The title meaning behind “Burnt by the Sun” could possibly mean that as the ending credits state it is to make reference to all those who were burned by the Revolution and the meaning of the fireball can be seen in different lights. One way that it can be seen is how it manages to provide a visual example of the first two lyrics of the song that is sung by Natya. As in the end Mitya is “burnt by the sun” as the fireball maneuvers through his home at the end of the film and “a crimson sea did run” in the form of his blood when he bled to death in the bathtub. Another way to see it is a comparison to Stalin’s reign as how it was noticed that when there was an object falling towards the tree and immediately the fireball heads towards it and destroys it and the tree. Also showing that whatever people did believe they were not protected, again innocent being “burnt by the sun”.
What can be significant about the datcha and the summer home in general in the film is that it can serve as a series of contrasts and various metaphors. One is that it can be seen for Kotav as the peace and security that he believes he has obtained from serving and his faith in what Stalin is doing along with naiveté in some form and when he is taken away in the end to confess to something he did not really do and is killed for it displays the truth about what was really going on behind the scene of Stalin’s rule. One of the true aspects of this is when Kotav is beaten in the car and he cries as he watches Stalin’s picture on a balloon even though he claims that he will be able to call Stalin himself in order to get out of his situation when the reality was he could never guarantee him any security. Some other meaning behind the film taking place on a countryside is that it does serve as a contrast to the war and peace concept as in the film there as various scenes that do show various scenes of peace and relaxation and at the same time there are also scenes such as the ones with the group that was practicing with gas masks and the opening scene with the arrival of the tanks. Another perspective of the datcha could be to view it from the eyes of Mitya and as he is in some way trying to revel in what he had lost in that family since he had left and possibly having a delusion of what could have been for him even if he possibly returned sooner. As it is explained that Maroussia waited for at least a year before Kotav began to court her, or possibly even as Kotav says to Mitya that he wanted to revel in the family that he lost before coming to take Kotav away.
Something else that may have been significant about that could be that though it is not a significant detail there can be that it was that it took course over not just one day however but Kotav’s day off. Which once again while not necessarily significant it may reflect over how abruptly and drastically lives could change in so much as the blink of an eye.
What I thought about the film was that it seemed to be an intriguing and comparing it in some ways to the film the Dying Swan it did seem to exhibit some similar qualities in terms of how they to display the progression of gender roles either for film or society in their time periods. The meaning behind this is how in the Twilight of A Woman’s Soul film Vera is a dynamic character who experiences a progressive change from the experiences that she is forced to endure as spending time with the Duchess and Maxim had altered from the shy girl then when the Prince rejected her because of what happened to her she manages to become an outspoken opera singer. The Prince however ins and really the men in both films in general stay stoic as far as there personalities do not really change as in they want exactly what they want and they are not willing to accept the changes that are taking place within the women around them. In the case of the Dying Swan the artist was unwilling to see the happiness that was in his subject as it was taking away from what he wanted to paint so he potentially kills her in order to get her to conform to his desires. The Prince in a way is in the same way because as soon as he is told that Vera has “been “with another person even though it was not her idea he completely rejects her and seemingly ends their marriage. When he is believed to have actually come around however he is found that he has pushed Vera away to such a point that she sees no use for him anymore and in the ending collapses after their meeting as if that if it could been that not getting the woman he wanted in Vera killed him.
Another aspect that was interesting to note about in the film was the behavior of the lower class people when the higher class came to visit them. In it while it seemed that they were being watched from the higher class for show it was interesting to see everyone switching gears so quickly from playing cards with friends to actively greeting the people practically like they were greeting guests coming into their home. It does show some of the effects of society that it should be right to greet people when they come to visit or given the situation it may have been that those people were familiar with Vera’s mother and were expecting a donation from her. However if at this period the objective of the higher class was to simply observe how the lower class live then what occurred was stripped from the purposes that they were down there for. This particular activity seems similar to an experience almost like attending a zoo with the same differences with people and animals taking place in the film. Something can react differently depending on how you either observe or interact with it and when interaction occurs it creates a different effect then simply just looking at how something is living.
In a way this film can be seen as taking some various aspects of different forms of fairy tale elements and a Russian film ending. This can be seen in the first half of the film as the classic princess fairytale where a young woman can go from living a relatively simple life to meeting her prince and falling in love with each other. Another fairy tale taking place is Little Red Riding Hood in the sense of a naive girl who Vera who gets taken advantage of when she journeys into a place outside of what she knows and even her outfit when visiting Maxim alludes to this. How and how she is tricked into giving into his wishes before killing him provides some allusions to certain versions of that story as Maxim can be viewed as her wolf. The Russian ending is displayed as previously described when in the end Vera and the Prince are unable to patch things up between each other but still rather than it being a depressing ending for both characters at the very least Vera was able to find something in her new life with the new identity that she created for herself that showed transformation over the course of the film while the Prince on the other hand was nowhere near as fortunate.
The film had some interesting concepts that were present within it that had to take some time to notice after viewing the overall theme that seemed to be present or alluded to was how the culture differences between Mars and Earth were similar to Russian history with the Martians following pre-revolutionary period with the two types of society and Earth that was post-revolutionary. This could be seem in how there were class systems on an overall totalitarian state while on Earth people seemed to have greater aspects of freedom as they seemed to able to do whatever they pleased. Another note of the difference of the historical aspect is when the Martian leader ordered for his enemies to be frozen which could serve as a note for some of the same thing that was occurring when the Russian leaders tried to do the same thing to silence those who opposed them when society was in such a state. Something else that this film also shows connections for not only history but literature such as Animal Farm which showed the rise of Stalin and in a way this was also portrayed with the rise of Aelita in a way as she is one who leads the revolution that was promised to lead to better changes for Mars but however in the end was nothing more than a well covered ploy to become ruler and start her own reign that would have many similarities to the one that was just overthrown.
The other thing that seemed somewhat interesting was how in some ways though this was a work of fiction the moment when Aelita was looking through the telescope for the first time made the film seem reminiscent of a documentary film from that period or simply like an earlier film with a pan of a city and following the activities of a certain group of people. However the telescope in some form could also be seen a metaphor of what cinema as a medium itself which is not only able to provide some form of entertainment in other people’s activities but also allow people to view different locations that they are unfamiliar with.
Some possibilities seem to be that there can be a message to the film in different forms one can be how failing too deep into something or obsession such as Los’s desire to decipher the message can lead to the loss of some of the most important things, in his case his marriage. Also it was a complex piece of character work of overall to see the complications that Los was having with his wife and Anita that in a way he killed his wife twice as he did see her when he did kill Aelita. Something else could like in the what can necessarily be the limit to fantasy and reality and it seems overall that through the dream Los does come to some interesting revelations based on the experiences that he made up for himself somewhat reminiscent of a Walter Mitty type character, when he even comes to the epiphany that he did have work to do that was outside of daydreaming which leads to question if he saw overall how much attention he did need to put into his relationship so it somehow would not turn into the dream.
The film The Extraordinary Adventures of Mr. West in the Land of the Bolsheviks seemed to be a very good at showing the tone of how things were during the 1920’s. In different respects it was a parody in a way and also was a way to show how much American films had truly influenced Russia during this time period. The overall tone of the film could be based on close to a classic western as there was someone who was kidnapped by a hostile group in this case Mr. West and the Russian gang, and the cowboy who tries to get him back in the form of his so called bodyguard Jeddie. Another aspect of the film that was of interest was the overall concept of how the snowball effect was used in this. Which was shown in how after Jeddie lost the suitcase and the series of mishaps that he got himself into afterwards trying to relocate Mr. West before leading him into confrontation with the Russian authorities before he is managed to be saved by Ellie.
The way that each nationality is characterized between how the Americans are shown and what is perceived to be the true characteristics of the Bolsheviks did show that his film was meant to be somewhat over the top as there were characteristics shown tin each that were exaggerated. The subplot of at the gang of Russian’s playing with Mr. West in order to get money out of him was interesting as they were just going along with what he believed until he was saved and shown how Russia really was implies a lesson about not believing everything about something unless you have seen it yourself. Another aspect that comes into play is how the Bolsheviks were initially portrayed while it can be a stretch it can show the progressiveness of Russia at the time from their perceptions and under a certain point of view could have been without Lenin’s leadership and there may have been some truth to what can be argued that was shown that there is some propaganda shown as at the end of the film West writes for the New York magazines to be burned and for a portrait of Lenin to be hung up in the study after seeing all the good that was being accomplished and how the people truly were. A different point of view shown towards the end of the film can be said that the real “Bolsheviks” were able to rescue the Americans from the gang who could be considered to be like the anti-Bolsheviks who stood in the way during the Russian Civil War and because of their help and influence they were able to being the Americans to a proper way of thinking with how they manage to change him in the end.
The exaggerations did help make this film a bit more comical but it did seem unnecessary and stereotypical in how Mr. West was portrayed as there were so many different factors to show those two specifically were outsiders as West’s briefcase was filled with items like a large wad of U.S. dollars, some memorabilia on it that carries a U.S. flag motif, and a large fur coat, and Jeddie speaks for himself with his name, attire, and mannerisms just like a cowboy while the women who were to be Americans did not have nearly as much that made them stand out but did seem just like regular characters. On the other hand while there the intentions were clearer the Russians had equally great exaggerations, between how they were seen in Jed’s imagination as roasting a woman over an open flame, to their imagined appearance of the large bushy mustaches and hats, and the looks of savages and how they were like regular people.
However overall this film did show a different pace from some earlier Russian films as while stated earlier did borrow a few elements from U.S. cinema and it even showed a more Hollywood style ending as everything seemed to work out and everyone was happy showed the change in pace that the 20’s were bringing.
The circus film was almost a charming little film in the sense that it had some elements in it that were supposed to be heartwarming in the different elements that were in it did make it seem like an actual circus between the way the characters had their various subplots. The plot line having to deal with the child was a different turn of events of previous films seen and if historically accurate for Russia at this period of time showed how different things were perceived between the United States and the Soviet Union regarding race and this was even best showcased in the multi-language lullaby given towards the end of the film.
The love stories that were present in this film made helped to make it comical and serious in the sense of romance at the same time while the growing love between Marion and Martynov were in was shown as a more serious romance was interesting to watch because of how she was looking for his feelings and at the same time viewers could see in her face her contemplating the possibility of him rejecting her and her child were weighing on her. The other somewhat love story that was more for entertainment purposes seemed to be Raya and Skameikin as the opening the both of them seemed so happily in love then after Raya was given a role by her father it seemed as though she immediately discarded him saying “I sacrifice my love in favor of Art” then later when the love letter reaches the wrong recipient then their relationship is shown to be somewhat in jeopardy because of the letter and ho he was taking it and in the end when it seems like they are right back where they started at the beginning of the film. The storyline of the mixed child seemed a bit unnecessary however as it was so important to the storyline served as a reminder of the viewpoints from this period in time. The character of Skameikin was a good comic relief and a good running gag as he did serve almost everything that he did in some way some type of misfortune fell upon him. Be it with asking for permission to marry Raya from her father, escaping with the child, or meeting with Marion and end up fighting lions something always happened to him. The circus idea was entertaining just to see how they would try to top the other circus. The running gags of the story with the dog and his trainer almost seemed unnecessary while the trainer was persistent and in the end was able to achieve a couple of minutes of fame and fulfilling his request it did not serve to do much, other than to change focus but not personally did not provide much humor. The influence that this film had is also surprising as well as the song that was sung on the in the film, “Song of the Motherland” actually wound up becoming the Soviet Union’s unofficial anthem for a period of time .
In the film Daisies it did seem like there was somewhat of a waste of food but in most of the situations however it did seem like it was more of an opportunity to take advantage of the dinner dates. Overall this film is a complex piece as in some instances it contains what seems simple first which is just following the adventures of the two girls in their journey of “being bad”. On the other hand given that many of the other images that were displayed such as the war time clips the color changes of certain shots and the interjection of certain sequences show that there is much more of the film to be looked into. The opening itself can be a decent start as there is no sound during the images of the war and there is when the gears are shown moving in the opening. Otherwise as far as if it did seem like the pair did waste much food it did not seem so much as the case till the banquet scene, while there was food in quite a few moments in the film the food on screen at least was used and eaten excluding the apples which seemed to serve as a more symbolic role. If to others it did seem as if food was wasted during the film it seemed to occur during three instances including the previously mentioned sequences the other would personally have been was when the two were cutting the food while listening to Julies date over the phone. The ending I found somewhat confusing as is it to be implied that the two were crushed by the chandelier or from the way that the chandelier appeared was it was a figment of the their imagination. The high jinks that the two pulled were interesting as while they were attempting to be “bad” it seemed more along the lines that they were trying to be not bad necessarily but fit into the category of being rather silly, mischievous and naughty, and to a degree rude. As overall the worst thing that the two seem to do was when they stole money. Otherwise once again referring to how to how treated their dates they did not seem to be things that did appear to be overall bad as things that could be considered rude , strange , and perfect for fitting the role of being something to chase them away. Though considering the differences in the culture the period of when this film was released there may be something bad that can be seen in some the actions that was overlooked by comparing it to more modern views on what is considered to be bad”, though from their reaction to the way they perceive the world as becoming more chaotic from the various depictions of war their actions may not be so much as “being bad” however just to go along with the chaos and mayhem that is befalling the world around them. While fitting into the category of an artistic or even experimental film it was overall and interesting view.
The Stalker seems to be a complicated film in the different ways that it can be seen as a poem there are signs that it can carry out like an epic poem in a way as there is a main protagonist who assembles a group into take a journey into the unknown almost reminiscent of an ancient Greek poem such as The Odyssey. In the second half of the film however the Stalker is seen to be creating verses that could be made into a poem. The film overall seems to give off the feel of something like a science fiction drama in the sense of that it carries vibes that it is a post apocalyptic society, in the Zone there are various signs of rubble tanks and other forms signs that people have been there but it is now a complete wasteland. Even the cause of the Zone, the supposed meteorite makes it feel almost like a cross between a nuclear missile striking an area and leaving a fallout almost like the Chernobyl event where there is no one allowed to enter the region and in some form at the very least plant life continues. The various rumors that are in the Zone carries out also like a science fiction piece because of how the characters says that it can play tricks on those who enter it, it should not be entered with weapons or ulterior motives for it may attack in some way, or that there is even a place in it where wishes can be granted. The way the other two characters are named Writer and Professor seemed a bit odd easier to understand but a little too simple. Some of the other elements of the film such as the dog, and the telephone did seem out of place and the way that the color of the film changes seemed to leave some kind of tone where black and white is used in the beginning of the film to represent a bleak existence and color is used once the characters arrive in the Zone to make more almost like an oasis in comparison. The ending was equally strange in many senses that did leave a different set of questions while the wife did give a monologue that in seemed to address the audience and seemed to foreshadow about her daughter it seemed s that she is overall content with her life or has come to terms with it rather than it she did in the beginning of the film. With the daughter and her abilities poses a new set of questions of how did she obtain them or was it just as the wife said a consequence of being a child of a stalker or something else.
The film Adoption was a good piece of film work because of the way that it does show different aspects of human condition and how it in a way addresses a larger issue. This is shown between how Katya is shown to be mistress who wants a child but cannot obtain one from her lover so that it would interrupt his lifestyle and from Anna while giving her a glimpse of what could be expected. There can be said that there is a serious issue that is being addressed with how the way orphans are being treated by the institutes in Russia. The issue in the film seems to be more about how the parents of some of these children treat them as in some ways it almost seems like the parents are the ones really responsible for putting them there. One of the examples can be from one of the girls that was present is the letter that was addressed to their mother that she was beaten and mistreated by both her and her stepfather and when she was visited it did no more than dredge up all the memories and made her wish all the more to never see her again. Also Anna herself is presented something similar while her parents as they claim that she was too much to handle for them and even in the declaration that have her groom sign it is practically stated that they do not wish for her to return to them. The character interactions are the most interesting because of the situations that each one creates and how they are able to affect the Katya’s development. In her interactions with her lover she is presented with the desire or near delusion that she had that he will be able to give her his child and she would be able to raise it herself while he is able to go on living with his wife and children without having to separate from them; though he is unwilling because of the potential consequences that this could have for both the child and all the ramifications that a child could fit into both of their lives. In her interactions with Anna she is given a bit of insight into raising a child and in helping her with quest for marriage in a way it almost parallels Katya’s own situation. This is because the both of them have something that they strongly want or desire that they practically fight in own way to make it come true. However once it is obtained there can be a question of how much it may have actually lived up to the expectations that each had for it. In Anna’s case it was shown at first that her and her boyfriend had a seemingly loving relationship however how he began to treat her at their engagement party shows signs already that the marriage she so desired is already doomed to fail, however how he treats her may be of question considering as previously stated that the declaration he was forced to sign to her parents stated that whether he divorces her or not he will have to live with her. With Katya on the other hand in her quest for a child that did lead her to first asking her lover and when he turned her down she also attempted to get a chance to adopt Anna and when she also turned her down she was finally able to adopt a baby. However there is a question about how things may turn out as there may be some effect to how Anna’s words are “abandoned children are all wounded.” Also there can be some question to the type of mother that Katya could be as if she is able to be good or another one of the mothers who but their child in the institutes. For this reason it could be debatable as to whether or not it can be described as a happy ending for this film because while she got the child she wanted there is still the question of how this would affect her life.
The film Repentance does bring about plenty of questions within it as to whose story is true and even what the plot is overall as it is a bit complicated to figure out. One of the large issues is within the character of Varlam. Varlam did actually seem to be a character that was but in a tough spot as he seemed to be a charismatic man who did try to do things that were either for the good of people or to follow the wishes of the majority. Which from his words he did not necessarily want to arrest Sandro and certain others but he claimed to do so out of the will to please the people and not to cause a protest by not following the wishes. The way that it was put into effect was also of interest as it was said that it was in set up at first that overall while did start off as what would appear to be picking off certain individuals in actuality it was a plan to cause chaos to the government when too many people are accused and locked up. The fact that Keti did repeatedly exhume Varlam because of what he had done is of interest to see how her point of view was and what makes it truly of interest is that in her trail it is made to sound that overall her crimes are something to easily get away with because of either the fact that first as one of the judges said while she did exhume him nothing was truly stolen or desecrated and that depending on how she expressed her views it was on the cusp of being declared insane whether true or not. Abel on the other hand did seem more like a complex character because of his circumstances and his relationship and feelings toward his father and son. The complications that were created in Abel’s life seemed almost of greater interest than Keti’s and it felt as if more could have been delved into on Abel and what went on in his life. There is also a thinly veiled reference of how Varlam compared to Stalin and his reign similar to Stalinism itself as at first things are proceeding smoothly at first or at least appears to be down the road overall the actions that Varlam takes show how ruthless overall he could be as a leader. Which does bring into question as even at his funeral people claimed he was a wonderful man, overall what kind of person was he really? Was he someone who did actually care for people and was simply put under circumstance to do some questionable actions or was he someone who wanted to give the people a certain perception of him in order to have them be somewhat forgiving of what he was eventually going to do? There are also some odd curiosities that are in the story as what was the machine that was under the church and one of the most importantly what took place in the story that excluding some minor details where the ending mirrored the beginning. This leaves questions such as did the ending take place sometime after Keti was released, if she would have at or all or was the film simply a fantasy or possible scenario of what could have happened. The scene with old woman in the end was of interest in some form because of the significance that be seen from the conversation as the street they were on was named after Varlam and it was said that it would not lead to a church a possible notion to the destroyed church and in the old woman’s response about what use was the road if it did not lead to a church could also be a notion of how overall was the “progress” that Varlam promised truly worth the sacrificing of the church?
In Time of the Gypsies the importance of flight in the story is seen in a few different ways one of the main ways is how the opening character says that how God himself chose to fly and leave Earth other ways that it is shown is how there a hint of there is an almost angelic effect to how flight is seen by some of the characters in the film. One example would be how when the sister claimed to see her mother flying alongside the car when it was actually a veil another note was when Azra floated into the air and gave birth to her child and the last example was the bird or Perhan’s turkey that he saw flying at the moment of his death. In each of these cases there were moments involving someone who died or would die showing that flight also has a connection with death in this film. The importance of family that is portrayed was that it may been that family was the primary reason behind Perhan’s transformation into a gangster because of his desire to prove to become the man that Azra’s mother desired in a man asking for her daughter’s hand in marriage and to also support his sister and grandmother. Though while it did appear that family was Perhan’s motivation in the end instead of taking the opportunity to reunite with them he chow to attempt to take revenge which in the end cost him his life and the chance to be with his family. As for why this film may have been made at the time that it was to possibly show the dichotomy through the scenery for how life was while Yugoslavia was shown to be rural almost third world area and Italy was shown in all of its glory. The role of magical realism can be seen mainly in Perhan’s abilities and his grandmothers implied healing techniques however while it did have its moments in the film the addition of the feature for Perhan felt in the same vein as the Stalker where it could be seen as something of a surprise but overall was not fully necessary.
In Window to Paris it would seem that the significance of the window would be to help show how different the two cultures were at this point in time. What is an interesting note is how the music teacher is practically a pied piper in the idea that he is able to get the children to follow him and cooperate with him to an extent the most oblivious example of this was in the beginning when he begins to play his flute and the children follow him another was when after he was fired and the children themselves began to strike though he had to bribe them he was the only one who was able to calm them down enough to forfeit their demands. As far as how both areas were depicted it would seem that some of the main differences is put into words by Nikolai addressing the children “You were born at the wrong time in a bankrupt country.” This is shown in many different ways one was that it is noticeable brighter in Paris than it is in St. Petersburg and it overall seemed cleaner in the sense that newspapers were not everywhere and people were not shown to practically urinate wherever they pleased and the tone is overall a bit more relaxed in comparison. Examples include that at least twice there were strikes that were formed in the Soviet Union while there was nothing shown in Paris. Otherwise another aspect of interest is how some of the characters claim to hold onto their beliefs about communism over capitalism as shown when Nikolai begins to smash one of the computers and when a few of the characters suggest to hold onto their red cards no matter what until death showing that while change occurred they did not necessarily have to let go of their ideals. The significance of the ending could be a node to the fall of the Berlin Wall or the Iron Curtain which is commonly seen as the end of the Soviet Union and can also be a way of overall implying that it was time for the two cultures to interact with each other now that it was fine to do so.
The film Sweet Emma did have a variety of different elements in it that made it a interesting film to watch it would seem that the dream sequence was a reflection of how she was rolling down a hill and there was nothing that was able to help her could connect to the snowball effect as a continuous rolling ball that did not seem to have an end in sight. Which did seem thae case for her; as she had to contend with her lover rejecting her and having to learn a new language in her free time? As well as attempt to teach the children what she does not truly know and even find extra work was well when it seems like it would be hopeless for her to teach again.
This film is of interest to show if this was the effect of Hungary at this time period where there would have been much confusion over to do since everything that they know and were told how to do things is now outdated or wrong. However it does also point how hard it must have been for teachers to struggle to keep up as Emma was shown where it could be argued that she may have been literally just one step ahead of her students in the lessons that she was giving. The scene with how she takes out some of that frustration on her students did seem somewhat drastic however. In some way it seems as if at the end of the end there is not much to show if Emma stopped falling so to say because while she did lose her temper with her students it was not said if she truly did lose her job as a teacher or if she was simply selling newspapers as a second job as well. At first glance it does seem almost as if the way that the film is structured certain scenes ware just put in certain spots however by the time of the ending it seems as if the way the order was does makes it somewhat appropriate for the film, overall it was an entertaining film. This film in the from the perspective of the at the least the two main characters is actually of interest to see how devastating the fall of communism was and the effects that the fall of the Soviet Union created for everyone within it truly did seem that even though everyone was trying to find a way to make things work it could not change that in some way everyone felt lost.
As for what I thought of the film Katyn is that it was a impressive historical film and because of the way that it is able to show the different ways Poland was being treated by Russia and Germany during this time period and how it progressively got harder and harder to stay independent with Poland and being forced into doing what the so called ruling country wants. As far as how the people were treated this film does show some of the atrocities that were taking place during this period which seems to show that between these two countries how powerless Poland was during the time of World War II. Some examples that were shown of this was the scene when Anna and her daughter are denied entrance back into Poland Soviets even though the reason they give is to have her wait until her husband returns. Another is when the university is suddenly closed by the Germans for the assumption that it is a hotbed of what they consider to be controversial topics and forcing everyone in the room to labor camps or death if they show any resistance. How both countries make reference to the phase “resistance is futile is where some of the true emphasis of this point seems to lie. It is overall a tragic story of what happened to the people of this country while these two countries fought for control over it. As even one of the teachers claims that “mark my words, Poland will never be free.” showing how bleak the outlook on life became when the country was fully took over. One of the more interesting things the massacre at the end of to the film where the victims each say a part of the Lord’s Prayer before being executed, this seemed of interest because of how everyone seemed to collectively follow the same lead as they were being handed their fates. What also makes an interesting note is the years when it was mentioned in the diary because of how in it serves as a way to point the finger at who is necessarily to blame or is to receive blame for that incident. Also how it shown in the film that both countries are attempting to do this to each other and overall Poland is too scared to but blame at least on the Soviets as shown during the school admittance scene. However as this film also seems to follow a similar formula to most drama films that are set during World War II as there is in some way an enemy shows a display of power as they invade a different country and terrorize its occupants and there is some someone who is willing to provide assistance against the situation at some point. This is done during the raid scene where the soldier is able to hide Anna and her daughter to give them a chance to escape. One of the differences is that this film has with the previous mentioned dynamic is that most films usually depict the Nazis as the antagonistic force and this film appeared to be one of the few where it actually seems like the Soviets are doing more harm than the Germans. While at the same time there can also as films of this type are a question of how much historical accuracy was taken in order to make the film. It was also tragic to see how some of the families or at least Anna was promised or at least told that there could have been a chance to see their husbands again and overall the last time that were seen alive by their families was when they were taken. Overall regarding the film it did seem like it was a powerful film because of all that was in it, and how it also asks an implicit message about how much of what happened within the time frame of World War II is still undiscovered.
The film Mongol was one that did serve a lot of different purposes and it did seem as though it was a different take from some other films that were seen up to this point that leads to question if it was simply a thing of the region that it was depicted in the film or if it was the time that it was made. However this film was much more of an action oriented film than the dramas that were shown and did carry a different type of feel than other films that were presented. The way that the film was depicted as a historical epic of sorts may have some favor in this task as it was shown to depict the rise of Genghis Khan. There is still a note of how much historical accuracy can be presented in this film as there is only so much that can done when making a biographical film in some way. Also what is of note is that it did a different take on him compared to how some films have done about him as they were more into the more human aspects of him showing him more as a man and not a conqueror, though if the trilogy had been made there is no telling if that would have been shown later. Compared how some other films that were shown were roughly showing about life in the Soviet Union while it was strong and after its downfall it is somewhat curious to see a film such as this done in Russia. There is a hint of something that can be said about how in the film Temüjin went to help his fellow Mongols because of how they were deviating from the initial teaching that they had and when Mongolia was incorporated into the Soviet Union a similar event occurred while they were forced to learn Russian they still keep true to learning Mongolian. Other things that were of interest in this film was how for the most part Temüjin was shown to be a overall benevolent person as he was compared to his brother as a better individual with how he treated his warriors and the lengths that he and his wife went through to be with each other. While only a certain amount of historical evidence can back it up it does bring to question was he was good to those he conquered as he was to his own men or was he a tyrant to those he conquered and only those close to him got to see who he was as a generous man. The relationship that did seem to deteriorate with Temüjin and his brother does seem to put into question how much value can be placed on family whether it is worth giving up due to something like power or respect. Overall it was an entertaining film to watch as it carried on something more seen that was able to show a story of how a man rose to become a powerful leader.
The title meaning behind “Burnt by the Sun” could possibly mean that as the ending credits state it is to make reference to all those who were burned by the Revolution and the meaning of the fireball can be seen in different lights. One way that it can be seen is how it manages to provide a visual example of the first two lyrics of the song that is sung by Natya. As in the end Mitya is “burnt by the sun” as the fireball maneuvers through his home at the end of the film and “a crimson sea did run” in the form of his blood when he bled to death in the bathtub. Another way to see it is a comparison to Stalin’s reign as how it was noticed that when there was an object falling towards the tree and immediately the fireball heads towards it and destroys it and the tree. Also showing that whatever people did believe they were not protected, again innocent being “burnt by the sun”.
What can be significant about the datcha and the summer home in general in the film is that it can serve as a series of contrasts and various metaphors. One is that it can be seen for Kotav as the peace and security that he believes he has obtained from serving and his faith in what Stalin is doing along with naiveté in some form and when he is taken away in the end to confess to something he did not really do and is killed for it displays the truth about what was really going on behind the scene of Stalin’s rule. One of the true aspects of this is when Kotav is beaten in the car and he cries as he watches Stalin’s picture on a balloon even though he claims that he will be able to call Stalin himself in order to get out of his situation when the reality was he could never guarantee him any security. Some other meaning behind the film taking place on a countryside is that it does serve as a contrast to the war and peace concept as in the film there as various scenes that do show various scenes of peace and relaxation and at the same time there are also scenes such as the ones with the group that was practicing with gas masks and the opening scene with the arrival of the tanks. Another perspective of the datcha could be to view it from the eyes of Mitya and as he is in some way trying to revel in what he had lost in that family since he had left and possibly having a delusion of what could have been for him even if he possibly returned sooner. As it is explained that Maroussia waited for at least a year before Kotav began to court her, or possibly even as Kotav says to Mitya that he wanted to revel in the family that he lost before coming to take Kotav away.
Something else that may have been significant about that could be that though it is not a significant detail there can be that it was that it took course over not just one day however but Kotav’s day off. Which once again while not necessarily significant it may reflect over how abruptly and drastically lives could change in so much as the blink of an eye.
What I thought about the film was that it seemed to be an intriguing and comparing it in some ways to the film the Dying Swan it did seem to exhibit some similar qualities in terms of how they to display the progression of gender roles either for film or society in their time periods. The meaning behind this is how in the Twilight of A Woman’s Soul film Vera is a dynamic character who experiences a progressive change from the experiences that she is forced to endure as spending time with the Duchess and Maxim had altered from the shy girl then when the Prince rejected her because of what happened to her she manages to become an outspoken opera singer. The Prince however ins and really the men in both films in general stay stoic as far as there personalities do not really change as in they want exactly what they want and they are not willing to accept the changes that are taking place within the women around them. In the case of the Dying Swan the artist was unwilling to see the happiness that was in his subject as it was taking away from what he wanted to paint so he potentially kills her in order to get her to conform to his desires. The Prince in a way is in the same way because as soon as he is told that Vera has “been “with another person even though it was not her idea he completely rejects her and seemingly ends their marriage. When he is believed to have actually come around however he is found that he has pushed Vera away to such a point that she sees no use for him anymore and in the ending collapses after their meeting as if that if it could been that not getting the woman he wanted in Vera killed him.
Another aspect that was interesting to note about in the film was the behavior of the lower class people when the higher class came to visit them. In it while it seemed that they were being watched from the higher class for show it was interesting to see everyone switching gears so quickly from playing cards with friends to actively greeting the people practically like they were greeting guests coming into their home. It does show some of the effects of society that it should be right to greet people when they come to visit or given the situation it may have been that those people were familiar with Vera’s mother and were expecting a donation from her. However if at this period the objective of the higher class was to simply observe how the lower class live then what occurred was stripped from the purposes that they were down there for. This particular activity seems similar to an experience almost like attending a zoo with the same differences with people and animals taking place in the film. Something can react differently depending on how you either observe or interact with it and when interaction occurs it creates a different effect then simply just looking at how something is living.
In a way this film can be seen as taking some various aspects of different forms of fairy tale elements and a Russian film ending. This can be seen in the first half of the film as the classic princess fairytale where a young woman can go from living a relatively simple life to meeting her prince and falling in love with each other. Another fairy tale taking place is Little Red Riding Hood in the sense of a naive girl who Vera who gets taken advantage of when she journeys into a place outside of what she knows and even her outfit when visiting Maxim alludes to this. How and how she is tricked into giving into his wishes before killing him provides some allusions to certain versions of that story as Maxim can be viewed as her wolf. The Russian ending is displayed as previously described when in the end Vera and the Prince are unable to patch things up between each other but still rather than it being a depressing ending for both characters at the very least Vera was able to find something in her new life with the new identity that she created for herself that showed transformation over the course of the film while the Prince on the other hand was nowhere near as fortunate.
The film had some interesting concepts that were present within it that had to take some time to notice after viewing the overall theme that seemed to be present or alluded to was how the culture differences between Mars and Earth were similar to Russian history with the Martians following pre-revolutionary period with the two types of society and Earth that was post-revolutionary. This could be seem in how there were class systems on an overall totalitarian state while on Earth people seemed to have greater aspects of freedom as they seemed to able to do whatever they pleased. Another note of the difference of the historical aspect is when the Martian leader ordered for his enemies to be frozen which could serve as a note for some of the same thing that was occurring when the Russian leaders tried to do the same thing to silence those who opposed them when society was in such a state. Something else that this film also shows connections for not only history but literature such as Animal Farm which showed the rise of Stalin and in a way this was also portrayed with the rise of Aelita in a way as she is one who leads the revolution that was promised to lead to better changes for Mars but however in the end was nothing more than a well covered ploy to become ruler and start her own reign that would have many similarities to the one that was just overthrown.
The other thing that seemed somewhat interesting was how in some ways though this was a work of fiction the moment when Aelita was looking through the telescope for the first time made the film seem reminiscent of a documentary film from that period or simply like an earlier film with a pan of a city and following the activities of a certain group of people. However the telescope in some form could also be seen a metaphor of what cinema as a medium itself which is not only able to provide some form of entertainment in other people’s activities but also allow people to view different locations that they are unfamiliar with.
Some possibilities seem to be that there can be a message to the film in different forms one can be how failing too deep into something or obsession such as Los’s desire to decipher the message can lead to the loss of some of the most important things, in his case his marriage. Also it was a complex piece of character work of overall to see the complications that Los was having with his wife and Anita that in a way he killed his wife twice as he did see her when he did kill Aelita. Something else could like in the what can necessarily be the limit to fantasy and reality and it seems overall that through the dream Los does come to some interesting revelations based on the experiences that he made up for himself somewhat reminiscent of a Walter Mitty type character, when he even comes to the epiphany that he did have work to do that was outside of daydreaming which leads to question if he saw overall how much attention he did need to put into his relationship so it somehow would not turn into the dream.
The film The Extraordinary Adventures of Mr. West in the Land of the Bolsheviks seemed to be a very good at showing the tone of how things were during the 1920’s. In different respects it was a parody in a way and also was a way to show how much American films had truly influenced Russia during this time period. The overall tone of the film could be based on close to a classic western as there was someone who was kidnapped by a hostile group in this case Mr. West and the Russian gang, and the cowboy who tries to get him back in the form of his so called bodyguard Jeddie. Another aspect of the film that was of interest was the overall concept of how the snowball effect was used in this. Which was shown in how after Jeddie lost the suitcase and the series of mishaps that he got himself into afterwards trying to relocate Mr. West before leading him into confrontation with the Russian authorities before he is managed to be saved by Ellie.
The way that each nationality is characterized between how the Americans are shown and what is perceived to be the true characteristics of the Bolsheviks did show that his film was meant to be somewhat over the top as there were characteristics shown tin each that were exaggerated. The subplot of at the gang of Russian’s playing with Mr. West in order to get money out of him was interesting as they were just going along with what he believed until he was saved and shown how Russia really was implies a lesson about not believing everything about something unless you have seen it yourself. Another aspect that comes into play is how the Bolsheviks were initially portrayed while it can be a stretch it can show the progressiveness of Russia at the time from their perceptions and under a certain point of view could have been without Lenin’s leadership and there may have been some truth to what can be argued that was shown that there is some propaganda shown as at the end of the film West writes for the New York magazines to be burned and for a portrait of Lenin to be hung up in the study after seeing all the good that was being accomplished and how the people truly were. A different point of view shown towards the end of the film can be said that the real “Bolsheviks” were able to rescue the Americans from the gang who could be considered to be like the anti-Bolsheviks who stood in the way during the Russian Civil War and because of their help and influence they were able to being the Americans to a proper way of thinking with how they manage to change him in the end.
The exaggerations did help make this film a bit more comical but it did seem unnecessary and stereotypical in how Mr. West was portrayed as there were so many different factors to show those two specifically were outsiders as West’s briefcase was filled with items like a large wad of U.S. dollars, some memorabilia on it that carries a U.S. flag motif, and a large fur coat, and Jeddie speaks for himself with his name, attire, and mannerisms just like a cowboy while the women who were to be Americans did not have nearly as much that made them stand out but did seem just like regular characters. On the other hand while there the intentions were clearer the Russians had equally great exaggerations, between how they were seen in Jed’s imagination as roasting a woman over an open flame, to their imagined appearance of the large bushy mustaches and hats, and the looks of savages and how they were like regular people.
However overall this film did show a different pace from some earlier Russian films as while stated earlier did borrow a few elements from U.S. cinema and it even showed a more Hollywood style ending as everything seemed to work out and everyone was happy showed the change in pace that the 20’s were bringing.
The circus film was almost a charming little film in the sense that it had some elements in it that were supposed to be heartwarming in the different elements that were in it did make it seem like an actual circus between the way the characters had their various subplots. The plot line having to deal with the child was a different turn of events of previous films seen and if historically accurate for Russia at this period of time showed how different things were perceived between the United States and the Soviet Union regarding race and this was even best showcased in the multi-language lullaby given towards the end of the film.
The love stories that were present in this film made helped to make it comical and serious in the sense of romance at the same time while the growing love between Marion and Martynov were in was shown as a more serious romance was interesting to watch because of how she was looking for his feelings and at the same time viewers could see in her face her contemplating the possibility of him rejecting her and her child were weighing on her. The other somewhat love story that was more for entertainment purposes seemed to be Raya and Skameikin as the opening the both of them seemed so happily in love then after Raya was given a role by her father it seemed as though she immediately discarded him saying “I sacrifice my love in favor of Art” then later when the love letter reaches the wrong recipient then their relationship is shown to be somewhat in jeopardy because of the letter and ho he was taking it and in the end when it seems like they are right back where they started at the beginning of the film. The storyline of the mixed child seemed a bit unnecessary however as it was so important to the storyline served as a reminder of the viewpoints from this period in time. The character of Skameikin was a good comic relief and a good running gag as he did serve almost everything that he did in some way some type of misfortune fell upon him. Be it with asking for permission to marry Raya from her father, escaping with the child, or meeting with Marion and end up fighting lions something always happened to him. The circus idea was entertaining just to see how they would try to top the other circus. The running gags of the story with the dog and his trainer almost seemed unnecessary while the trainer was persistent and in the end was able to achieve a couple of minutes of fame and fulfilling his request it did not serve to do much, other than to change focus but not personally did not provide much humor. The influence that this film had is also surprising as well as the song that was sung on the in the film, “Song of the Motherland” actually wound up becoming the Soviet Union’s unofficial anthem for a period of time .
In the film Daisies it did seem like there was somewhat of a waste of food but in most of the situations however it did seem like it was more of an opportunity to take advantage of the dinner dates. Overall this film is a complex piece as in some instances it contains what seems simple first which is just following the adventures of the two girls in their journey of “being bad”. On the other hand given that many of the other images that were displayed such as the war time clips the color changes of certain shots and the interjection of certain sequences show that there is much more of the film to be looked into. The opening itself can be a decent start as there is no sound during the images of the war and there is when the gears are shown moving in the opening. Otherwise as far as if it did seem like the pair did waste much food it did not seem so much as the case till the banquet scene, while there was food in quite a few moments in the film the food on screen at least was used and eaten excluding the apples which seemed to serve as a more symbolic role. If to others it did seem as if food was wasted during the film it seemed to occur during three instances including the previously mentioned sequences the other would personally have been was when the two were cutting the food while listening to Julies date over the phone. The ending I found somewhat confusing as is it to be implied that the two were crushed by the chandelier or from the way that the chandelier appeared was it was a figment of the their imagination. The high jinks that the two pulled were interesting as while they were attempting to be “bad” it seemed more along the lines that they were trying to be not bad necessarily but fit into the category of being rather silly, mischievous and naughty, and to a degree rude. As overall the worst thing that the two seem to do was when they stole money. Otherwise once again referring to how to how treated their dates they did not seem to be things that did appear to be overall bad as things that could be considered rude , strange , and perfect for fitting the role of being something to chase them away. Though considering the differences in the culture the period of when this film was released there may be something bad that can be seen in some the actions that was overlooked by comparing it to more modern views on what is considered to be bad”, though from their reaction to the way they perceive the world as becoming more chaotic from the various depictions of war their actions may not be so much as “being bad” however just to go along with the chaos and mayhem that is befalling the world around them. While fitting into the category of an artistic or even experimental film it was overall and interesting view.
The Stalker seems to be a complicated film in the different ways that it can be seen as a poem there are signs that it can carry out like an epic poem in a way as there is a main protagonist who assembles a group into take a journey into the unknown almost reminiscent of an ancient Greek poem such as The Odyssey. In the second half of the film however the Stalker is seen to be creating verses that could be made into a poem. The film overall seems to give off the feel of something like a science fiction drama in the sense of that it carries vibes that it is a post apocalyptic society, in the Zone there are various signs of rubble tanks and other forms signs that people have been there but it is now a complete wasteland. Even the cause of the Zone, the supposed meteorite makes it feel almost like a cross between a nuclear missile striking an area and leaving a fallout almost like the Chernobyl event where there is no one allowed to enter the region and in some form at the very least plant life continues. The various rumors that are in the Zone carries out also like a science fiction piece because of how the characters says that it can play tricks on those who enter it, it should not be entered with weapons or ulterior motives for it may attack in some way, or that there is even a place in it where wishes can be granted. The way the other two characters are named Writer and Professor seemed a bit odd easier to understand but a little too simple. Some of the other elements of the film such as the dog, and the telephone did seem out of place and the way that the color of the film changes seemed to leave some kind of tone where black and white is used in the beginning of the film to represent a bleak existence and color is used once the characters arrive in the Zone to make more almost like an oasis in comparison. The ending was equally strange in many senses that did leave a different set of questions while the wife did give a monologue that in seemed to address the audience and seemed to foreshadow about her daughter it seemed s that she is overall content with her life or has come to terms with it rather than it she did in the beginning of the film. With the daughter and her abilities poses a new set of questions of how did she obtain them or was it just as the wife said a consequence of being a child of a stalker or something else.
The film Adoption was a good piece of film work because of the way that it does show different aspects of human condition and how it in a way addresses a larger issue. This is shown between how Katya is shown to be mistress who wants a child but cannot obtain one from her lover so that it would interrupt his lifestyle and from Anna while giving her a glimpse of what could be expected. There can be said that there is a serious issue that is being addressed with how the way orphans are being treated by the institutes in Russia. The issue in the film seems to be more about how the parents of some of these children treat them as in some ways it almost seems like the parents are the ones really responsible for putting them there. One of the examples can be from one of the girls that was present is the letter that was addressed to their mother that she was beaten and mistreated by both her and her stepfather and when she was visited it did no more than dredge up all the memories and made her wish all the more to never see her again. Also Anna herself is presented something similar while her parents as they claim that she was too much to handle for them and even in the declaration that have her groom sign it is practically stated that they do not wish for her to return to them. The character interactions are the most interesting because of the situations that each one creates and how they are able to affect the Katya’s development. In her interactions with her lover she is presented with the desire or near delusion that she had that he will be able to give her his child and she would be able to raise it herself while he is able to go on living with his wife and children without having to separate from them; though he is unwilling because of the potential consequences that this could have for both the child and all the ramifications that a child could fit into both of their lives. In her interactions with Anna she is given a bit of insight into raising a child and in helping her with quest for marriage in a way it almost parallels Katya’s own situation. This is because the both of them have something that they strongly want or desire that they practically fight in own way to make it come true. However once it is obtained there can be a question of how much it may have actually lived up to the expectations that each had for it. In Anna’s case it was shown at first that her and her boyfriend had a seemingly loving relationship however how he began to treat her at their engagement party shows signs already that the marriage she so desired is already doomed to fail, however how he treats her may be of question considering as previously stated that the declaration he was forced to sign to her parents stated that whether he divorces her or not he will have to live with her. With Katya on the other hand in her quest for a child that did lead her to first asking her lover and when he turned her down she also attempted to get a chance to adopt Anna and when she also turned her down she was finally able to adopt a baby. However there is a question about how things may turn out as there may be some effect to how Anna’s words are “abandoned children are all wounded.” Also there can be some question to the type of mother that Katya could be as if she is able to be good or another one of the mothers who but their child in the institutes. For this reason it could be debatable as to whether or not it can be described as a happy ending for this film because while she got the child she wanted there is still the question of how this would affect her life.
The film Repentance does bring about plenty of questions within it as to whose story is true and even what the plot is overall as it is a bit complicated to figure out. One of the large issues is within the character of Varlam. Varlam did actually seem to be a character that was but in a tough spot as he seemed to be a charismatic man who did try to do things that were either for the good of people or to follow the wishes of the majority. Which from his words he did not necessarily want to arrest Sandro and certain others but he claimed to do so out of the will to please the people and not to cause a protest by not following the wishes. The way that it was put into effect was also of interest as it was said that it was in set up at first that overall while did start off as what would appear to be picking off certain individuals in actuality it was a plan to cause chaos to the government when too many people are accused and locked up. The fact that Keti did repeatedly exhume Varlam because of what he had done is of interest to see how her point of view was and what makes it truly of interest is that in her trail it is made to sound that overall her crimes are something to easily get away with because of either the fact that first as one of the judges said while she did exhume him nothing was truly stolen or desecrated and that depending on how she expressed her views it was on the cusp of being declared insane whether true or not. Abel on the other hand did seem more like a complex character because of his circumstances and his relationship and feelings toward his father and son. The complications that were created in Abel’s life seemed almost of greater interest than Keti’s and it felt as if more could have been delved into on Abel and what went on in his life. There is also a thinly veiled reference of how Varlam compared to Stalin and his reign similar to Stalinism itself as at first things are proceeding smoothly at first or at least appears to be down the road overall the actions that Varlam takes show how ruthless overall he could be as a leader. Which does bring into question as even at his funeral people claimed he was a wonderful man, overall what kind of person was he really? Was he someone who did actually care for people and was simply put under circumstance to do some questionable actions or was he someone who wanted to give the people a certain perception of him in order to have them be somewhat forgiving of what he was eventually going to do? There are also some odd curiosities that are in the story as what was the machine that was under the church and one of the most importantly what took place in the story that excluding some minor details where the ending mirrored the beginning. This leaves questions such as did the ending take place sometime after Keti was released, if she would have at or all or was the film simply a fantasy or possible scenario of what could have happened. The scene with old woman in the end was of interest in some form because of the significance that be seen from the conversation as the street they were on was named after Varlam and it was said that it would not lead to a church a possible notion to the destroyed church and in the old woman’s response about what use was the road if it did not lead to a church could also be a notion of how overall was the “progress” that Varlam promised truly worth the sacrificing of the church?
In Time of the Gypsies the importance of flight in the story is seen in a few different ways one of the main ways is how the opening character says that how God himself chose to fly and leave Earth other ways that it is shown is how there a hint of there is an almost angelic effect to how flight is seen by some of the characters in the film. One example would be how when the sister claimed to see her mother flying alongside the car when it was actually a veil another note was when Azra floated into the air and gave birth to her child and the last example was the bird or Perhan’s turkey that he saw flying at the moment of his death. In each of these cases there were moments involving someone who died or would die showing that flight also has a connection with death in this film. The importance of family that is portrayed was that it may been that family was the primary reason behind Perhan’s transformation into a gangster because of his desire to prove to become the man that Azra’s mother desired in a man asking for her daughter’s hand in marriage and to also support his sister and grandmother. Though while it did appear that family was Perhan’s motivation in the end instead of taking the opportunity to reunite with them he chow to attempt to take revenge which in the end cost him his life and the chance to be with his family. As for why this film may have been made at the time that it was to possibly show the dichotomy through the scenery for how life was while Yugoslavia was shown to be rural almost third world area and Italy was shown in all of its glory. The role of magical realism can be seen mainly in Perhan’s abilities and his grandmothers implied healing techniques however while it did have its moments in the film the addition of the feature for Perhan felt in the same vein as the Stalker where it could be seen as something of a surprise but overall was not fully necessary.
In Window to Paris it would seem that the significance of the window would be to help show how different the two cultures were at this point in time. What is an interesting note is how the music teacher is practically a pied piper in the idea that he is able to get the children to follow him and cooperate with him to an extent the most oblivious example of this was in the beginning when he begins to play his flute and the children follow him another was when after he was fired and the children themselves began to strike though he had to bribe them he was the only one who was able to calm them down enough to forfeit their demands. As far as how both areas were depicted it would seem that some of the main differences is put into words by Nikolai addressing the children “You were born at the wrong time in a bankrupt country.” This is shown in many different ways one was that it is noticeable brighter in Paris than it is in St. Petersburg and it overall seemed cleaner in the sense that newspapers were not everywhere and people were not shown to practically urinate wherever they pleased and the tone is overall a bit more relaxed in comparison. Examples include that at least twice there were strikes that were formed in the Soviet Union while there was nothing shown in Paris. Otherwise another aspect of interest is how some of the characters claim to hold onto their beliefs about communism over capitalism as shown when Nikolai begins to smash one of the computers and when a few of the characters suggest to hold onto their red cards no matter what until death showing that while change occurred they did not necessarily have to let go of their ideals. The significance of the ending could be a node to the fall of the Berlin Wall or the Iron Curtain which is commonly seen as the end of the Soviet Union and can also be a way of overall implying that it was time for the two cultures to interact with each other now that it was fine to do so.
The film Sweet Emma did have a variety of different elements in it that made it a interesting film to watch it would seem that the dream sequence was a reflection of how she was rolling down a hill and there was nothing that was able to help her could connect to the snowball effect as a continuous rolling ball that did not seem to have an end in sight. Which did seem thae case for her; as she had to contend with her lover rejecting her and having to learn a new language in her free time? As well as attempt to teach the children what she does not truly know and even find extra work was well when it seems like it would be hopeless for her to teach again.
This film is of interest to show if this was the effect of Hungary at this time period where there would have been much confusion over to do since everything that they know and were told how to do things is now outdated or wrong. However it does also point how hard it must have been for teachers to struggle to keep up as Emma was shown where it could be argued that she may have been literally just one step ahead of her students in the lessons that she was giving. The scene with how she takes out some of that frustration on her students did seem somewhat drastic however. In some way it seems as if at the end of the end there is not much to show if Emma stopped falling so to say because while she did lose her temper with her students it was not said if she truly did lose her job as a teacher or if she was simply selling newspapers as a second job as well. At first glance it does seem almost as if the way that the film is structured certain scenes ware just put in certain spots however by the time of the ending it seems as if the way the order was does makes it somewhat appropriate for the film, overall it was an entertaining film. This film in the from the perspective of the at the least the two main characters is actually of interest to see how devastating the fall of communism was and the effects that the fall of the Soviet Union created for everyone within it truly did seem that even though everyone was trying to find a way to make things work it could not change that in some way everyone felt lost.
As for what I thought of the film Katyn is that it was a impressive historical film and because of the way that it is able to show the different ways Poland was being treated by Russia and Germany during this time period and how it progressively got harder and harder to stay independent with Poland and being forced into doing what the so called ruling country wants. As far as how the people were treated this film does show some of the atrocities that were taking place during this period which seems to show that between these two countries how powerless Poland was during the time of World War II. Some examples that were shown of this was the scene when Anna and her daughter are denied entrance back into Poland Soviets even though the reason they give is to have her wait until her husband returns. Another is when the university is suddenly closed by the Germans for the assumption that it is a hotbed of what they consider to be controversial topics and forcing everyone in the room to labor camps or death if they show any resistance. How both countries make reference to the phase “resistance is futile is where some of the true emphasis of this point seems to lie. It is overall a tragic story of what happened to the people of this country while these two countries fought for control over it. As even one of the teachers claims that “mark my words, Poland will never be free.” showing how bleak the outlook on life became when the country was fully took over. One of the more interesting things the massacre at the end of to the film where the victims each say a part of the Lord’s Prayer before being executed, this seemed of interest because of how everyone seemed to collectively follow the same lead as they were being handed their fates. What also makes an interesting note is the years when it was mentioned in the diary because of how in it serves as a way to point the finger at who is necessarily to blame or is to receive blame for that incident. Also how it shown in the film that both countries are attempting to do this to each other and overall Poland is too scared to but blame at least on the Soviets as shown during the school admittance scene. However as this film also seems to follow a similar formula to most drama films that are set during World War II as there is in some way an enemy shows a display of power as they invade a different country and terrorize its occupants and there is some someone who is willing to provide assistance against the situation at some point. This is done during the raid scene where the soldier is able to hide Anna and her daughter to give them a chance to escape. One of the differences is that this film has with the previous mentioned dynamic is that most films usually depict the Nazis as the antagonistic force and this film appeared to be one of the few where it actually seems like the Soviets are doing more harm than the Germans. While at the same time there can also as films of this type are a question of how much historical accuracy was taken in order to make the film. It was also tragic to see how some of the families or at least Anna was promised or at least told that there could have been a chance to see their husbands again and overall the last time that were seen alive by their families was when they were taken. Overall regarding the film it did seem like it was a powerful film because of all that was in it, and how it also asks an implicit message about how much of what happened within the time frame of World War II is still undiscovered.
The film Mongol was one that did serve a lot of different purposes and it did seem as though it was a different take from some other films that were seen up to this point that leads to question if it was simply a thing of the region that it was depicted in the film or if it was the time that it was made. However this film was much more of an action oriented film than the dramas that were shown and did carry a different type of feel than other films that were presented. The way that the film was depicted as a historical epic of sorts may have some favor in this task as it was shown to depict the rise of Genghis Khan. There is still a note of how much historical accuracy can be presented in this film as there is only so much that can done when making a biographical film in some way. Also what is of note is that it did a different take on him compared to how some films have done about him as they were more into the more human aspects of him showing him more as a man and not a conqueror, though if the trilogy had been made there is no telling if that would have been shown later. Compared how some other films that were shown were roughly showing about life in the Soviet Union while it was strong and after its downfall it is somewhat curious to see a film such as this done in Russia. There is a hint of something that can be said about how in the film Temüjin went to help his fellow Mongols because of how they were deviating from the initial teaching that they had and when Mongolia was incorporated into the Soviet Union a similar event occurred while they were forced to learn Russian they still keep true to learning Mongolian. Other things that were of interest in this film was how for the most part Temüjin was shown to be a overall benevolent person as he was compared to his brother as a better individual with how he treated his warriors and the lengths that he and his wife went through to be with each other. While only a certain amount of historical evidence can back it up it does bring to question was he was good to those he conquered as he was to his own men or was he a tyrant to those he conquered and only those close to him got to see who he was as a generous man. The relationship that did seem to deteriorate with Temüjin and his brother does seem to put into question how much value can be placed on family whether it is worth giving up due to something like power or respect. Overall it was an entertaining film to watch as it carried on something more seen that was able to show a story of how a man rose to become a powerful leader.