Kolya
by Jan Sverák
List Price:
Our Price: $5.91
You Save: $9.08 (61%)
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Category: DVD
See more DVD releases
Buy this DVD movie at online store in your country
Canada
Canada
DVD Cover Information
Actor: Andrei Chalimon, Libuse Safránková, Ondrej Vetchý, Stella Zázvorková, Zdenek SverákDirector: Jan Sverák
Brand: Buena Vista Home Video
Writer: Zdenek Sverák
Producer: Jan Sverák
Producer: Eric Abraham
Producer: Ernst Goldschmidt
Producer: Jan Jíra
Producer: Jirí Jezek
Writer: Pavel Taussig
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Subtitled); Czech (Original Language)
Format: Closed-captioned, Color, DVD, NTSC, Subtitled, Widescreen
Picture Format: 1.66:1
Running Time: 105 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2002-07-02
Audience Rating: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Studio: Miramax
Movie Reviews of Kolya
Movie Review: KOYLA: Winner of the1997 Oscar and Golden Globe for Best Foreign Language Film
Summary: 5 Stars
And, I might add, this magnificent Czech film deserved to win these coveted awards.
I have recently been fortunate to have had the opportunity to see some brilliant Foreign Language Films and KOYLA is one of the best. When it was over, I just sat there not wanting to leave this beautiful little boy and the man who opened his heart to this child. So, I watched the extras and it made me love this movie even more after seeing the commentary. Zdenek Sverak, the handsome lead character in Koyla also wrote the story. It took him over a year because he put so much into it. Sometimes he would have to put it away for a couple of months because it was too heart wrenching. In my estimation, Sverak is a genius--what a compelling, beautiful and evocative story. And, his screen presence was amazing. A true family affair, Sverak's son, Jan, is the director.
After a search spanning several countries, an unknown child, five-year-old Andrej Chalimon was found in Moscow. This little boy is so gifted and so natural, he took my breath away and melted my heart. The fetching Libuse Safrankova stars as Klara, the singer with the operatic voice who also ends up stealing Louka's (Sverak) heart.
The story takes place in 1988 when Russia and communism is still destroying the country but is beginning to fade. Louka, a gifted musician (viola) has been fired from the famed Czechoslovakian Philharmonic Orchestra for merely giving a sarcastic response to a Russian interrogator. With his small income from playing at funerals/crematoriums and refurbishing grave headstones, The 55 year-old Louka falls deeper and deeper into debt. He must support himself and his mother who lives in another town and who has a flat that is quite expensive to keep up. His best friend talks him into marrying a young woman from Russia (who needs a Czech citizenship) for a large sum of money. Eventually this confirmed bachelor apprehensively agrees although ends up regretting it when she immediately absconds to West Germany to be with her lover. Alas, she leaves behind the most adorable child I have ever seen on film. The story does have some twists and turns and all but the hardest of hearts will shed a tear.
I loved this movie very, very much. It is a heart-warming, moving, and captivating tale that I will never forget. I plan to buy this film so I can share it with my friends and family. Oh--and I almost forgot to mention the music. Wow, it was fabulous and it enhanced an awesome picture.
Summary of Kolya
KOLYA - DVD MovieWinner of the 1997 Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film, this charming Czech drama uses the backdrop of the Russian military occupation in Prague for its funny, sad, and ultimately delightful story of a 55-year-old man's friendship with a 5-year-old boy. It doesn't exactly start out as friendship: Louka is a cellist who lost his symphony job after writing a sarcastic remark on an official form, and although he's struggling financially he still enjoys the company of several young women who find him irresistibly sexy. The last thing he needs is a surrogate child, but that's what he gets when young Kolya is abandoned by his mother, a Russian woman Louka had agreed to marry so she could avoid being sent back to Russia. The mother runs off to her boyfriend in Germany, leaving Louka with a 5-year-old kid who only speaks Russian! As directed by Jan Sverák (whose father, Zdenek Sverák, plays Louka), this predicament offers a lovingly detailed account of how Louka and Kolya discover each other, and how their mutual awkwardness evolves into a heartwarming father-son relationship. While the Russian presence creates an atmosphere of suspicion and restriction, the deepening connection between Louka and Kolya turns this into an unforgettable film, beautifully photographed, sensitively performed, and directed with just the right combination of subtle sentiment and harsh reality. Its Oscar was definitely well deserved. --Jeff Shannon
Similar DVD Movies
12Sony; Release date: 2009-07-14; DVD
Best price: $6.29
Price in other shops:
The Lives of OthersSONY PICTURES HOME ENT; Release date: 2007-08-21; Published: 2007-08-01; DVD
Best price: $7.00
Price in other shops:
After the WeddingGenius; Release date: 2007-07-10; DVD
Best price: $2.30
Price in other shops:
I Served the King of EnglandSony; Release date: 2009-02-17; DVD
Best price: $3.49
Price in other shops:
Gloomy SundayWarner Brothers; Release date: 2006-09-12; DVD
Best price: $2.90
Price in other shops:
The CuckooRelease date: 2003-12-02; DVD
Best price: $7.94
Price in other shops:
ZelarySony; Release date: 2005-02-08; DVD
Best price: $8.99
Price in other shops:
Burnt by the SunRelease date: 2003-07-15; DVD
Best price: $10.99
Price in other shops:
Divided We FallPOLIVKA,BOLEK; Release date: 2001-11-27; DVD
Best price: $6.99
Price in other shops:
Autumn SpringFirst Look Pictures; Release date: 2003-12-02; DVD
Best price: $4.78
Price in other shops: