fans of russian movies. Only a few of my customers are of russian origns. I'm slowly turning a profit on those russian movies (No other Video Store, except maybe some russian ones in the city of Toronto, carries them.). I hoped to see more of Oksana Akinshina in this movie, but She only played a minor part in it. I'm a big fan of Her. Anyway I still rate this movie 7/10 !

A miniseries I watched on eastgerman TV, just before I moved to canada. This movie does not deserve to be forgotten ! It has so much to say about human preserverance under the most adverse conditions. The messages of the movie are universal, if you can look beyond some of the old GDR propaganda scenes, that seem to be inserted by the wish of some upper echolon party officials. Other than that, this movie was a very entertaining thrillride. The producers painstakingly reconstructed the period, and some of the old german language being used (latin expressions of the upper classes). It felt like reading a historybook, where the reader is taken to the live events.

I watched this movie in west germany, where I was able to get east german TV. I was not only impressed about the accurate details of this film noir, but also about the very suspensefull story.

This movie accomplished a high degree of realism, in sometimes gritty fashion. There is no sugar coating, like in most hollywood productions about this topic, nor any gross overdramatisations. A movie that has to be seen , to be believed.

I hope there will be a time, where the viewers will get fed up with the constant "fantasy - run of the mill" material, and view movies that portrait more historic realism. Like this movie truly does. This movie proofs, that they can be also highly entertaining: Great battle scenes with awesome fotography.

This minie series could be a big hit in Canada, if "total dvd", would have done better job of the english subtitles. Well I was glad that there were english subtitles at all, because I love russian cinema. Just to say, that I'm grateful for subtitles in english or german. Because that is the only way I can truly enjoy most russian movies nowada ys. It seems that a lot of the new russian productions don't want to pay the extra "chum - change" for english subtitles. But I can assure them, that there is a growing community of english speaking canadian fans, that in fact relly enjoy russian movies. And that they would get their money back if they do so. Because most canadian distributers (like VIDEO ONE) ) do not market the wide range of russian movies, I often have to order my russian movies directly from russia or from New York. There only a fraction of the titles offer english subtitles. The other problem is, that the russian websides have very little english navigation. They should become more user friendly ! DON'T THEY WANT TO MAKE ANY MONEY ? The russian companies should also make a better effort, to link their movies for sale to the IDMB database. The sales would go up ! Russia has an enourmous archive of great movies, and a resurging movie industrie, with a potential to give hollywood "a run for it's money" The magic words are : MARKETING, MARKETING AND MARKETING ! The americans sell a lot of movie garbage like that. Russia's movie industrie has a talent for doing excellent historical masterpieces and modern crime dramas. Please proceed in this fashion , but with better marketing. I believe that is all what it takes. Now back to the movie: The acting was very good, I'm becoming a fan of Ekaterina Guseva. She's radiant and refreshing. The story was very suspensefull right after the conflict with the orientals. Than the story was a little stale. The sequence, where the gang decided to go into politics, a little too long. But the anti climactic end of the movie did justify, going through this slacking part. I also was a little disturbed about the directors "gloryfying crime" scenes. I believe criminals should be portrayed without it. There is simply no glory in crime ! What about the victims of their crimes ? Too little was seen about them,in this movie. Nevertheless, I truly enjoyed this movie. I rated it a 7 out of 10.

I saw the movie dubbed version in german, when it reached the theaterin our military barracks at Luetjenburg in Sleswig Holstein/W.germany. Iy stuck to my mind ever since. It is a well craftet war picture, seen from the japanese perspective. It inspired me to also read Sabukuo Sakai's account. I bought the book 10 years later, to read about his wartime experience as a WW2 japanese fighter pilot. The movie kept very close to the book, and stuck to the facts. The airbattles are suspensefull and detailed, as good as in the movie Midway, but with a much smaller budged. Sabukuo Sakai got seriously wounded over the airbattle of Guadalcanal. Shot in the head, he had to manage to fly his zero fighter plane, back to his base at rabaul. His struggle to survive is impressive to watch. Sitting in a damaged cockpit, the front window smashed up and bloodstained, fighting to loose conciousness, keeping the aircraft under control and to keep track of navigation. I voted for this movie a 9 out of 10.

It was a "cult" movie when I watched this movie in the theater in germany in 1971. "Siggi" played by Giulia Folliana had some very funny and original lines. Still a teenager in the early 70's, I was a big fan of hers. She should have made way more movies like this one, and the producers and moviemakers should have discovered her great star potential. I'm sure that would have happened in hollywood. Unfortunately she had to work in germany, where her talents where wasted in corny, dull and superficial movies. I voted an "8" for this well crafted 70's period peace.

I might be biased about rating this movie, because I was born in westfalia. Surrounded by a long family history. There are still visual artefacts of the "WIEDERTAEUFER" period left, for every visitor of the provincial capital of Muenster, to see. Specially the hanging cages, where the captured leaders of the upraising, where condemned to die in. The portrait of the violent medevil time was well captured, even when most of the scenes where not made on location. I believe they where made in the Zcheck republic. I rated this movie a 10 : The acting was superb, specially Mario Adorf's portrait of the ruling bishop, also his opponents came to live as believable religious zealots. The created atmosphere of the movie was suspenseful, the story intriguing. Some well done realistic battlescenes, describing without any cosmetics the brutality of midevil warfare. This theme was carried right to the end with an incredible detail and feel of the time period. The end of the movie was very shocking, describing the execution of the ringleader in any detail, but nevertheless realistic. Hollywood always presents us with sanitized versions of period peaces,

making them look sort of corny. This movie is not holding anything back. There is really no such thing as "the good old days!" People of this period either lived in apalling poverty, with very little sanitation, or in splendid luxury. Few artisans living in somewhere between. Those times lived in deep religious superstition, where cruel, violent, dirty, and to add one positive ,romantic. This movie has captured those moments well. This movie does not look like a "cheap " or low budget production. By hollywood standards, it would fall way beyond the $20 million limit for medium budgeted productions. Well, that was, what I felt, watching this incredible well crafted movie.

Harshness of medevil reality and tragicomic events are masterfully recreated in this historical masterpeace. This movie left a lasting impression on me. The costumes, the buildings and almost every detail has been carefully injected to put life into this period of the "30 year war" (anno 1628-1658). To describe this movie to an american audience, you might call it an "court jester" comedy. But that wouldn't do much justice. The movie covers a lot more complexity, and it's not just a tragic comedy.

The miniseries is nonfictional, no holds barred ! Names named, and the action is suspensefull. This miniseries deserves a video or dvd release. I was 18 years old, when I watched the whole miniseries with my family. I still sticks to my mind after 30 years.

If you look beyond the communist propaganda messages of this movie, you will find it quite enjoyable. It tells the story of a steel worker from the ruhr valley starting in the 30's. It takes you from violent confrontations fueled by ideologies, that the germans where exposed to, through the nazi times, ww2, and ending up in the "peacefull" gdr. A peace of workers history, expertly told with suspense, deft humor and wit. Also a story of struggle and survival, done with gritty realism. A must see for all interested in dramatised workers history movies. I give it a 8/10 vote. Hopefully I will be able to enjoy this movie again, someone should release this gem of history on DVD.I would definately purchase it.

Growing up in germany, surrounded by history, I developped an interest in the middle ages. A hobby sort of speech. Having seen some german documentaries on this subject, and having read lots of materials about this period, I expected a decent 2 hours of entertainment. But this movie was incredible boring, poorly researched and the characters acted like reading from a script. Suspense was absolutely absent. I would love to ask the Director or producer of this movie: "why they made it" or "what the purpose of making it was ". I watched this movie in 1981, today I would have no patience of sitting through such a constraption.

The heroines Anita Kupsch and Monica Peitsch are incredible sexy,they always get "their offenders" ! The stories are way more complex as in Charlies Angels, and they are not bound by the "moraline sour" restrictions as in their US counterpart. I love their wardrobe, a lot more style. I also loved the way, those girls arrested the criminals, resorting to all kinds of intricate bondage. A big taboo in Charlies Angels. My vote is a 9 out of 10. I would by the whole series if the studio would decide to release it on DVD.

I watched this movie in germany, when it was released for the theaters. It left a lasting impression on me. It captures an E.T.A. Hoffmann sort of atmosphere, talks to your romantic and advanterous spirit. Specially when you have grown up in the european countrysite , between ruined keeps in the midst of old forest. Little probably to tickle the northamerican imagination. I found the approach to vampire stories very genuine and without moral judgement. I was glued to my seat in the theater. I was searching for this movie ever since. I hope it will be rereleased on DVD.

Properly marketed, may be with a dubbed option, for english and french,this movie has great box office potential. Specially in the wake of SAVING PRIVATE RYAN, BAND OF BROTHERS, THIN RED LINE and WINDTALKER, this movie has in no way to hide behind those titles. The script is excellent, kept me right in the seat, the cinematagrophy stunning, and I was amazed with the historical details of the uniforms and military hardware. I would give it a 9+ rating, or two thumbs way up, as Siskel and Ebert used to do. The russians know how to craft the best war pictures, why are they not releasing them via box office, or at least for the north american homme video and DVD market ? I'm very impressed, and I would like to point out, that you can get this movie on VHS, in it's russian only version. Some of my friends watched it without any knowledge of the russian language, and loved it. The action is so intense in this movie, that it explains itself.

One of the best WAR movies I have ever seen, it ranks on top of my list with "SAVING PRIVATE RYAN", "CROSS OF IRON", "WINDTALKER","COME AND SEE" etc... It's about the kursk-salient battle, the biggest tank battle of WW2. When I saw this movie in a small west german cinma (Bielefeld 1970), I was very impressed about every careful researched historical detail in this awesome and in the west absolutely unknown movie. The movie is also in color, with good special effects. The military hardware, tanks, planes and infantry weapons are historically correct. The acting was good, and there was not a boring minute in the whole movie. It takes you right into the action, after a brief but comprehensive introduction.

This two Ladies are absolutely sizzling in this movie. I saw it in 1968, in a german cinema. i hope it will be rereleased on DVD, so I can purchase it. They are not only playing the aggressive fem fatales, they also dressed to kill. I love the ultra feminine fashion of those years. Also one of the best "007 genres" movies I have seen.