Peter FM

This movie was the typical love story. Some one breaking off a marriage to be with a stranger seems like a story I've heard many times. Even though this isn't typically my favorite type of movie, I have to admit that I somewhat enjoyed it. Both the main characters is this movie are very likable. Although the ending of the movie was very typical and somewhat predictable. I thought this movie gave a unique view of St. Peterburgs. We really get to see all the sights and sounds of a city that to many of us is completely foreign.

Night Watch

At first I didn't think I would like this movie, but I have to admit that I was very wrong. This was a very well done movie. It almost seems like a combination of Lord of the Rings and The Matrix. Honestly the majority of Russian movies we've watched in class are not in as good of quality as western films. But this film is a exception to the rule. The special effects were very good. The looked very realisticbirds in the funnel, the vampires looked very realistic. Everything in this movie was very realistic.

I didn't realize that Anton was the same character at the beginning of the movie just with longer. That confused me for the first part ofthe movie because I didn't know what the point of that scene was. This was important because we learn that Anton didn't choose to be good, instead he was thrown into the world by a few mistakes he made.

I noticed that the Dark forces in this movie are all that evil. Yes they do eat people occasionally, but the forces of good let them fo this. They aren't bent on the destruction of the world they don't want to destroy the good forces. It seems like they just want live their own life and not be affected by anyone else. This was an interesting way to portray this group of people.

The return

This is a very gloomy movie. All the colors the director uses are very dark and bland. I can't ever remember him using a bright color. I thought this was a very good technique for the director to use in this movie. It you feel just as depressed as the boys. This setting is nothing like Brother, in fact i didn'r even know that this movie was shot by St. Petersburg.

There's not much to say about the mother because we only see her during two scenes. She seems to love her kids and did a decent job raising them. In some ways she's overwhelmed by the the two of them. Maybe thats why she asked her husband to come back to help raise them. Though she doesn't appear to be excited about the homecoming of hher husband.

The father is a very intriguing character. He the kind of person you want to hate, but at the same time you can understand what he's trying to do. I was almost waiting for him to do something really horrible so I can really hate him. He's very influental on Andrey, who almost starts acting like his father towards the end of the movie. Ivan doesn't become as infactuated with his father as Andrey. Ivan doesn't understand why his father waited twelve years before he saw them. This is something that will make Ivan hate his father throughout the movie.

Brother

This seemed like a very typical mobster movie for the 1990's. This movie reminded me a lot of lock stock a two smoking barrels, which was a movie about British gangsters set in the same time period. Both movie do some very cool things with their camera angles. The movies also have lead characters that despite all their faults still seem to be very likable characters. Both movies deal with the underworld's of two very notable cities.

Danila is good person with some very noticeable character flaws. In some ways his flaws make him a character that's easy to like. To me I almost understood why Danila was making those choices throughout the movie. Danila is a soldier and violence is the only way he knows how to solve problems. So he going to commit these crimes because there's no other way Danila can make money. Danila never kills anyone who isn't involved with the mob, this makes him appear to be more like hero than a thug. If Danila had been killing people who were innocent we probably wouldn't think so highly of him.

Russia of the 1990's seemed like a free for all. Since the oppressive Soviet government was gone everyone was trying to take a piece of the pie. It didn't seem like their was much law and order so obviously organized crime would thrive in this type of setting. It seems like Russia was and still is very confused about what direction their country will go.

Little Vera

Little Vera was not an enjoyable movie. Not saying it was a bad movie but it was so depressing that I really couldn't enjoy it. If this was a realistic look into Russian youth during this time, they have a lot of problems to deal with. This is a very destructive way for someone to live.

I can't say that I'm supportive of Vera's way. I honestly think most of the problems she creates herself. Marrying a scumbag like Sergei at such a young age is a very bad idea. Yet she seems to go through with it for some unknown reason. Neither of them seem to have any real love for each other. This means their relationship is doomed to fail. Vera seem very young and very stupid. Granted she hasn't gotten much support from her parents. Vera dad is an alcoholic and calls his daughter a bitch and slut throughout the movie. Her mother seems very overwhelmed by everything and never praises Vera but always praises her older brother. This makes Vera seem very insignificant. It's tough to say whether Vera creates most of her problems or if they come from her surroundings. In many ways it's a combination of both.

The director always seems to portray this movie in a very dark and gloomy matter. Most of the shots are very dark and gloomy and shows a very polluted area. This helps make the movie much more gloomy.

Moscow does not believe in Tears

Nothing really seemed all that different between the time periods. Odviously the girls had become much wealthier and have moved out of the workers dormitory. I also noticed that in the 1970's there appeared to be alot more of the high rises up and around Moscow than there were in the 1950's.

In the first part of the movie the girls seem both confused and mesmerized by the city of Moscow. They all have basic career goals but there all not really sure how they'll be able to accomplish them. In some ways they don't really care because all they care about is finding a man to love and marry. In fact Lyudmilla's only goal seems to be to marry a rich famous man, which she accomplish and that will end up being a disaster. We never really know Tonya career goal because she gets married right away and appears to quit so she can raise a family. Katya isn't able to find true love but in the process is impregnated. katya is devastated and it seems like everything is over. In part two it was somewhat surprising to learn that Katya has finished her degree and become a very successful manager. Even though Katya career is going very well, she isn't happy with being old and single. Katya is then able to find love in a man who appears to be a little rough around the edges. This seems to make Katya a much happier women.

This movie seemed like a soap opera. We in America might call this a "Chick Flick". It seems very dramatic throughout the whole movie and in the end it all seems to work out, which to me was a little corney.

Ivan's childhood

This movie seemed a lot different than Tarkovsky's other film. Ivan's childhood actually had a plot and a point to the story. This movie was certainly much easier to follow than mirrors. To be honest this didn't feel like a Tarkovsky film, instead it reminded me alot of Ballad of a Soldier. Obviously both films deal with the Soviet Union's involvment in World War II. But both movies also deal with the relationship between the Characters. Like Shura and Alyosha we see Ivan and Lieutanant Galtsev grow to like and eachother. At first Ivan and Galtsev aren't very found of eachother, but as time goes on Galtsev seems to appreciate Ivan for all his hard work during the war. Ivan also seems to trust to Galtsev a little more as the war goes on. Ivan's childhood seems to deal with the realtionship between soldiers on the battlefield much more than Ballad of a Soldier. One relationship we see is the one between Galtsev and Captain which is very rocky throughout the movie because both of them are fighting for the affection of Masha.

I can't say that Tarkovsky is my favorite director. Although I understand that many things is considered to be the work of genius, hie movies just don't seem to relate to me ike other films do. If it tough for me to relate to a movie it's hard for me to really enjoy the film. Today's film wasn't too bad but there seems to be alot of things that Tarkovsky does that to me seem very strange. This just isn't something that appeals to me.

I can't honestly say I understood this movie, this is one of the craziest movies I've ever seen. Everything in this movie was very strange. I didn't understand the plot if , here even was a plot. Most of the things didn't seem to mean anything. That being said I thought some of techniques used in this movie were very interesting. I really liked how the director used both color and black and white in the film. This seemed to make the movie more interesting because your always trying to figure out why he was deciding to use certain techniques in certain areas. This really through me for a loop but in a good way. It's all very mind boggling. It was also very interesting that he used actual footage from world war II. This added a cool look into the scenes from World War II, which made the movie seem a lot more realistic. Lastly I liked the scenes were the house was falling apart from water, I really felt like I was in the house.
To me the director seems to be using double roles for some characters which adds to the confusion of the film. But in many ways this is a brilliant way to portray characters especially if there very similar. I can see why Tarkovsky is considered a genius, even if I can't understand his work.

Ballad of a Soldier

This film didn't seem like a war film at all, in fact it felt more like a love story with World War Two set as the background. But in many ways this is a very unique look into Russian during World War Two. At first the audience is able to see how Alyosha's mother is affected by the war. When Alyosha is coming home as helps that wounded soldier, we see the physical and mental toll war takes on Soldiers. We also see that war can often break up relationships between couples, when Alyosha goes to give the gift to a fellow soldiers fiance to find out that she's with another man. These are things that your typical war film wouldn't attempt to take a look at. This also doesn't seem like a Socialist Realist film, in fact it seems more a movie that would be made in the west. Ballad of a Soldier doesn't glorify the Soviet union or Communism in any way shape or form. In fact one could make an argument that the love between Alyosha and Shura is somewhat anti-communist.
This is a movie which can be appreciated by many different cultures. In our culture man different people go off and this is simply a story that tackles the issues of war and that is something that people from man different countries can appreciate. A mother loving and caring for her son is something that isn't unique to Russia. Unlike Chapaev or Ivan the terrible people from all over the world can appreciate this film. That's why this film isn't just popular with Russians but with people all over the world.
Overall I thought the movie was pretty good. The story was entertaining and it was able to keep my attention the entire time. Although that it was a little strange that Shura and Alyosha were able to meet up after Alyosha missed his train.

Ivan The Terrible

At first I was very surprised that Stalin would allow a movie about a czar to be made during his reign. But as the movie went on I could see why the Soviets would appreciate it. Ivan was the kind of leader who would always do what's best for Russia, no matter what how it affected him. Ivan was trying to make Russia a stronger country. The leaders of the Soviet were also forming Russia into a world power. Stalin and other party leaders were most likely trying to compare themselves to a great Russian hero like Ivan the Terrible. This something that leaders of the Soviet would have loved.
To me the Boyars seemed very Bourgeoisie. They were the real in this movie mainly because they would never do what was best for Russia. The Boyars are there to serve themselves and will do anything to make themselves richer. This is the complete opposite of Ivan the Terrible who is trying to make Russia a stronger nation.

Burnt by the Sun

Burnt by the sun was very interesting because for the first time in our class we have a movie that actually criticizes the Soviet Union. Burnt by the sun appeared to be a much more realistic portrayal of Stalinist Russia than The Circus. This is one of the reasons I liked this movie so much. Kotov is very similar to Chapaev because they both are great leaders and are very influential over other people. Unlike Chapaev, Kotov seems like a very family oriented and will do anything to protect them. Granted we never saw Chapaev in a family situation so I guess we'll never know. I can't understand why Stalin would suspect a war hero like Kotov to be a spy. To me it seems like a great loss for the Soviets.
This movie was meant for more of an international audience. Most people in Russia already knew or have heard directly about the terrors of Stalin. This movie gives a great look into Russia when Stalin was in control and I think that would be more interesting to a international audience than it would be to a Russian audience.

At first this movie didn't seem more like a entertainment film than a propaganda film. But towards the end of the film the Soviet propaganda began to some out. At the end of the film when all the Russians are holding the baby and saying that they'll care about it no matter what color of skin the child is. This is definitely a good example of socialist realism and something the powers in the communist would love. I'm also sure these leaders relished the idea of a successful American defecting over to the Soviet Union so she can live a better life. I think the was pretty good by itself and didn't need socialist realism to make it a better movie. In fact it wold have been a better movie if the director left all that stuff out of the film.

Chapaev

Chapaev was able to appeal to the Russian audience's because the characters were developed a lot better than Battleship Potemkin. The idea of Battleship Potemkin was to not have individual heroes but instead have the group as a whole be the heroes. I don't believe this appealed to many people because they couldn't identify and grow accustomed to the different characters.
Also General Chapaev is hero to many Russians and seeing him in a movie would be very entertaining.
At first General Chapaev seems very critical of the the commissar probably because he is worried that he'll undermine his command. As the film goes on they grow much closer and towards the end he doesn't want the commissar to leave the division. I think the hero a movie is Chapaev. chapaev while harsh is very likable and cares about all the men and women who serve under him. He seems like the perfect hero for the early Soviet Union.

I can't say I have ever seen a movie that's ever remotely similar to the one we watched on Friday. Experimental is the perfect word to describe that movie. I honestly can't say that I understood or even understand the point of the movie. To me the movie seemed like a look into Russian society during that time period, but i have a feeling there is more to it. I saw that the director used some new things like combining shots and other things like that, which we haven't seen in any other films we watched. One thing I did like about the movie was the sound track which was clearly put in later. The soundtrack was very appropriate for the movie and it worked in well with everything going on in the movie.

It's not hard to notice why the leaders of the Soviet Union would love this movie. The sailors rising up and overthrowing their cruel, upper class masters is simply great propaganda. When the city of Odessa joins the sailors cause, the movie is able show how a small group can influence the masses. This would give the people of Russia hope that their country will influence people around the world to join their cause. Also as mentioned in Kenez, there is no distinct leader or hero among the crew of the battleship. Instead the hero's are the group of sailors who work together to overthrow their officers. This would be important to communist because no one worker is above the group and they all must work in order to function as a society. Overall I thought the movie was entertaining, even though I didn't understand what the point of the crazy priest was.

I thought The Dying Swan was very interesting because it seemed like the kind of movie that could easily be used in a movie in the current era. I especially enjoyed the end when he kills her in order to paint a real image of death. That was an interesting way to end the movie. My favorite part about 1002 was the relationship between the husband and wife. I found that to be very entertaining. The husband wife relationship is something that many people would understand and find humorous. I had a little trouble understanding the first movie. But I feel like someone coming from a poorer family wouldn't be as snobby if she moved up social classes like that. Going into today I thought it would be difficult to follow silent films, but it wasn't as difficult once I got used to it.

Blog 1

I thought the ending to irony of fate was something that someone would typically bee a fair tale. Which is kind of strange considering that it wasn't really meant to be that type of movie. This movie was a feel good movie and I can see why the Russians would like it. It's very similar to a Christmas story o It's a Wonderful Life, in the sense that it's a very simple movie which can be very enjoyable to people when they watch it. I a separate note I thought having to read subtitles would be very annoying during the movie, but it actually hasn't bothered and at all. In fact I don't really even notice it anymore.

The early films in Russian cinema seem to deal a lot with their history. I don't think there will be any movies like Irony of Fate or Enjoy your bath during this time period. These films seem more like propaganda films that are meant to create some sense of pride among the Russian people. It seems like directors around this time period are unlikely to criticize the government or any part of society. I looking to seeing more films without sound and seeing how they compare to films with sound.