Russia/USSR Challenge (Official, September 2020)

[sol]

From Russia with Love

1. A Man from Boulevard des Capucines (1987)
2. Watch Out for the Automobile (1966)
3. Kidnapping, Caucasian Style (1967)
4. Mio in the Land of Faraway (1987)
5. Assassin of the Tsar (1991)
6. The Commissar (1967)
7. Za Schastem (1917)
8. Zoology (2016)
9. Courier (1986)
10. Afonya (1975)
11. The Blue Bird (1976)
12. Twelve Chairs (1971)
13. Dark Waters (1993)
14. Interstelar (2014) FIRST CHECK!
15. Solaris (1972) REVISION
16. Stalker (1979) REVISION
17. Striped Trip (1961)
18. Operation 'Y' (1965)
19. Come and See (1985) REVISION
20. Misteriya-Buff (1969) FIRST CHECK!
21. Amphibian Man (1962)
22. The Snow Queen (1957)

23. Office Romance. (1977)



Basically a silly mix of The Taming of the Shrew and Pygmalion with a stern female boss gradually softening due to being in love, finally taking an interest in dressing attractively and so forth. Alisa Freyndlikh is fine in the role, going through quite a transformation, but the way the film supports her learning to adhere to social conventions (boo independence) feels iffy. The first 45 minutes are terribly unfunny too, focused on poor wooing attempts.

[St. Gloede]

Spoiler

1. Dva-Buldi-dva / Two-Buldi-Two (1929, Nina Agadzhanova, Lev Kuleshov) 5/10
2. Iz-pod svodov mecheti (1928, Kazimir Gertel) 4/10
3. Godovshchina revolyutsii / Anniversary of the Revolution (1918, Dziga Vertov) 4/10
4-6. Miss Mend (1926, Boris Barnet, Fyodor Otsep) 7/10

Aleksandr Sokurov:
7. Skorbnoye beschuvstviye / Mournful Unconcern (1987) 5/10
8. Molokh (1999) 6.5/10
9. Faust (2011) 5/10

Ok, so this is not going all that well for me. Not seen a single great film this challenge, though at least I caught a few more good ones than in the last batch. However, my Konchalovskiy and Mitta focuses were extremely disappointing, as I was hoping for some greatness. I may write something on the films later, but best not to stall too much longer.

Andrey Konchalovskiy focus:

10. Dyadya Vanya / Uncle Vanya (1971) 6/10
11. Romans o vlyublyonnykh / A Lover's Romance (1974) 4/10
12. Belye nochi pochtalyona Alekseya Tryapitsyna / The Postman's White Nights (2014) 6/10

Aleksandr Mitta focus:

13. Gori, gori, moya zvezda / Shine, Shine, My Star (1970) 7/10
14. Moskva, lyubov moya / Moscow, My Love (1974) 4/10
15. Skaz pro to, kak tsar Pyotr arapa zhenil / How Czar Peter the Great Married Off His Moor (1976) 7/10
16. Ekipazh / The Crew (1980) 4/10

Other:

17. Zydrasis Horizontas (1958, Vitautas Mikalauskas) 6/10
18. Do svidaniya, malchiki! / Goodbye, Boys (1964, Mikhail Kalik) 6/10
19. Dolgaya schastlivaya zhizn (1967, Gennady Shpalikov) 4/10
20. Pervyy eshelon / The First Echelon (1957, Mikhail Kalatozov) 5/10
21. Legenda o knyagine Olge / The Legend of Princess Olga (1983, Yyri Ilyenko) 7/10

[St. Gloede]

From the above I really loved so much about How Czar Peter the Great Married Off His Moor, and it reminded me of why I fell in love with Mitta's The Story of Voyages (1982) - as did Shine, Shine, My Star - however - it makes some absolutely incredible artistic choices in opening with an animated sequence (fueled by fire!) and playing with "fakeness/artificiality", i.e. very clear stage work, with only central elements being actual props, sets within paintings with characters moving, at some points maps/overviews with groups of people inserted within it. There is also some absolutely fantastic movement, with our Tsar moving underneath ropes, supporting the works on the booths, etc. and it is just wonderful craftmanship. I would have the weakness for this film is the ludicrously fake moor/blackface (just looks like mud) and that the second half more focused on the Tsar just lacks so much of the energy and activity of the first part, where the playacting comedy was such a wonderful element of the film.

The Crew / Aircrew on the other hand felt like a fairly pathetic melodrama for portions - well shot - and it ends up becoming a distaster film (the first Soviet disaster film) and has some strong effects and decent tension - but the character gallery/plotting is terribly weak - and it feels like a studio patchwork. Moscow, My Love on the other hand is a small drama about a Japanese ballet dancer going to Moscow to study ballet - with half the film in 60 minutes style dubbing. A decent melodrama, but this kind of dubbing is just atrocious. Shine, Shine My Star is a very good early film, pre-mimicking the dynamics of The Story of the Voyages with an actor and a young girl teaming up in the midst of the civil war, a lot of mellow comedy and adventure, with likeable characters, a decent amount of clever fun, but slightly too propaganda heavy (in an obvious way) and not as well made as Voyages.

So ... that's Mitta done.

[St. Gloede]

Decade breakdown:

Decade	Count
1910s	7
1920s	14
1930s	2
1940s	1
1950s	8
1960s	12
1970s	20
1980s	15
1990s	8
2000s	3
2010s	3
2020s	2

Movies that have been challenged more than once

Times challenged	Name	Year	IMDB	ICM
3	Come and See	1985
2	For Luck	1917
2	Misteriya-Buff	1969
2	The Snow Queen	1957
2	Godovshchina revolyutsii	1918
2	Two-Buldi-Two	1929
2	Moscow: Cassiopea	1974
2	Ivan the Terrible, Part II	1958

Loving the stats, and they are quite telling as well. I think there are very few countries where the 1910s almost beats the last 2(3) decades combined.

[cinephage]

02. Kinoglaz, by Dziga Vertov (1924) 7/10

Halfway between propaganda and exploration of the new regime, this is a fantastic document to watch today...

03.a Kino-pravda no. 21 - Leninskaia Kino-pravda. Kinopoema o Lenine, by Dziga Vertov (1924) 7,5/10 - 29 minutes
03.b Kino-pravda no. 1, by Dziga Vertov (1922) 7,5/10 - 10 minutes
03.c Kino-pravda no. 2, by Dziga Vertov (1922) 7,5/10 - 10 minutes
03.d Kino-pravda no. 3, by Dziga Vertov (1922) 7,5/10 - 7 minutes
03.e Kino-pravda no. 4, by Dziga Vertov (1922) 7,5/10 - 7 minutes
03.f Kino-pravda no. 5, by Dziga Vertov (1922) 7,5/10 - 7 minutes

I watched the first one as a bonus on the Vertov dvd I was watching, but when I went to check this watch, I found that there were link to all of the kino-pravda, avalaible on the website of the Vienna museum. I watched a few, and will try to watch some more, these are newsreel, but also windows on the early period of the soviet era. They address essential topics, such as famine (but wheat is coming, it is not said from where), trials of socialists (only the guilty will get a fair conviction), but also lighter issues, such as views on Socthi, heart of the Caucasian Riviera...

Spoiler

01. Sputnik, by Egor Abramenko (2020) 7,5/10

[sol]

21. Legenda o knyagine Olge / The Legend of Princess Olga (1983, Yyri Ilyenko) 7/10

Ah - playing the game strategically, I see. Posting your viewings in batches of 11 just to make the rest of think we have a fighting chance.

[St. Gloede]

21. Legenda o knyagine Olge / The Legend of Princess Olga (1983, Yyri Ilyenko) 7/10

Ah - playing the game strategically, I see. Posting your viewings in batches of 11 just to make the rest of think we have a fighting chance.

I thought I had zero chance to even be in the running here ... but seems like this pushes me to second.

[St. Gloede]

Usually someone is all the way up to 60-70 films by this point.

[sol]

Usually someone is all the way up to 60-70 films by this point.

Don't start giving people ideas. Canada was a nightmare this year, so at the moment I am enjoying the fact that this is the only challenge where I have managed to stay at the head of the pack for 14 days straight this year. I want to see how long I can keep the running streak up (I doubt I'll still be on top at the end of the month).

[sol]

From Russia with Love

1. A Man from Boulevard des Capucines (1987)
2. Watch Out for the Automobile (1966)
3. Kidnapping, Caucasian Style (1967)
4. Mio in the Land of Faraway (1987)
5. Assassin of the Tsar (1991)
6. The Commissar (1967)
7. Za Schastem (1917)
8. Zoology (2016)
9. Courier (1986)
10. Afonya (1975)
11. The Blue Bird (1976)
12. Twelve Chairs (1971)
13. Dark Waters (1993)
14. Interstelar (2014) FIRST CHECK!
15. Solaris (1972) REVISION
16. Stalker (1979) REVISION
17. Striped Trip (1961)
18. Operation 'Y' (1965)
19. Come and See (1985) REVISION
20. Misteriya-Buff (1969) FIRST CHECK!
21. Amphibian Man (1962)
22. The Snow Queen (1957)
23. Office Romance. (1977)

24. The Safety Match (1954)



The basic situation is certainly humorous here with a single burnt out match and the fact that a missing man did not smoke making three bumbling policeman automatically suspect foul play, dreaming up murder possibilities. There is also such zaniness as trying to pick a lock with an axe and a suspect interviewed during dinner. Alas, only so many laughs are possible at the expense of their incompetence and inability to think outside the box.

[St. Gloede]

Usually someone is all the way up to 60-70 films by this point.

Don't start giving people ideas. Canada was a nightmare this year, so at the moment I am enjoying the fact that this is the only challenge where I have managed to stay at the head of the pack for 14 days straight this year. I want to see how long I can keep the running streak up (I doubt I'll still be on top at the end of the month).

I think it all depends on whether jdidaco and blueboybob decides to go full-speed. If they don't (are they focusing on animation?) I would say you most likely have this down.

I have a folder of Soviet/Russian films I'm working through, but with this little success I'll probably burn out.

[St. Gloede]

A few pics from The Tale of How Tsar Peter Married Off A Moor (1976)

[St. Gloede]

If only the entire film looked like that.

[St. Gloede]

Btw, did we ever do a Soviet/Russian list? Searched on ICM, but no results (icmforum +). Really not having good luck with my current picks. Will try Mister Designer now, recall that one having a following here.

[St. Gloede]

Spoiler

1. Dva-Buldi-dva / Two-Buldi-Two (1929, Nina Agadzhanova, Lev Kuleshov) 5/10
2. Iz-pod svodov mecheti (1928, Kazimir Gertel) 4/10
3. Godovshchina revolyutsii / Anniversary of the Revolution (1918, Dziga Vertov) 4/10
4-6. Miss Mend (1926, Boris Barnet, Fyodor Otsep) 7/10

Aleksandr Sokurov:
7. Skorbnoye beschuvstviye / Mournful Unconcern (1987) 5/10
8. Molokh (1999) 6.5/10
9. Faust (2011) 5/10

Andrey Konchalovskiy:

10. Dyadya Vanya / Uncle Vanya (1971) 6/10
11. Romans o vlyublyonnykh / A Lover's Romance (1974) 4/10
12. Belye nochi pochtalyona Alekseya Tryapitsyna / The Postman's White Nights (2014) 6/10

Aleksandr Mitta focus:

13. Gori, gori, moya zvezda / Shine, Shine, My Star (1970) 7/10
14. Moskva, lyubov moya / Moscow, My Love (1974) 4/10
15. Skaz pro to, kak tsar Pyotr arapa zhenil / How Czar Peter the Great Married Off His Moor (1976) 7/10
16. Ekipazh / The Crew (1980) 4/10

-

17. Zydrasis Horizontas (1958, Vitautas Mikalauskas) 6/10
18. Do svidaniya, malchiki! / Goodbye, Boys (1964, Mikhail Kalik) 6/10
19. Dolgaya schastlivaya zhizn (1967, Gennady Shpalikov) 4/10
20. Pervyy eshelon / The First Echelon (1957, Mikhail Kalatozov) 5/10
21. Legenda o knyagine Olge / The Legend of Princess Olga (1983, Yyri Ilyenko) 7/10

22. Nezabyvaemoe / Unforgettable (1967, Yuliya Solntseva)

False advertising? There are some genuinly great scenes here, and as a whole this small war drama is perfectly good, but it will definitely be forgotten in a few months. 6/10


23. Gospodin oformitel / Mister Designer (1987, Oleg Teptsov)



Finallly! Finally! Finally! 14 days in, over 20 films, and finally a great one!

And I was not prepared for this.

I think the best way to describe it is as a psychedelic silent mutation - by which I mean that despite this film being a talkie, so much of it is driven by the visuals and editing - not to mention the soundtrack - and yes, Mister Designer is complete with a semi-industrial soundtrack.

It breaths a little like Herzog's remake of Nosferatu, but on acid. The expressive eyes, the pauses - and is cut to be barely eligible, as we are thrown into a maddening journey of a designer and a woman (?). It has all the hallmarks of early horror - the slow build ups, alley chases, tension - and again - those expressive, and obsessive eyes - but it is fuelled by an added trippy surrealist horror mix - with an ending that may just suspend your heart for a few seconds.

8+/10

[jdidaco]

(Gif from 'Gori, gori, moya zvezda'),

13. Levsha (Lefty, Ivan Ivanov-Vano & Vladimir Danilevich, 1964) 7.5/10
14. Podi tuda, ne znayu kuda (Go There, Don't Know Where, Ivan Ivanov-Vano & Vladimir Danilevich, 1966) 8/10
15. Gori, gori, moya zvezda (Shine, Shine, My Star, Aleksandr Mitta, 1970) 9/10
16. Akhalgazrda kompozitoris mogzauroba (The Journey of a Young Composer, Giorgi Shengelaia, 1985) 9/10

Spoiler

1. Kuldīgas Freskas (Kuldiga Frescoes, Aivars Freimanis, 1966) 9.5/10
2. Misteriya-Buff (Mystery-Bouffe, David Cherkasskiy, 1969) 8.5/10
3. Byl mesyats may (It Was in May, Marlen Khutsiev, 1970) 9.5/10
4. Maugli (The Adventures of Mowgli, Roman Davydov, 1973) 8/10
5. Sorok serdets (Forty Hearts, Lev Kuleshov, 1931) 7.5/10
6. Dvadtsat shest komissarov (Twenty-Six Commissars, Nikoloz Shengelaia, 1932) 8/10
7. Velnio nuotaka (Devil's Bride, Arunas Zebriunas, 1974) 8.5/10
8. Gost (The Guest, Aleksandr Kaydanovskiy, 1987) 9/10
9. Tavadis asuli Meri (Vicountess Meri, Vladimir Barskiy, 1926) 8/10
10. Sumka dipkuryera (The Diplomatic Pouch, Aleksandr Dovzhenko, 1927) 7.5/10
11. Gospoda Skotininy (The Gentlefolks of Skotinin, Grigoriy Roshal, 1927) 7.5/10
12. Moy syn (My Son, Yevgeni Chervyakov, 1928) 9/10

[Melvelet]

Btw, did we ever do a Soviet/Russian list? Searched on ICM, but no results (icmforum +). Really not having good luck with my current picks. Will try Mister Designer now, recall that one having a following here.

This one: https://www.icheckmovies.com/lists/icm+ ... ewolf2003/

[St. Gloede]

Btw, did we ever do a Soviet/Russian list? Searched on ICM, but no results (icmforum +). Really not having good luck with my current picks. Will try Mister Designer now, recall that one having a following here.

This one: https://www.icheckmovies.com/lists/icm+ ... ewolf2003/

Brillant, cheers.

[Melvelet]

6. Aleksandr Nevskiy (1938) 6/10
Better than that terrible Ivan movie. Quite enjoyable on the visual and aural side. As expected the obviously propaganda plot, flat dialogues and two-dimensional characters are a letdown. The battle scenes would be cooler without the sped-up footage (there's so little instances where sped-up footage works). I don't know if it's due to censorship but there was quite a bit really bad editing. Overall I can certainly see the significance.

Spoiler

1. Nevestka 1972 — a.k.a. The Daughter-In-Law 8-/10
2. Trys dienos 1991 — a.k.a. Three Days 8/10
3. Kin-dza-dza! (1986) 8/10
4. Vedreba 1967 8-/10
5. Kamen (1992) - a.k.a. The Stone 5/10
6. Aleksandr Nevskiy (1938) 6/10

[sol]

From Russia with Love

1. A Man from Boulevard des Capucines (1987)
2. Watch Out for the Automobile (1966)
3. Kidnapping, Caucasian Style (1967)
4. Mio in the Land of Faraway (1987)
5. Assassin of the Tsar (1991)
6. The Commissar (1967)
7. Za Schastem (1917)
8. Zoology (2016)
9. Courier (1986)
10. Afonya (1975)
11. The Blue Bird (1976)
12. Twelve Chairs (1971)
13. Dark Waters (1993)
14. Interstelar (2014) FIRST CHECK!
15. Solaris (1972) REVISION
16. Stalker (1979) REVISION
17. Striped Trip (1961)
18. Operation 'Y' (1965)
19. Come and See (1985) REVISION
20. Misteriya-Buff (1969) FIRST CHECK!
21. Amphibian Man (1962)
22. The Snow Queen (1957)
23. Office Romance. (1977)
24. The Safety Match (1954)

25. Love and Pigeons (1985)



A Soviet comedy about a philandering and irresponsible father who frequently squanders his savings on buying more pigeons for his aviary. As the neglectful man in question, Aleksandr Mikhaylov is obnoxious, but the film certainly has its charms. Sergey Yurskiy is a particularly highlight as the constantly exaggerating Uncle Mitya who frequently gets chased about by his relatives (see above), but he is sadly never really in focus here.

[flavo5000]

Usually someone is all the way up to 60-70 films by this point.

Don't start giving people ideas. Canada was a nightmare this year, so at the moment I am enjoying the fact that this is the only challenge where I have managed to stay at the head of the pack for 14 days straight this year. I want to see how long I can keep the running streak up (I doubt I'll still be on top at the end of the month).

I think it all depends on whether jdidaco and blueboybob decides to go full-speed. If they don't (are they focusing on animation?) I would say you most likely have this down.

[sol]

Oh yes - I'm worried about you too... though in all honestly, I never expected to stay at the head of the Russian pack for half the month. I'm just naturally working through my watch-list. I fully expect to me be overtaken by Gloede any minute now, anyway.

[flavo5000]

2. Konyok-gorbunok a.k.a. The Magic Pony (1975)
3a. Krokodil Gena a.k.a. Gena the Crocodile (1969)
3b. Cheburashka (1971)
3c. Shapoklyak - The Gibus (1974)
3d. Cheburashka idyot v shkolu a.k.a. Cheburashka Goes To School (1983)

Spoiler

1a. Karlson vernulsya a.k.a. Karlson Returns (Soviet Union, 1970)
1b. Okhota a.k.a. The Hunt (Soviet Union, 1988)
1c. Korova a.k.a. The Cow (Soviet Union, 1989)
1d. Gargarin (Russia, 1994)
1e. Puteshestvie muravya a.k.a. Travels of an Ant (Soviet Union, 1983)
2. Konyok-gorbunok a.k.a. The Magic Pony (1975)
3a. Krokodil Gena a.k.a. Gena the Crocodile (1969)
3b. Cheburashka (1971)
3c. Shapoklyak - The Gibus (1974)
3d. Cheburashka idyot v shkolu a.k.a. Cheburashka Goes To School (1983)

[flavo5000]

Oh yes - I'm worried about you too... though in all honestly, I never expected to stay at the head of the Russian pack for half the month. I'm just naturally working through my watch-list. I fully expect to me be overtaken by Gloede any minute now, anyway.

Nah. no reason to be worried about me in this one. I'm pretty much entirely focused on animation this month. I'll probably watch some more Russian animation but I'd be shocked if I even hit 15.

[St. Gloede]

Don't start giving people ideas. Canada was a nightmare this year, so at the moment I am enjoying the fact that this is the only challenge where I have managed to stay at the head of the pack for 14 days straight this year. I want to see how long I can keep the running streak up (I doubt I'll still be on top at the end of the month).

I think it all depends on whether jdidaco and blueboybob decides to go full-speed. If they don't (are they focusing on animation?) I would say you most likely have this down.

Oh dear ...

[sol]

From Russia with Love

1. A Man from Boulevard des Capucines (1987)
2. Watch Out for the Automobile (1966)
3. Kidnapping, Caucasian Style (1967)
4. Mio in the Land of Faraway (1987)
5. Assassin of the Tsar (1991)
6. The Commissar (1967)
7. Za Schastem (1917)
8. Zoology (2016)
9. Courier (1986)
10. Afonya (1975)
11. The Blue Bird (1976)
12. Twelve Chairs (1971)
13. Dark Waters (1993)
14. Interstelar (2014) FIRST CHECK!
15. Solaris (1972) REVISION
16. Stalker (1979) REVISION
17. Striped Trip (1961)
18. Operation 'Y' (1965)
19. Come and See (1985) REVISION
20. Misteriya-Buff (1969) FIRST CHECK!
21. Amphibian Man (1962)
22. The Snow Queen (1957)
23. Office Romance. (1977)
24. The Safety Match (1954)
25. Love and Pigeons (1985)

26. Igla / The Needle (1988)



Viktor Tsoy is fine as the dedicated protagonist here, constantly walking around with a sense of calm and cool compared to the hyperactive drug dealers who have his ex-girlfriend hooked (and who might be sampling their own product with their weird behaviour). The film has some striking moments, most notably, scorpion close-ups during the cold turkey phase and a silent shot of a lightshade rocking back and forth, but the pacing frequently feels off.

[AB537]

4. Vozvrashcheniye - The Return (Andrey Zvyagintsev, 2003) 7.5/10 ... One of my top priority films coming into this challenge, and it didn't disappoint

[blueboybob]

10. The Miracle Maker (2000) <---- this was surprisingly decent
11. Euphoria (2006)

[Melvelet]

7. Dersu Uzala 1975 8/10

TSPDT check #800 after 1.5 months without focus on TSP. And a worthy check on top of that. Seeing Siberia served as a wonderful backdrop (and I fear I won't get around to watching Sibiriada this month) and was worth it seeing on its own. The plot revolves around the friendship between two people from different cultures (a 'civilized' Russian and a Namai living close to nature) who never really seem to get into the others sphere. A friendship "between a mind that maps, measures and controls nature compared to a mind that respects nature as an equal". Both minds develop an understanding for each other but ultimately the Captain stays a visitor/explorer in Dersu's world while the titular character doesn't manage to adopt to the civilization that is threatening to eliminate the traditional lifestyle of the natives in the long-term.

8.1 Vinni-Pukh 1969 — a.k.a. Winnie-the-Pooh 6/10
8.2 Vinni-Pukh idyot v gosti 1971 — a.k.a. Winnie-the-Pooh Pays a Visit 6/10
8.3 Vinni-Pukh i den zabot 1972 — a.k.a. Winnie-the-Pooh and a Busy Day 6/10
8.4 The Old Man and the Sea 1999 8/10

x.1 Yozhik v tumane 1975 — a.k.a. Hedgehog in the Fog 7/10

So I finally got around to watching some of the most beloved Russian shorts. The Soviet Winnie Pooh is cool but I don't see why it is that popular. The Petrov short is my second-to-last of his available shorts and looks as beautiful as everything by him.
Now, with Hedgehog in the Fog I'm not completely satisfied but I have a feeling it will stay with me for a bit. I like how the simple drawing style is combined with 3D effects and the tilted "camera" movements. And there is this subtle underlying darkness that lingers on...

Spoiler

1. Nevestka 1972 — a.k.a. The Daughter-In-Law 8-/10
2. Trys dienos 1991 — a.k.a. Three Days 8/10
3. Kin-dza-dza! (1986) 8/10
4. Vedreba 1967 8-/10
5. Kamen (1992) - a.k.a. The Stone 5/10
6. Aleksandr Nevskiy (1938) 6/10
7. Dersu Uzala 1975 8/10
8.1 Vinni-Pukh 1969 — a.k.a. Winnie-the-Pooh 6/10
8.2 Vinni-Pukh idyot v gosti 1971 — a.k.a. Winnie-the-Pooh Pays a Visit 6/10
8.3 Vinni-Pukh i den zabot 1972 — a.k.a. Winnie-the-Pooh and a Busy Day 6/10
8.4 The Old Man and the Sea 1999 8/10

x.1 Yozhik v tumane 1975 — a.k.a. Hedgehog in the Fog 7/10

[sol]

From Russia with Love

1. A Man from Boulevard des Capucines (1987)
2. Watch Out for the Automobile (1966)
3. Kidnapping, Caucasian Style (1967)
4. Mio in the Land of Faraway (1987)
5. Assassin of the Tsar (1991)
6. The Commissar (1967)
7. Za Schastem (1917)
8. Zoology (2016)
9. Courier (1986)
10. Afonya (1975)
11. The Blue Bird (1976)
12. Twelve Chairs (1971)
13. Dark Waters (1993)
14. Interstelar (2014) FIRST CHECK!
15. Solaris (1972) REVISION
16. Stalker (1979) REVISION
17. Striped Trip (1961)
18. Operation 'Y' (1965)
19. Come and See (1985) REVISION
20. Misteriya-Buff (1969) FIRST CHECK!
21. Amphibian Man (1962)
22. The Snow Queen (1957)
23. Office Romance. (1977)
24. The Safety Match (1954)
25. Love and Pigeons (1985)
26. Igla / The Needle (1988)

27. Woman's Kingdom (1968)



Their husbands away fighting, the women of a small farming village try to maintain their dignity during Nazi occupation here. The film captures the cruelty of the German soldiers well, most notably when a young man is stripped and flogged in public. A house burning is also chilling to watch. The tension between the women and the men when they return though feels very melodramatic and the stakes just are not the same without the Nazis.

[Melvelet]

9. Turksib 1929 8/10
These silent documentaries around the edge of avantgarde have been popular in the forum lists for a long time and rightly so. The focus on the industry/the worker's work (instead of his class or foreign enemy) also help with avoiding that annoying propaganda feeling (although it's obvious that it is propaganda) that plagues lots of other Soviet films. It's always a question how to evaluate the non-original soundtrack of a silent film but this one (from the BFI BD) lifts Turksib up quite a bit, the busy rhythm blends in with the low-frame rate rhythm of the environment and machinery.
It is also an interesting follow-up to yesterday's viewing of Dersu Uzala. Here, there is no peaceful living side by side of man and nature. Nature is the enemy to be fought to gather its resources. "War on the primitive" says one of the intertitles.

Spoiler

1. Nevestka 1972 — a.k.a. The Daughter-In-Law 8-/10
2. Trys dienos 1991 — a.k.a. Three Days 8/10
3. Kin-dza-dza! (1986) 8/10
4. Vedreba 1967 8-/10
5. Kamen (1992) - a.k.a. The Stone 5/10
6. Aleksandr Nevskiy (1938) 6/10
7. Dersu Uzala 1975 8/10
8.1 Vinni-Pukh 1969 — a.k.a. Winnie-the-Pooh 6/10
8.2 Vinni-Pukh idyot v gosti 1971 — a.k.a. Winnie-the-Pooh Pays a Visit 6/10
8.3 Vinni-Pukh i den zabot 1972 — a.k.a. Winnie-the-Pooh and a Busy Day 6/10
8.4 The Old Man and the Sea 1999 8/10
9. Turksib 1929 8/10

x.1 Yozhik v tumane 1975 — a.k.a. Hedgehog in the Fog 7/10

[Melvelet]

Counted all the kino-pravdas as one entry for now. It's a general question on whether to count shorts as one in the breakdown tables or not.
I didn't have the time to generalize my script yet to easily generate all kinds of breakdowns and count entries for a user-defined set of lists.

Decade breakdown:

Decade	Count
1910s	7
1920s	17
1930s	3
1940s	1
1950s	11
1960s	20
1970s	34
1980s	22
1990s	9
2000s	6
2010s	4
2020s	2

Movies that have been challenged more than once

Times challenged	Name	Year	IMDB	ICM
3	Come and See	1985
2	For Luck	1917
2	Misteriya-Buff	1969
2	The Snow Queen	1957
2	Godovshchina revolyutsii	1918
2	Two-Buldi-Two	1929
2	Moscow: Cassiopea	1974
2	Ivan the Terrible, Part II	1958
2	Shine, Shine, My Star	1970

[blueboybob]

12. Flights in Dreams and in Reality (1983)
13. Other People's Letters (1976)
14. Taurus (2001)
15. The Stoker (2010)

[sol]

From Russia with Love

1. A Man from Boulevard des Capucines (1987)
2. Watch Out for the Automobile (1966)
3. Kidnapping, Caucasian Style (1967)
4. Mio in the Land of Faraway (1987)
5. Assassin of the Tsar (1991)
6. The Commissar (1967)
7. Za Schastem (1917)
8. Zoology (2016)
9. Courier (1986)
10. Afonya (1975)
11. The Blue Bird (1976)
12. Twelve Chairs (1971)
13. Dark Waters (1993)
14. Interstelar (2014) FIRST CHECK!
15. Solaris (1972) REVISION
16. Stalker (1979) REVISION
17. Striped Trip (1961)
18. Operation 'Y' (1965)
19. Come and See (1985) REVISION
20. Misteriya-Buff (1969) FIRST CHECK!
21. Amphibian Man (1962)
22. The Snow Queen (1957)
23. Office Romance. (1977)
24. The Safety Match (1954)
25. Love and Pigeons (1985)
26. Igla / The Needle (1988)
27. Woman's Kingdom (1968)

28. Of Freaks and Men (1998)



With no audible sound, title cards and stark black and white photography, this gets off to an excellent start, playing out much like a silent movie. After around four minutes in, a sepia tint is adopted and audio creeps in, but the movie still remains alluring for its unusual subject. Viktor Sukhorukov is also perfectly creepy throughout as the bald-headed chief filmmaker with an unnerving sly smile, but my interest generally lessened as the film went on.

[sol]

From Russia with Love

1. A Man from Boulevard des Capucines (1987)
2. Watch Out for the Automobile (1966)
3. Kidnapping, Caucasian Style (1967)
4. Mio in the Land of Faraway (1987)
5. Assassin of the Tsar (1991)
6. The Commissar (1967)
7. Za Schastem (1917)
8. Zoology (2016)
9. Courier (1986)
10. Afonya (1975)
11. The Blue Bird (1976)
12. Twelve Chairs (1971)
13. Dark Waters (1993)
14. Interstelar (2014) FIRST CHECK!
15. Solaris (1972) REVISION
16. Stalker (1979) REVISION
17. Striped Trip (1961)
18. Operation 'Y' (1965)
19. Come and See (1985) REVISION
20. Misteriya-Buff (1969) FIRST CHECK!
21. Amphibian Man (1962)
22. The Snow Queen (1957)
23. Office Romance. (1977)
24. The Safety Match (1954)
25. Love and Pigeons (1985)
26. Igla / The Needle (1988)
27. Woman's Kingdom (1968)
28. Of Freaks and Men (1998)

29. Pippi Longstocking (1984)



As a narrative, this bears many similarities to Olle Hellbom's 1969 adaptation; Pippi once again befriends a lonely brother and sister and foils bumbling crooks out to rob her while confounding authorities. Unlike Hellbom's take though, this is a musical - and other than the final quarter hour, the action occurs at various locations in a single film studio a la Porgy and Bess. Great lead performance, but less special effects and less comedy in this take.

[blueboybob]

16. Family Relations (1982)
17. The Chekist (1992)
18. Wolfy (2009)

I a m realizing I actually know more Russian than I thought. I've only ever did textbook/duolingo studying. Watching a movie is "possible" through context clues

[Melvelet]

My tool can now fetch a dynamic set of OMDB info and create breakdowns from it. So I added a Director breakdown. Are there any other breakdowns you would want to see?

Decade breakdown:

Decade	Count
1910s	7
1920s	17
1930s	3
1940s	1
1950s	11
1960s	20
1970s	35
1980s	25
1990s	11
2000s	8
2010s	5
2020s	2

Director breakdown

Director	Count
Sergei M. Eisenstein	7
Aleksandr Mitta	5
Aleksandr Sokurov	5
Dziga Vertov	4
Lev Kuleshov	4
Roman Kachanov	4
Aleksey Balabanov	3
Andrey Konchalovskiy	3
Elem Klimov	3
Fyodor Khitruk	3
Ivan Ivanov-Vano	3
Leonid Gaidai	3
Lev Atamanov	3
Richard Viktorov	3
Yevgeni Bauer	3
Aleksandr Petrov	2
Aleksey German	2
Andrei Tarkovsky	2
Boris Barnet	2
David Cherkasskiy	2
Eldar Ryazanov	2
Georgiy Daneliya	2
Karen Shakhnazarov	2
Larisa Shepitko	2
Nina Agadzhanova	2
Yuri Norstein	2
Akira Kurosawa	1
Aksel Lundin	1
Aleksandr Askoldov	1
Aleksandr Dovzhenko	1
Aleksandr Kaydanovskiy	1
Aleksandr Rogozhkin	1
Aleksei Saltykov	1
Alexandre Volkoff	1
Alla Surikova	1
Andrey Zvyagintsev	1
Arunas Zebriunas	1
Boris Ablynin	1
Boris Butakov(co-director)	1
Boris Stepantsev	1
Derek W. Hayes	1
Dmitriy Meskhiev	1
Dmitriy Vasilev	1
Eduard Nazarov	1
Efim Gamburg	1
Egor Abramenko	1
Fyodor Otsep	1
Gani Kistauov	1
Gennadiy Kazanskiy	1
Gennadiy Sokolskiy	1
Gennady Shpalikov	1
George Cukor	1
Giorgi Shengelaia	1
Grigori Stobovoi	1
Grigoriy Aleksandrov	1
Grigoriy Roshal	1
Igor Kovalyov	1
Ilya Averbakh	1
Ilya Kopalin	1
Irina Povolotskaya	1
Ivan I. Tverdovskiy	1
Ivan Vyrypaev	1
Kazimir Gertel	1
Kenji Yoshida	1
Khodzha Kuli Narliyev	1
Konstantin Yudin	1
Lev Kulidzhanov	1
Margarita Mikaelyan	1
Marlen Khutsiev	1
Mikhail Kalatozov	1
Mikhail Kalik	1
Mikhail Kaufman	1
Mikhaïl Tsekhanovskii	1
Nathalia Hencker	1
Nikita Mikhalkov	1
Nikoloz Shengelaia	1
Noah Sokolovsky	1
Oleg Teptsov	1
Rashid Nugmanov	1
Roman Balayan	1
Roman Davydov	1
Sergei Yutkevich	1
Sergey A.	1
Sergey Loban	1
Sharunas Bartas	1
Stanislav Rostotskiy	1
Stanislav Sokolov	1
Stella Aristakesova	1
Svyatoslav Podgaevskiy	1
Tengiz Abuladze	1
Timur Bekmambetov	1
Vasiliy Sigarev	1
Victor A. Turin	1
Vitautas Mikalauskas	1
Vladimir Barsky	1
Vladimir Chebotaryov	1
Vladimir Danilevich	1
Vladimir Danilyevich	1
Vladimir Fetin	1
Vladimir Grammatikov	1
Vladimir Menshov	1
Vladimir Motyl	1
Vladislav Krivenchuk	1
Yakov Protazanov	1
Yakov Segel	1
Yevgeni Chervyakov	1
Yuliya Solntseva	1
Yuri Ilyenko	1
Zhaken Danenov	1

Movies that have been challenged more than once

Times challenged	Name	Year	IMDB	ICM
3	Come and See	1985
2	For Luck	1917
2	Misteriya-Buff	1969
2	The Snow Queen	1957
2	Godovshchina revolyutsii	1918
2	Two-Buldi-Two	1929
2	Moscow: Cassiopea	1974
2	Ivan the Terrible, Part II	1958
2	Shine, Shine, My Star	1970

[cinephage]

04.a Kino-pravda no. 6, by Dziga Vertov (1922) 7,5/10 - 13 minutes
04.b Kino-pravda no. 7, by Dziga Vertov (1922) 7,5/10 - 11 minutes
04.c Kino-pravda no. 8, by Dziga Vertov (1922) 7,5/10 - 13 minutes
04.d Kino-pravda no. 9, by Dziga Vertov (1922) 7,5/10 - 12 minutes
04.e Kino-pravda no. 10, by Dziga Vertov (1922) 7,5/10 - 12 minutes

I rate all the films at 7,5, but it does really make sense to rate such newsreels. Still, it's very interesting to see how the trials are handled, as well as the heavy vehicles for the fields...

05. Moskva slezam ne verit / Moscow does not believe in tears, by Vladimir Menshov (1980) 9/10

Such a sweet, charming, dear movie !! I loved everything about it...

Russian delicacies (03)

01. Sputnik, by Egor Abramenko (2020) 7,5/10
02. Kinoglaz, by Dziga Vertov (1924) 7/10
03.a Kino-pravda no. 21 - Leninskaia Kino-pravda. Kinopoema o Lenine, by Dziga Vertov (1924) 7,5/10 - 29 minutes
03.b Kino-pravda no. 1, by Dziga Vertov (1922) 7,5/10 - 10 minutes
03.c Kino-pravda no. 2, by Dziga Vertov (1922) 7,5/10 - 10 minutes
03.d Kino-pravda no. 3, by Dziga Vertov (1922) 7,5/10 - 7 minutes
03.e Kino-pravda no. 4, by Dziga Vertov (1922) 7,5/10 - 7 minutes
03.f Kino-pravda no. 5, by Dziga Vertov (1922) 7,5/10 - 7 minutes

[blueboybob]

19. Cargo 200 (2007)
20. Of Freaks and Men (1998)
21. Schizo (2004)
22. The Stroll (2003)
23. Enchanted Desna (1964)
24. Freedom Is Paradise (1989)
25. Officers (1971)

[sol]

My tool can now fetch a dynamic set of OMDB info and create breakdowns from it. So I added a Director breakdown. Are there any other breakdowns you would want to see?

By which Official Lists the films appear on... if that's possible.