Prisoner of the Mountains
by Sergei Bodrov
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DVD Cover Information
Actor: Aleksandr Bureyev, Jemal Sikharulidze, Oleg Menshikov, Sergei Bodrov Jr., Susanna MekhraliyevaDirector: Sergei Bodrov
Brand: MGM (Video & DVD)
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Subtitled); Spanish (Subtitled); French (Subtitled); Russian (Original Language), Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround
Format: Anamorphic, Closed-captioned, Color, DVD, NTSC, Subtitled, Widescreen
Picture Format: 1.85:1
Running Time: 99 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2003-07-01
Audience Rating: R (Restricted)
Studio: MGM (Video & DVD)
Movie Reviews of Prisoner of the Mountains
Movie Review: Unforgettable Trip to the Caucasus
Summary: 5 Stars
The cover of this DVD has to be one of the most misleading advertisements ever. Suggesting an up-lifting action adventure, the film is in fact an almost delicate, supremely objective yet lyrical tale of two soldiers taken hostage in the Caucasian Mountains during war with Russia. A film gratifyingly more interested in character development than action sequences.
Bodrov Sr. seems not to want to impose any kind of style on his narrative, which made me rather suspicious watching it (was the director an auteur or just an amateur?!). As if not resisting the temptation to be flamboyant and maximize tension would have made the film better rather than just more obvious. Bodrov eschews tension, even when it would be justified.
Bodrov tells his story from several perspectives rather than privileging good over bad personages. You come away understanding what's at stake for everyone involved. When justice is meted out it seems both horrific and karmically motivated. In his objectivity Bodrov reminds me especially of Otto Preminger, well-known for his refusal to privilege anyone's perspective or to simplify ambiguities of character. Both in his mis-en-scene and camera style, Bodrov is very much a classicist: the elements of cinematic style take a back seat to the story being told.
The events unfold as seen from a distance. Against the desolate and serene beauty of the Caucasian mountains the actions of men appear miniscule; an element in the landscape destined to be submerged and forgotten in its vast, super-human dimension.
The camera seems to love Sergei Bodrov Jr. (the director's son), who calls attention to himself with his luminous eyes, awkwardly ample lips, and shy, buck-toothed grin. He's got real screen presence. Or had: he died in a land-slide about six years after this while directing his own film. His body was never found.
This is a very special film about a part of the world few people will ever get to experience first-hand. By all means take the journey.
MGM has for once managed to issue a film in an immaculate and detailed transfer. Kudos!
Summary of Prisoner of the Mountains
A stunning, emotionally charged indictment of war, this OscarĀ(r) nominee* for Best ForeignLanguage Film is at once 'thoughtful, moving (Roger Ebert), potent, engrossing (Variety),and unexpectedly affecting (The Wall Street Journal)! Two Russian soldiersa fresh recruit named Vanya and a hardened veteran named Sachaare taken hostage by Chechen guerillas after a deadly ambush leaves all of their comrades dead. Their captor, a battle-weary village elder,wants to use them as a bartering tool to get back his own son, held prisoner by the Russian army. But when the trade goes sour and all trust is broken, Vanya and Sacha realize their hours are numbered and attempt to escape before they're forced to join their comrades in death. *1996Similar DVD Movies
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