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For interested in Russian/Soviet movies for the past century centered around War, I'd recommend this book:
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg...X0DER&v=glance
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg...X0DER&v=glance
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"This isn't Paris, you will not get through here with a Marching Parade!" Defenders of Stalingrad
"Man is the only animal that deals in that atrocity of atrocities, War. He is the only one that gathers his brethren about him and goes forth in cold blood and calm pulse to exterminate his kind. He is the only animal that for sordid wages will march out... and help to slaughter strangers of his own species who have done him no harm and with whom he has no quarrel.... And in the intervals between campaigns he washes the blood off his hands and works for "the universal brotherhood of man" - with his mouth". Mark Twain
"It is forbidden to kill; therefore all murderers are punished unless they kill in large numbers and to the sound of trumpets.” Voltaire -
I've seen all of these, the one I least liked was the first. Also, come and see, I didn't like at all. My favorite is Zvezda, which I'm surprised you didn't mentionOriginally posted by Andrey View Post
For those who asked about 9th company, I liked the movie, even though it isn't accurate."This isn't Paris, you will not get through here with a Marching Parade!" Defenders of Stalingrad
"Man is the only animal that deals in that atrocity of atrocities, War. He is the only one that gathers his brethren about him and goes forth in cold blood and calm pulse to exterminate his kind. He is the only animal that for sordid wages will march out... and help to slaughter strangers of his own species who have done him no harm and with whom he has no quarrel.... And in the intervals between campaigns he washes the blood off his hands and works for "the universal brotherhood of man" - with his mouth". Mark Twain
"It is forbidden to kill; therefore all murderers are punished unless they kill in large numbers and to the sound of trumpets.” VoltaireComment
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Well, I'd agree with everyone aside from your last comment when the soldier is trying to lead the Germans away. This is a type of sequence that you'll see in a few Russian movies, 9th Company included. They mount the camera on the gun toward the soldier and you see as he is running, stopping, turning around shooting and running backwards, etc. I thought it was very effective. This, as I've already written, is by far my favorite WWII movie. I'll also mention that I made my friends watch this and the girls criedOriginally posted by Col. Dyess View PostZvezda (2002) 7.5/10
There are two copies of Zvezda out. Mine is the one that says Russian Cinema Council Collection. The one that says not for sale in Russia.
The year is 1944. Seven young war scouts go behind the German lines, trying to locate the enemy defenses and report them to headquarters. The previous two groups of scouts never returned.
Warning: This review may contain spoilers!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Pro's
The movie is beautifully filmed, with many wonderful landscape shots and locations.
The cast act like soldiers, and think like soldiers.
The action scenes are very well done. (One goof I notice, after Bykov is stabbed in the mud fight, we briefly see the knife dropped to the side and the blade clean.)
The uniforms and weapons are very authentic.
The tanks, where o where did they find so many world war 2 era tanks.
The director is very creative in the way it is filmed.
The story is very believable and looks at a subject of war not often seen in movies realistically.
Con's
The love story.
When will movie makers learn that the love story 90% of the time ruins a good war movie.
Thankfully it is kept to a minimum, BUT most of it could easily have been cut.
The director has a brilliant mind that likes to experiment with the way a scene is shot. Most of the time his experiments work. But not all ways. Towards the end of the film, the scouts are being chased by the Germans and one of then (can't remember who at the moment) leads the Germans on away from the main group, sacrificing his life in the process. The scene is weirdly filmed in that it looks like the background was shot first and the actor was stuck in front of a screen, with the background playing.
Conclusion
While not a classic, Zvezda is an above average war film worth seeing!!!
P.S.
I forgot to mention that the music really set the mood of the film and was incredible!!!!!!.
Last edited by Kunikov; 01 Jun 07, 22:43."This isn't Paris, you will not get through here with a Marching Parade!" Defenders of Stalingrad
"Man is the only animal that deals in that atrocity of atrocities, War. He is the only one that gathers his brethren about him and goes forth in cold blood and calm pulse to exterminate his kind. He is the only animal that for sordid wages will march out... and help to slaughter strangers of his own species who have done him no harm and with whom he has no quarrel.... And in the intervals between campaigns he washes the blood off his hands and works for "the universal brotherhood of man" - with his mouth". Mark Twain
"It is forbidden to kill; therefore all murderers are punished unless they kill in large numbers and to the sound of trumpets.” VoltaireComment
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I'm downloading the movie right nowOriginally posted by Andrey View PostYesterday I saw new Russian movie "Posledniaia ispoved" ("The last confession"). It is a brand new Russian movie based on real events.
It is a remake of the Soviet movie "Molodaia Gvardiia" ("Young Guard") which was based on the novel with the same name by Alexander Fadeev.
There are some differences in the description of the events but the authors of the new version speak they used archival papers and not Fadeev's book (but I don't think the new movie shows 100% truth
).
1942. The Germans are moving towards Stalingrad. Soviet town of Krasnodon was occupied. A group of former graduates of Krasnodon's school organised underground organisation of "Molodaia Gvardiia" ("Young Guard"). Nobody ordered them to do it, they themselves did it. They were 15-18-years-old boys and girls. The movie (like the old Soviet version) describes the actions of that organization. It is not a fiction. The most of the names are real.
This new Russian movie is relatively good on the background of the stream of trash like "Leningrad", "Last armored train" and so on.
And Leningrad and "Last armored train" were horrible, from the first scenes I knew it was garbage, especially Leningrad. The story is so forced, they lack imagination.
Oh almost forgot to mention "Bitva za moskvu" I liked A LOT, definitely have to watch it again sometime soon. One of my favorite scenes, volunteer soldiers walking down the streets of Moscow singing, eventually they would be surrounded. Some scenes are badly acted/shot, but overall, I loved it.
Last edited by Kunikov; 01 Jun 07, 22:39."This isn't Paris, you will not get through here with a Marching Parade!" Defenders of Stalingrad
"Man is the only animal that deals in that atrocity of atrocities, War. He is the only one that gathers his brethren about him and goes forth in cold blood and calm pulse to exterminate his kind. He is the only animal that for sordid wages will march out... and help to slaughter strangers of his own species who have done him no harm and with whom he has no quarrel.... And in the intervals between campaigns he washes the blood off his hands and works for "the universal brotherhood of man" - with his mouth". Mark Twain
"It is forbidden to kill; therefore all murderers are punished unless they kill in large numbers and to the sound of trumpets.” VoltaireComment
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Excellent movie, I also enjoyed "Grozovye Vorota."Originally posted by Andrey View Post"This isn't Paris, you will not get through here with a Marching Parade!" Defenders of Stalingrad
"Man is the only animal that deals in that atrocity of atrocities, War. He is the only one that gathers his brethren about him and goes forth in cold blood and calm pulse to exterminate his kind. He is the only animal that for sordid wages will march out... and help to slaughter strangers of his own species who have done him no harm and with whom he has no quarrel.... And in the intervals between campaigns he washes the blood off his hands and works for "the universal brotherhood of man" - with his mouth". Mark Twain
"It is forbidden to kill; therefore all murderers are punished unless they kill in large numbers and to the sound of trumpets.” VoltaireComment
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External subtitles for Russian movies
I listed all pages of this topic and it looks like nobody here use external subtitles from http://subs.com.ru/list.php?c=engrusubtitles - It is much cheaper than ordering a DVD! :-) - You just download the external subtitle file(s) from http://subs.com.ru and avi-file(s) of the movie from http://film.arjlover.net/film/, save them in one folder (or burn in a CD/DVD) and enjoy!
But be aware that many DVD players do not allow changing of the font size (the subtitles can be too small for you). Also, many DVD players can show simultaneously only a fixed number of lines (usually 2-3).
So, the better way is to watch a movie using PC. Run the avi-file with your favourite software video player (e.g. Windows media player) and the subtitles should appear automatically (if VobSub or VSFilter/DirectVobSub plug-in was already/on default installed). You should also see a green arrow in the system tray; right click on it to change subtitles settings. In the case of problems, the easiest way is to install the latest version of K-Lite Codec pack (for Windows users): http://web.volftp.tiscali.it/pub/pc/...lcodec284f.exe ("yes" for deleting the previous version and old codecs, "profile 4" when selecting the components). Then open the avi-file using (Windows) Start->Programs->K-Lite Codec Pack->Media Player Classic. The font size, color, etc. can be adjusted later in Media Player Classic->View->Options->Subtitles or using the green arrow in the system tray (Text settings->Font).
Pls also note that http://film.arjlover.net/film/ allows downloading only between 04:00 and 10:10 Moscow time (for IPs detected as foreign).Comment
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1. Yes, Zvezda is an excellnt movie. It is very difficult to choose a few bast from a lot of bestOriginally posted by Kunikov View PostI've seen all of these, the one I least liked was the first. Also, come and see, I didn't like at all. My favorite is Zvezda, which I'm surprised you didn't mention
2. Also I want you to draw your attention on "Franz+Polina". I think it is the best of all the Russian movies about WWII made after the collapse of the USSR.Comment
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I heard about new russian film on Great "smuta" period. Any closer infos are welcome.- Your Highness, the enemy is so numerous... they outnumber your army.
- My friend, first I beat 'em then I'll count 'em
(Polish King Jan III Sobieski during his campaigns)
Historia Wojskowa Portal Historyczno-Wojskowy phw.org.plComment
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1612
This should be "1612" but it is not finished yet, I think. Some info is given here (in Russian): www.kino-teatr.ru/kino/news/11-27/. Slideshow: http://foto1612.mylivepage.ru/image/...slideshow=loadI heard about new russian film on Great "smuta" period. Any closer infos are welcome.
I hope, it will be a good movie, since they have a very good team (IMHO): Vladimir Hotinenko as director and Nikita Mikhalkov as producer. But we shall see...Comment
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When was it made? Is it available for download?Originally posted by Andrey View Post1. Yes, Zvezda is an excellnt movie. It is very difficult to choose a few bast from a lot of best
2. Also I want you to draw your attention on "Franz+Polina". I think it is the best of all the Russian movies about WWII made after the collapse of the USSR.
"This isn't Paris, you will not get through here with a Marching Parade!" Defenders of Stalingrad
"Man is the only animal that deals in that atrocity of atrocities, War. He is the only one that gathers his brethren about him and goes forth in cold blood and calm pulse to exterminate his kind. He is the only animal that for sordid wages will march out... and help to slaughter strangers of his own species who have done him no harm and with whom he has no quarrel.... And in the intervals between campaigns he washes the blood off his hands and works for "the universal brotherhood of man" - with his mouth". Mark Twain
"It is forbidden to kill; therefore all murderers are punished unless they kill in large numbers and to the sound of trumpets.” VoltaireComment
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Re: Franz + Polina
It has been released in 2006. Official web-page: http://www.franzipolina.ru To download, try to have a look in http://nk-team.net/films.html Maybe, they have it...Comment
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Thanks Vitaly for links.
Nice photos, but I saw, that Polish winged husars (husaria) had wrong wings on back.
Should be:
This ones below are typical for an end of XVII century:
But overal lookin seems good.- Your Highness, the enemy is so numerous... they outnumber your army.
- My friend, first I beat 'em then I'll count 'em
(Polish King Jan III Sobieski during his campaigns)
Historia Wojskowa Portal Historyczno-Wojskowy phw.org.plComment
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But this movie depicts the beginning of XVII century, not its end. So, the shape of the "wings" could be different that time (I am not a specialist in this field, it is just a suggestion).
BTW, why did they use these "wings". Just for appearance? Or it had some practical reason (better defence of the back)? On canvas, it looks beautifully but how it was in reality if the weather was rainy and muddy? :-)Comment
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Have you read this thread? We spoke about it a couple dozen messages before.Originally posted by Kunikov View PostWhen was it made? Is it available for download?Comment
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Yes and I wrote, that first three pict are from begining XVIIcentury. See that the wings are shorter than on last two (from the end of XVII cent.).
I started a new thread about husaria -> http://www.armchairgeneral.com/forum...046#post699046- Your Highness, the enemy is so numerous... they outnumber your army.
- My friend, first I beat 'em then I'll count 'em
(Polish King Jan III Sobieski during his campaigns)
Historia Wojskowa Portal Historyczno-Wojskowy phw.org.plComment
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