Burnt by the Sun
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Movie Reviews of Burnt by the Sun
Movie Review: Under the Shadow of Stalin
Summary: 5 Stars
Mikhalkov always had a flair for Chekhovian drama, and he doesn't disappoint the viewer in this movie, which essentially updates "The Cherry Orchard" to Stalinist Russia. What we get is a tumultuous day in the life of a theatre group in a tranquil rural community, lorded over by the proud Commander Kotov, as the small town prepares for the celebration of Stalin's first ride in an air balloon. Mikhalkov deftly mixes humor with pathos, the hallmark of all his movies, as the bucolic life is broken by the return of Mitya (impeccably played by Oleg Menshikov). We slowly get to learn of Mitya's mission with a profound sense of foreboding. The acting is purposely staged to give the scenes their rich theatrical air, yet there is a naturalism too, as Mikhalkov has such a fine eye for detail. To reveal too much of the movie is to give away its stunning climax. It was one of the first films to emerge from the post-Soviet era and gave Mikhalkov a broader international audience, earning him an Oscar in 1994.Movie Review: Nikita Mikhalkov's best
Summary: 5 Stars
The movie portrays the dual life in Soviet Russia under Stalin in the mid 30s. The beginning is a story of what Soviet life should have been like; the end is a chilling revelation of the reality. Nikita Mikhalkov plays General Sergei Kotov, a hero of the revolution who is holidaying in his dacha with his family and whose naïve love for the Soviet motherland is rewarded in the same fashion that Stalin rewarded most of the genuine revolutionary communists. But this is not the only story; there are many other little stories that portray the lives of people trapped between the past and the present, between lies and truths, between illusions and realities. Oleg Menshikov is extraordinary in this sense. He plays Mitya, a NVKD agent and an old friend of Kotov's wife, whose ruthlessness is the product of the Soviet spying apparatus, but who has also managed to preserve something noble in his personality from his tranquil past. The movie has a deeply sad finale - like the lives of everyone who lived under Stalin.Movie Review: WHAT "THE PIANIST" WAS TO POLAND, THIS IS TO RUSSIA.
Summary: 5 Stars
This absolute poetry on camera, which bagged the 1995 best international film award, is a masterpiece I highly recommend you to watch. Russians (or other followers of Stalin's times) may be a bit jaded by the theme of 30's USSR suffering. But for the rest of us, "Burnt by the Sun" glides effortlessly, seamlessly though the genres as it tells of a handful of Russian characters who collectively constitute a family of sorts with great humor and drama, poignant and sweetly sentimental moments, and excellence both technically and artistically.
What is more, the film's story is interesting, unpredictable, and well told with depth and neatly developed characters.
The reviewers who have lamented about the politics of the our time, the academy award and the bravura with which it was accepted etc. are making weirdly baseless comments. If you enjoyed Polanski's opus "Pianist", I guarantee you're in for a visual and sentimental treat with this one as well!
Movie Review: Touching film
Summary: 5 Stars
I see that one Stalin revisionist living happily in the west has surfaced to pick apart the veracity of this film, but even he ended up liking it for the most part. This film vividly describes the reality (uncertainty?) of life under Stalin, and not from a western perspective, but from the unfortunate perspective of those who came up with the short end of the grand Soviet stick. It also deals with the tragedy of blind patriotism, and the "what goes around, comes around" result of personal abuse of power in life. Then again, maybe they are both rooted in the same human swamp.
This is a well made production. I both enjoyed it and hated it. It describes humanity at it's very best, and it's very worst. It provides clear insight as to the base virtues(?) that men like Stalin used to consolodate their power.
Everyone should have this film in their collection. It makes a very powerful statement.
Movie Review: Watch it over and over
Summary: 5 Stars
I'm really into Russian literature and film and this one is pure cream. Perfect casting, spectacular cinematography, and a great story. This film is never boring and, for Americans, yields an incredible sense of Russian culture under Stalin; however, the tale is not at all limited to misery -- there is no shortage of light humor and very interesting day to day life experience here.
This film tells the story of a (very likeable) major Russian hero, (retired and living at an art camp of sorts), and his lovely family, and how the tide of his life turns as a direct result of Stalin's lunatic madness and paranoia. Now, I want to say up front that I usually hate smooshy script and there's none of that here, albeit, there's a basic underlying love story.
If you can at all tolerate English subtitles, don't miss this one -- it's just super and SO much better than cheesy Hollywood fluff!