tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-206989742011-11-02T02:23:12.287Znotes on films from socialist countries.markhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11117495318709256260noreply@blogger.comBlogger721100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20698974.post-58518372251602534242008-01-15T23:56:00.000Z2011-10-06T11:46:10.771+01:00

ReconstituireaDirector: L. PintilieCinematographer: S. HuzumA very thinly veiled piece of powerful social criticism, this film seems to be a metaphor for socialist Romania as a sort of theatrical production, mirroring comments made by some Romanians in Ben Lewis's documentary, in which one of them claims that all Romanians were actors, putting on a performance for Ceauşescu. Formally speaking,

markhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11117495318709256260noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20698974.post-62617059083967220812008-01-15T01:57:00.000Z2011-10-06T11:47:11.453+01:00

Цогт тайжDirector: T. KhurleeCinematographers: D. Jigjid, B. DemberelThis film revolves around Choghtu Khong Tayiji, a 17th century Mongolian prince who waged a campaign against Tibetan forces. Much like Michael the Brave, the film depicts a mediaeval hero fighting against foreign invaders, with a nationalist vision, in this case the vision of a 'united and sovereign' Mongolia. Both in theme

markhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11117495318709256260noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20698974.post-65570801578582664662008-01-08T00:35:00.000Z2011-10-06T11:47:54.538+01:00

홍길동Director: K. KimCinematographer: H. JonA martial arts film in the style of similar films from Hong Kong, this movie tells the story of Hong Kil Dong, a legendary 15th century Korean Robin Hood figure. It is a mildly entertaining action film with an anti-feudal message.There are two comments on IMDB about this film which are interesting. One is from a Bulgarian user who says that this film

markhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11117495318709256260noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20698974.post-60206172401713846802008-01-06T23:34:00.000Z2011-10-06T11:49:51.934+01:00

Skupljači perjaDirector: A. PetrovićCinematographer: T. Pinter This film depicts, in a frank, mostly realist, and only slightly romantic way, the life and problems of Roma people living at the margins of Yugoslav society, in Vojvodina, Serbia. It is a piece of serious social criticism which was apparently well-received at the time, and manages to depict a stark situation in which seemingly

markhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11117495318709256260noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20698974.post-19124988086187093862008-01-05T16:23:00.000Z2011-10-06T11:51:00.291+01:00

CaravanaDirector: R. París Cinematographer: J. RodríguezMade toward the end of the Cuban engagement in Angola, this is a relatively straightforward and action-orientated war movie. It seems to be intended to allow a Cuban audience comprising veterans and their family and friends to remember some of the hardships of the war, and the honourable purpose for which it was fought.That does not mean

markhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11117495318709256260noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20698974.post-3531505029701245162008-01-01T23:14:00.000Z2011-10-06T11:49:51.930+01:00

WR - Misterije organizmaDirector: D. MakavejevCinematographers: A. Petkovic, P. Popovic Not released in Yugoslavia until 1988, this film is a 'personal response' to the theories of Wilhelm Reich, interspersing documentary footage shot in the USA with narrative footage shot in Yugoslavia. While it makes use of a wide range of evocative and sexually explicit symbolism, it seems to be putting

markhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11117495318709256260noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20698974.post-47688148416139766222007-12-06T19:39:00.001Z2011-10-06T11:47:54.532+01:00

내고향의처녀들Director: Pak S.Like part of Mauricio's Diary, this film takes place at a time when 20th century socialism was coming to an end all over the world. But unlike that film and other Cuban attempts to come to grips with the dilemmas of the 1990s, this film is more like Breaking With Old Ideas in that it makes the choice between good and evil crystal clear: a dignified life sacrificing for

markhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11117495318709256260noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20698974.post-42260878361145381392007-12-06T02:54:00.000Z2011-10-06T11:51:29.484+01:00

决裂Director: Li W.Cinematographer: Cheng L.Set in 1958 during the Great Leap Forward, but made at the very end of the Cultural Revolution, this film sets out the justification for the Cultural Revolution by telling the story of a project to set up a college, and how that project is divided between two camps--the revisionists and the Maoists. While the visual style is not exactly socialist realism

markhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11117495318709256260noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20698974.post-89919701163969843092007-12-01T21:52:00.000Z2011-10-06T11:49:03.848+01:00

АгонияDirector: E. KlimovCinematographer: L. KalashnikovCompleted in 1975 but not shown publicly until 1981, this film chronicles the last days of the court of the tsar, revolving around Rasputin. Presumably the reason it was not released at first is the same reason why it is such a brilliant film. That is, it gives a complex and subtle treatment to the pre-revolutionary era and the psychology

markhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11117495318709256260noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20698974.post-8875398125438719352007-12-01T00:48:00.000Z2011-10-06T11:50:50.022+01:00

Páginas del diario de MauricioDirector: M. PérezCinematographer: R. RodríguezLike Barrio Cuba, this is a recent film dealing with the broad sweep of the Special Period; but the two films are very different. If Barrio Cuba focussed on the problems of the generation of young adults, and their relationships with older and younger generations, this film focusses primarily on the older generation--

markhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11117495318709256260noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20698974.post-7882408840344568612007-11-27T12:10:00.000Z2011-10-06T11:50:50.020+01:00

La Edad de la PesetaDirector: P. GiroudCinematographer: L. NajmiasA beautiful, playful film told from the perspective of a middle class ten year old boy in the Havana of 1958. Because of its aesthetic and possibly nostalgic value, it can be seen as a simple, pleasing film; but it also seems to be an interesting treatment of the issues surrounding the division of the population following the

markhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11117495318709256260noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20698974.post-57040405770464082702007-11-25T16:14:00.000Z2011-10-06T11:47:54.535+01:00

불가사리Director: S. ShinCinematographer: M. Cho Yes, it is a giant monster film from the DPRK. According to the director, from the ROK, it was made under duress after he was kidnapped for the purpose of making films. One might expect this film to be nothing more than a curiosity, but it is interesting to watch.Some have accused Pulgasari of being a Godzilla rip-off, but it seems clear that it is

markhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11117495318709256260noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20698974.post-53222349295803778792007-11-24T18:51:00.000Z2011-10-06T11:52:03.470+01:00

Mihai ViteazulDirector: S. NicolaescuCinematographer: G. Cornea This film tells the story of the eponymous 16th century national hero, raised to a mythical status during the rise of nationalism in the 19th century as the first prince to have united the territory of Romania. Like War and Peace, it is a long and epic film with several large scale battle scenes; but this is a much more superficial

markhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11117495318709256260noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20698974.post-68823356660286885502007-11-19T10:01:00.000Z2011-10-06T11:50:50.017+01:00

Barrio CubaDirector: H. SolásCinematographer: C. SolísA film about the height of the Special Period made toward the end of the period. On the surface this film is a simple interweaving of several disconnected fables; but it can pretty clearly be read as a metaphor for the ordeal of the entire Cuban people during the 1990s, and in particular of the middle generation who came of age in the 1980s,

markhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11117495318709256260noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20698974.post-2922606685785621292007-05-28T15:54:00.000+01:002011-10-06T11:49:51.926+01:00

Otac na službenom putuDirector: E. KusturicaCinematographer: V. Filac This film looks at the coming-to-be of Yugoslavia as a separate socialist country, and the absurdities of the political upheaval of the split from the Cominform countries, as seen from the viewpoint of a child. Like Interrogation, this is a look back from the 1980s at the upheavals and paranoia of the immediate post-war period

markhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11117495318709256260noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20698974.post-60712414327206655002007-05-13T23:50:00.000+01:002011-10-06T11:49:03.811+01:00

Поручик КижеDirector: A. FainzimmerCinematographer: A. Koltsaty As in The Gadfly, Fainzimmer here adapts to film a historical novel set in the 19th century. The novel in question is the 1927 work by Yury Tynyanov. The film is a highly stylised satire of tsar Pavel I, with a similar sense to the fable of 'the emperor's new clothes'.The main point of the film seems to be to ridicule the absurd

markhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11117495318709256260noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20698974.post-41491964747837876712007-04-28T23:47:00.000+01:002011-10-06T11:49:03.794+01:00

Преступление и наказаниеDirector: L. KulidzhanovCinematographer: V. ShumskyAn adaptation of Dostoevsky's novel by the man who was the first secretary of the Union of Filmmakers of the USSR, this film is excellent and deeply effective in both form and content.The visual style can be more or less summed up in one word: chiaroscuro. The film makes heavy use of deep and complicated contrasts,

markhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11117495318709256260noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20698974.post-46808909728631266052007-04-14T18:38:00.000+01:002011-10-06T11:52:59.368+01:00

ИгрокDirector: A. BatalovCinematographer: D. MeskhiyevThis co-production is another film based on a Dostoevsky novel. Unlike the two I have thus far seen by Pyriev--The Idiot and The Brothers Karamazov--this film is cinematographically artful, and goes beyond a simple acting out of the original, thus earning the title of an adaptation.Like Pyriev, the director, Aleksey Batalov, was primarily an

markhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11117495318709256260noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20698974.post-83318223193221006592007-04-09T17:03:00.000+01:002011-10-06T11:54:28.672+01:00

SzabadgyalogDirector: B. TarrCinematographers: B. Mihók, F. PapContinuing in the naturalistic style of Family Nest, this film focusses on the existence of young people who have not found a place for themselves in mainstream society, but rather are discontent and unable to work out what to do about it.In contrast to Family Nest, this film uses perhaps a wider variety of cinematographic techniques.

markhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11117495318709256260noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20698974.post-84816111744799040862007-04-07T18:00:00.000+01:002011-10-06T11:49:03.841+01:00

ИдиотDirector: I. PyrievCinematographer: V. PavlovMade ten years before Pyriev's The Brothers Karamazov, this film is also based on the eponymous Dostoevsky novel, and invites obvious comparison with the later film. It is visually in a very different style, and cinematographically slightly better, but the two have much in common.The first clear point of comparison is the visual style. This film

markhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11117495318709256260noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20698974.post-81655902714165014372007-03-31T20:29:00.000+01:002011-10-06T11:49:03.835+01:00

Братья КарамазовыDirectors: I. Pyriev, K. Lavrov, M. UlyanovCinematographer: S. VronskyBased on Dostoevsky's novel of the same name, this is a dense, dialogue-filled film without much apparent voice from the directors. Unlike Bondarchuk's War and Peace, released in the same year, this film does not seem to make very successful use of the medium of film in translation from the novel. Instead, it

markhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11117495318709256260noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20698974.post-33001407691510552972007-02-25T10:46:00.000Z2011-10-06T11:55:52.096+01:00

EolomeaDirector: H. ZschocheCinematographer: G. JaeutheA utopian exploration of human values, this is the third science fiction film made in the GDR. According to the head of special effects, it was influenced by Kubrick's '2001: A Space Odyssey'; but while the special effects may have been more sophisticated than previous DEFA efforts, the quality of directing unfortunately leaves something to

markhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11117495318709256260noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20698974.post-6026059901118874742007-01-31T18:22:00.000Z2011-10-06T11:51:29.487+01:00

战斗里成長Directors: Yan J., Sun M.Cinematographer: Jiang S.Taking place in the period of the revolutionary war, this film tells the story of a young peasant boy and his motivations for joining the PLA's Eighth Route Army. Stylistically it is a mixed bag, but not particularly innovative. In its plot and content it shares some similarities with I Am Cuba and The Brigadista, but there are also some

markhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11117495318709256260noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20698974.post-2120370049984892972007-01-29T00:44:00.000Z2011-10-06T11:49:03.776+01:00

Война и мирDirector: S. BondarchukCinematographers: A. Petritsky, A. Shelenkov This adaptation of Tolstoy's novel is not only huge in length, but also in depth and breadth of its subject matter and style. Given the material of the novel, it would presumably have been possible to create a stylistically uninteresting vehicle for the book; but instead, Bondarchuk creates a film worthy of the book

markhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11117495318709256260noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20698974.post-83698287305528821872006-12-11T14:44:00.000Z2011-10-06T11:55:52.103+01:00

Die ArchitektenDirector: P. KahaneCinematographers: A. Köfer, C. ProchnowFilmed during the end of 1989, at the time the Berlin Wall was being opened, this is, like No End, a film with a distinct sense of being about a world that is about to come to an end. Like A Nameless Band, it is also a film about the perils of compromising one's principles; but unlike in that film, the principles being

markhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11117495318709256260noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20698974.post-2344007793517406782006-12-10T18:07:00.000Z2011-10-06T11:49:03.787+01:00

ОводDirectors: A. Fainzimmer, I. ShapiroCinematographer: A. MoskvinBased on the novel of the same name, which was hugely popular in the USSR and China, this film tells the story of an Italian patriot rebel in the mid-19th century. It is a highly romantic plot, and the style of the film is carried off in the understated but competent way characteristic of the later Moskvin.The story is mainly

markhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11117495318709256260noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20698974.post-67419235687856670172006-12-09T22:38:00.000Z2011-10-06T11:55:52.100+01:00

Berlin - Ecke SchönhauserDirector: G. KleinCinematographer: W. GötheLike Born in '45 and Black Peter, this is a socially critical film about the post-war generation and its alienation from the demands and ideals of the older generation; but unlike those films, it is explicitly a film about not just alienation but social deviance and crime, as well as direct engagement with the conflict with the

markhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11117495318709256260noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20698974.post-1165097994352067652006-12-02T21:52:00.000Z2011-10-06T11:50:50.011+01:00

Fresa y chocolateDirectors: T. Alea, J. TabíoCinematographer: M. Joya This is a brilliant, socially fascinating drama, famously focussing on the role of homosexuality in Cuban society, as well as art, censorship, closed-mindedness, machismo, and democratic centralism. It is, like the later film 'Waiting List', and indeed like much of the tradition of ICAIC, a highly critical film which is

markhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11117495318709256260noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20698974.post-1165014266718074222006-12-01T22:23:00.000Z2011-10-06T11:55:52.093+01:00

Jahrgang '45Director: J. BöttcherCinematographer: R. GräfMade in 1965-66 and not released until 1990, this is an excellent film about the post-war generation and its difference in values from the older generation, as well as its lack of clear direction and purpose.In that sense it is often highly reminiscent of Forman's Black Peter; both films involve a similar theme of intergenerational

markhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11117495318709256260noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20698974.post-1164665338657554292006-11-27T21:36:00.000Z2011-10-06T11:55:52.089+01:00

Der Fall GleiwitzDirector: G. KleinCinematographer: J. ČuříkDirectly inspired by Vláčil and Čuřík's The White Dove, this film tells the story of the staged attack on the Gleiwitz radio station that was used as a pretence for the fascist invasion of Poland. Klein recruited Čuřík for the cinematography after seeing The White Dove, and therefore while the cinematography is quite different to that

markhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11117495318709256260noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20698974.post-1164576722264637582006-11-26T20:32:00.000Z2011-10-06T11:49:03.767+01:00

Незабываемый 1919 годDirector: M. ChiaureliCinematographers: L. Kosmatov, V. NikolayevAn incredible piece of Chiaureli's work as (according to the BFI Companion) one of the principal cinematic architects of the Stalin cult of personality. The film, like Love and Hate, takes place in 1919 and tells a civil war story; but unlike that movie, this one is focussed clearly on a particular leading

markhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11117495318709256260noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20698974.post-1164327070332606152006-11-23T23:39:00.000Z2011-10-06T11:49:03.757+01:00

Баллада о солдатеDirector: G. ChukhraiCinematographers: V. Nikolayev, E. Savelyeva Another Soviet film about the anti-fascist war, again with most of the film taking place far away from the battlefield, this is a stylistically good movie with a somewhat syrupy but nevertheless emotional plot. It won the Lenin prize in 1961, and according to Cunningham, it inspired the Hungarian New Wave, and was

markhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11117495318709256260noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20698974.post-1163968292327493862006-11-19T20:00:00.000Z2011-10-06T11:49:03.751+01:00

ПироговDirector: G. KozintsevCinematographers: A. Moskvin, A. NazarovKozintsev's first film without Trauberg, this is a biopic of the legendary Russian doctor N.I. Pirogov. The plot and dialogue are delivered theatrically, with a focus on the story to be told, the cinematography is not at all formulaic and at times rather strong, and the whole thing is underscored by an understated but at times

markhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11117495318709256260noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20698974.post-1163765285593094532006-11-17T11:29:00.000Z2011-10-06T11:54:28.669+01:00

John Cunningham's Hungarian Cinema: From Coffee House to Multiplex is a broad introduction to the history of Hungarian cinema, from its beginnings at the turn of the 20th century through socialism and the restoration of capitalism in the 1990s. This is a short text, much shorter than, say, Chanan's Cuban Cinema, although it covers a much longer period of time; it is therefore necessarily an

markhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11117495318709256260noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20698974.post-1163270423105348122006-11-11T17:53:00.000Z2011-10-06T11:52:59.366+01:00

Spalovač mrtvolDirector: J. HerzCinematographer: S. MilotaHerz, himself a survivor of Auschwitz, here has created a psychological treatment of aspects of the holocaust through a study of individual delusion in the form of a black comedy. Formally a sublimely disturbing use of montage, the film successfully elaborates a small piece of what might have enabled the holocaust to happen, though in the

markhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11117495318709256260noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20698974.post-1163201630705983262006-11-10T22:49:00.000Z2011-10-06T11:49:03.743+01:00

Александр НевскийDirectors: S. Eisenstein, D. VasilyevCinematographer: E. Tissé Eisenstein's first sound film, this is a markedly more Hollywood-style film than his earlier ones; this makes it of less intrinsic artistic interest than his earlier films, though of course its content and message remain of interest as an aspect of the build-up to the war.The film of course tells the mythologised

markhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11117495318709256260noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20698974.post-1163113583178970112006-11-09T22:28:00.000Z2011-10-06T11:49:03.733+01:00

Новый ВавилонDirectors: G. Kozintsev, L. TraubergCinematographer: A. MoskvinThis brilliant silent film, which tells the story of the Paris Commune of 1871, is an innovative, enthralling piece of work, closely integrated with the score by Shostakovich and demonstrating a cinematographic style which has all the multi-sidedness of the early Eisenstein but with a less frenetic composition.In

markhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11117495318709256260noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20698974.post-1162825349318831082006-11-06T14:38:00.000Z2011-10-06T11:49:03.726+01:00

Простые людиDirectors: G. Kozintsev, L. TraubergCinematographers: A. Moskvin, A. NazarovNot shown until 1956, this is a dark film about construction of an aircraft factory in the Uzbek SSR during the war. It is stylistically sophisticated for the time and although in the end it carries a typical message of post-war hope, much of the film is spent dwelling on the tragedy that has befallen the

markhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11117495318709256260noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20698974.post-1162654065256009762006-11-04T14:54:00.000Z2011-10-06T11:56:14.938+01:00

Оркестър без имеDirector: L. KirkovCinematographers: V. Chichov, G. TrenevA film with a strong moral message about the importance of friendship, loyalty, principled action and the rejection of corruption, told through the story of a group of young aspiring pop musicians. The film is loaded with cultural subtext about an apparent inferiority complex with respect to other countries, corruption of

markhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11117495318709256260noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20698974.post-1162166629650696612006-10-29T23:11:00.000Z2011-10-06T11:49:03.720+01:00

ЗояDirector: L. ArnshtamCinematographer: A. ShelenkovLike Arnshtam's earlier The Girlfriends, this is a film about a female war heroine; but it is made in a different time and for a different purpose, and probably has more in common in social role with Kalatozov and Urusevsky's The Cranes Are Flying. That is, made at the close of the Great Patriotic War, the film depicts the tragedy of a soldier

markhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11117495318709256260noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20698974.post-1161542624729854942006-10-22T19:11:00.000+01:002011-10-06T11:49:03.713+01:00

ПодругиDirector: L. ArnshtamCinematographers: V. Rapoport, A. ShafranLike Love and Hate, this is a film about revolutionary women in the civil war, apparently intended to inspire a new generation of young women to participate in the revolutionary process. Stylistically, it is more polished than earlier films of the 1930s, but it also has many more hints of Hollywood. Nevertheless, the social

markhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11117495318709256260noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20698974.post-1161521355137955882006-10-22T13:27:00.000+01:002011-10-06T11:50:50.007+01:00

Michael Chanan's Cuban Cinema is a thorough and balanced history of Cuban cinema, from its infancy before the revolution through the foundation of ICAIC and its four decades of existence, right up to the year 2000. It is apparently the only complete history of Cuban cinema in the English language, and additionally it cites a variety of Spanish-language Cuban sources, and is therefore a vital

markhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11117495318709256260noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20698974.post-1160332287806441412006-10-08T18:45:00.000+01:002011-10-06T11:49:03.706+01:00

Любовь и ненавистьDirectors: A. Gendelshtein, P. KolomytsevCinematographer: V. ProninThis film tells the story of a village in the Russian civil war in which the men have all left for the front and it falls upon the women to organise themselves to work and fight for the revolution. Like Lucía, this film is clearly intended to drive home the message that women played a crucial role in the

markhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11117495318709256260noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20698974.post-1160267376822789852006-10-08T01:24:00.000+01:002011-10-06T11:54:28.666+01:00

Húsz óraDirector: Z. FábriCinematographer: G. IllésThis is a fascinating, thought-provoking film which may be invaluable to anyone interested in the complexities of socialist Hungary. It takes the form of the (fictional) study of a single Hungarian village through interviews by a reporter, but the village is clearly an allegory for Hungary as a whole and the process through which the country

markhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11117495318709256260noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20698974.post-1160266898081877412006-10-08T00:37:00.000+01:002011-10-06T11:54:28.662+01:00

SzegénylegényekDirector: M. JancsóCinematographer: T. SomlóA painful minimalist drama set on the plains of 19th century Hungary, telling a simple story of betrayal in times of desperation. This film, depicting as it does the manipulation of a group of failed revolutionaries into betraying each other for their own sake, has been read as alluding to Hungary post-1956, presumably with reference to

markhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11117495318709256260noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20698974.post-1159728059533531302006-10-01T18:51:00.000+01:002011-10-06T11:49:03.699+01:00

Златые ГорыDirector: S. YutkevichCinematographers: I. Martov, V. RapoportLike Counterplan, this is an early Soviet sound movie made during the period of the first five year plan, also directed by Yutkevich with cinematography by Martov and Rapoport. And while this film is set before the revolution, it is nevertheless clearly a film intended to be thematically relevant to the industrialisation

markhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11117495318709256260noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20698974.post-1159011035855344192006-09-23T12:26:00.000+01:002011-10-06T11:49:03.693+01:00

ВстречныйDirectors: S. Yutkevich, F. ErmlerCinematographers: A. Gintsburg, I. Martov, V. RapoportThis early Soviet sound film is a depiction of some of the problems, psychological and social, of the rapid industrialisation during the first five year plan. While it is clearly intended to serve a didactic purpose, it is technically and psychologically sensitive and successfully merges sound with

markhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11117495318709256260noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20698974.post-1156633033656821602006-08-26T23:20:00.000+01:002011-10-06T11:49:03.684+01:00

СталкерDirector: A. TarkovskyCinematographer: A. Knyazhinsky A thought-provoking exploration of the human condition, desire, hope, and belief, among other things. This film is both an aesthetic masterpiece and an example of what film can do to change our understanding of ourselves.It seems there are a great deal of interpretations of this film, and I do not claim to have the single best

markhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11117495318709256260noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20698974.post-1156378341822256692006-08-24T00:13:00.000+01:002011-10-06T11:52:59.363+01:00

Ostře sledované vlakyDirector: J. MenzelCinematographer: J. Šofr Of all of the Czechoslovakian New Wave films I have seen so far, this one stands out as a deft use of form for psychological purposes. In fact, both The White Dove and The Ear were films that exploited form for psychological exploration; but this film distinguishes itself both by its Freudian psychological flavour and by its formal

markhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11117495318709256260noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20698974.post-1156110196006326552006-08-20T22:21:00.000+01:002011-10-06T11:50:50.004+01:00

LucíaDirector: H. SolasCinematographer: J. HerreroA classic Cuban movie which, although long, bears watching more than once for a full appreciation. A combination of a sophisticated depiction of female roles in Cuban history with interesting and varied cinematography holds interest although the film is longer than average.The film is divided into three parts, depicting the stories of three Cuban

markhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11117495318709256260noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20698974.post-1156033225010858522006-08-20T01:00:00.000+01:002011-10-06T11:56:43.933+01:00

Nóż w wodzieDirector: R. PolańskiCinematographer: J. Lipman This simple drama, which according to Wajda marked the end of socialist realism in Poland and thereby opened up the doors for great Polish films, has been highly rated by many but to me it does not seem particularly interesting.The strong point of the film is its subtlety and tension. There is a continual feeling of discomfort and

markhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11117495318709256260noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20698974.post-1155939611383968962006-08-18T22:52:00.000+01:002011-10-06T11:56:43.930+01:00

Krótki film o miłościDirector: K. KieślowskiCinematographer: W. Adamek One of Kieślowski's last films under socialism, this continues his slide out of the social and into the aesthetic and abstractly psychological. While it is not as strong a film as his earlier ones in my opinion, it is strong as a study of love, abstracted away from all of the things that usually come along with love, like

markhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11117495318709256260noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20698974.post-1155682515785713762006-08-15T23:36:00.000+01:002011-10-06T11:57:20.302+01:00

Jonathan Buchsbaum's Cinema and the Sandinistas: Filmmaking in Revolutionary Nicaragua tells the story of the short-lived Nicaraguan film industry, run by the Nicaraguan Institute of Cinema, INCINE. By virtue of being the only book out there on this topic, it is an important reference work for anyone interested in the Nicaraguan revolution and Nicaraguan cinema.At times the book appears a bit

markhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11117495318709256260noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20698974.post-1151923942265955552006-07-03T11:28:00.000+01:002011-10-06T11:50:50.001+01:00

Soy Cuba/Я КубаDirector: M. KalatozovCinematographer: S. Urusevsky This is still by far the best film from anywhere in the world I have seen yet. Kalatozov and Urusevsky's earlier work, including the far more famous The Cranes Are Flying, pales in comparison to I Am Cuba, a film which took three years to make at a time when average production time of feature films was six weeks. This movie is

markhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11117495318709256260noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20698974.post-1151491392844455082006-06-28T11:15:00.000+01:002011-10-06T11:56:14.934+01:00

Крадецът на ПрасковиDirector: V. RadevCinematographer: T. Stoyanov A tight, stylistically strong film depicting a love story between a Serb POW and a Bulgarian commandant's wife in the last months of the First World War. This is Radev's first film as director, and is one of the early great examples of Bulgarian poetic realism.Like the other Bulgarian poetic realist films, it is clearly

markhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11117495318709256260noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20698974.post-1151320547302034492006-06-26T11:50:00.000+01:002011-10-06T11:56:43.927+01:00

Bez KońcaDirector: K. KieślowskiCinematographer: J. PetryckiKieślowski's darkest film from the socialist period, No End foreshadows 'Three Colours: Blue' in many respects, but this is a more political film. The protagonist is mainly attempting to cope with the death of her husband, trying to touch him and communicate with him again, while the film follows the story of a jailed striker during

markhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11117495318709256260noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20698974.post-1151191852995109022006-06-24T23:51:00.000+01:002011-10-06T11:57:20.298+01:00

Alsino y el CóndorDirector: M. LittínCinematographers: J. Herrera, P. MartínezThis is the first full length fictional film made in Nicaragua during the socialist period. It was a co-production of INCINE--the new Nicaraguan film institute--and ICAIC, and it was directed by a Chilean, with a cast from a smattering of Latin American countries. In other words, while it takes place in Nicaragua and

markhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11117495318709256260noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20698974.post-1151082131152443642006-06-23T17:42:00.000+01:002011-10-06T11:52:59.360+01:00

Intimní OsvětleníDirector: I. PasserCinematographers: M. Ondříček, J. StřechaThis film, Passer's only feature film made within socialism, is a pleasant and interesting blend of realist depiction of everyday life and light and enchanting humour. It is basically the story of a musician spending a weekend in the countryside with a friend (also a musician) and his family; but it is really not much

markhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11117495318709256260noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20698974.post-1148749227654515302006-05-27T17:37:00.000+01:002011-10-06T11:56:43.924+01:00

PrzesłuchanieDirector: R. BugajskiCinematographer: J. PetryckiLike The Ear, Interrogation is a film about the Stalin era (Bierut in Poland) that was not released until 1989, probably because it too contained some measure of allegory about the contemporary situation in Poland. Here is the Inquisition spoken of in Blind Chance: an irrational machine for extracting useless confessions in the name

markhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11117495318709256260noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20698974.post-1147646355784602632006-05-14T23:03:00.000+01:002011-10-06T11:52:59.358+01:00

UchoDirector: K. KachyňaCinematographer: J. Illík A well-structured movie about a bureaucrat on the receiving end of paranoia and Stalin-era political manoeuvring, made in 1970 and not released until 1989, probably because it was meant as an allegory for the situation under the Warsaw Pact occupation post-1968. The film employs a mix of styles as appropriate but keeps these tightly woven

markhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11117495318709256260noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20698974.post-1146338848830871182006-04-29T20:09:00.000+01:002011-10-06T11:52:59.355+01:00

Černý PetrDirector: M. FormanCinematographer: J. NěmečekA fairly superficial comedy about generational conflict and life as a teenager in 1960s Czechoslovakia. It is mainly of interest because of its depiction of the troubles facing a teenager that seem to parallel those in common depictions of teenage life in the West in the 1960s.As in Family Nest, the film is punctuated by scenes of

markhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11117495318709256260noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20698974.post-1146080814231454662006-04-26T20:20:00.000+01:002011-10-06T11:56:43.921+01:00

PrzypadekDirector: K. KieślowskiCinematographer: K. Pakulski Even with this film, an intense depiction of the beginning of the end for socialist Poland, Kieślowski shows his ability to stand back from the situation and give people credit rather than demonising them. Here we have the most openly anti-socialist film of Kieślowski's, and yet what it seems to set out to show is that the difference

markhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11117495318709256260noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20698974.post-1145034579493636982006-04-14T17:51:00.000+01:002011-10-06T11:49:03.665+01:00

СтачкаDirector: S. EisensteinCinematographer: E. Tissé This is the first I've seen of Eisenstein's early films, and it marks an incredible contrast with his later films with sound. While Aleksander Nevsky and Ivan Grozny are polished and their stylistic innovation subtle, Strike is rough, raw, and full of demanding visual composition and playful manoeuvres. I wonder whether the highly

markhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11117495318709256260noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20698974.post-1143994429745886022006-04-02T16:49:00.000+01:002011-10-06T11:49:03.656+01:00

ЗеркалоDirector: A. TarkovskyCinematographer: G. Rerberg A moving and extremely well made movie depicting what seems to be the collective unconscious of the Soviet people, the life story of Tarkovsky's own generation as its subconscious would tell it.This film does not simply tell the story of that generation from its start in the 1930s to the time of the film; rather it depicts that generation

markhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11117495318709256260noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20698974.post-1143235374283609402006-03-24T21:00:00.000Z2011-10-06T11:50:49.994+01:00

El BrigadistaDirector: O. CortázarCinematographer: P. MartínezCuba looks back in dramatic form with this film on the literacy campaign and the accompanying North American invasion of 1961. It is told from the perspective of a 15-year-old brigadista, whose generation would have been around 30 at the time the film was released.As with much of the theatre of the Cuban revolution, this film builds

markhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11117495318709256260noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20698974.post-1143219695310745612006-03-24T16:45:00.000Z2011-10-06T11:54:39.649+01:00

The following is an excerpt from an old interview with Miloš Forman, the director who became known as part of the Czechoslovakian New Wave of the 1960s and became a Hollywood director after leaving Czechoslovakia in 1968. He describes conditions for a filmmaker in the liberalised socialist Czechoslovakia of the 1960s. The interview is included as a special feature on the Facets DVD release of '

markhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11117495318709256260noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20698974.post-1142126986399993302006-03-12T01:11:00.000Z2011-10-06T11:56:43.918+01:00

AmatorDirector: K. KieślowskiCinematographer: J. Petrycki This is a much more personal film than 'The Scar', and is seemingly distinctly autobiographical. It is the story of Filip, an amateur filmmaker, and his struggle with himself and the world around him, including censorship.The extent of character development in this movie is exceptional. As the film progresses, Filip seems to lose his

markhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11117495318709256260noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20698974.post-1141416050926847742006-03-03T19:36:00.000Z2011-10-06T11:54:28.658+01:00

Családi TüzfészekDirector: B. TarrCinematographer: F. PapAn honest film made in realist style dealing with difficult social issues in Hungary in the late 1970s. There is more to this film than is obvious at first but part of its genius is that it makes issues which are obviously particular to Hungary readily intelligible on a basic human level.The film uses a few characters, and in particular

markhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11117495318709256260noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20698974.post-1138308496544705722006-01-26T20:27:00.000Z2011-10-06T11:56:43.914+01:00

BliznaDirector: K. KieślowskiCinematographer: S. IdziakAn intense social drama set in socialist Poland around the late 1960s and early 1970s. The plot of this film is complex and deals mainly with the destruction of nature by man and the often irrational nature of bureaucracy.Kieślowski originally was a documentary filmmaker and apparently was initially suspicious of fictional films as he felt

markhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11117495318709256260noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20698974.post-1137355196587642082006-01-15T19:52:00.000Z2011-10-06T11:52:59.351+01:00

HolubiceDirector: F. VláčilCinematographer: J. ČuříkThis is a visually beautiful film which, although it does follow a linear progression, is more about visuals and concepts than a plot and characters. You can find analyses of this film claiming it is a metaphor for freedom, for hope and recovery, for the finding of identity, etc. Indeed probably there is some degree of all of these involved.

markhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11117495318709256260noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20698974.post-1136762524687321472006-01-08T22:48:00.000Z2011-10-06T11:49:03.648+01:00

Летят ЖуравлиDirector: M. KalatozovCinematographer: S. Urusevsky This film is of interest to me largely because it is the most famous collaboration between Kalatozov and Urusevsky, preceding their I Am Cuba by 5 years. In fact you can find a lot of similarities between the two films--certain shots and techniques that are memorable from the later film appeared here first. Examples are the use of

markhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11117495318709256260noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20698974.post-1136747635981798552006-01-08T19:13:00.000Z2008-01-15T18:41:56.370Z

Why a socialist film review?There are many reasons to be interested in films from the socialist countries. One is that a great deal of important and interesting films have been produced in the socialist countries and neglected in the West. But my main reason for doing this is that I am interested in the distinct kinds of culture that developed in the socialist societies of the 20th century, and

markhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11117495318709256260noreply@blogger.com13