radlov

The Italian brothers Taviani have produced a master piece on the basis of one of the great novels of Lev Tolstoy. It is a dramatic story of moral downfall and a subsequent attempt at redemption or "resurrection". Especially moving is the interpretation of the role of Katiusha Maslova by Stefania Rocca.

The only external review mentioned here is that of the Russian newspaper Izvestia, in which the movie is duly praised, as capturing the Russian spirit more than almost any other Western production about Russian themes. It is also mentioned that the great length of the film (3 hours) permits a global rendering of the novel, in all its aspects, without serious truncations.

In other words, it is a real masterpiece and I wonder why so few people have paid attention to this great movie.

This is simply one of the best movies ever made.

Unfortunately, it is too refined to ever make it into the IMDb Top-250, I fear.

The qualities of this film are well described in some other comments. A marvelous story, based on a great novel. Somewhat too slow for some people. Psychological depth, even though the main character (you can't call him "hero")is rather despicable. A beautiful picture of 18th century society and morals, underlined by beautiful 18th century music. Great acting. Splendid photography. Three hours is not too long for so much beauty.

Those who exclusively like action films should stay away. Those preferring films which are more subtle and profound should by no means miss the opportunity to see it.

This is no movie for those who only like action films. Amators of Italian and French social-realist dramas from the '50s, however, will find it very much to their taste. Director Lydia Bobrova pictures the bleak life in the Russian countryside by showing some events in the life of three brothers and their families. The three brothers are different in character, but all suffer from the dreariness of kolchoz life, which contrasts starkly with the glamour of the celebrations of the Moscow Olympics of 1980, which the protagonists can see on TV. Before Gorbachov's perestrojka, the director would not have had the chance of making this sad, but sensitive and realistic movie. At the Toronto film festival, a critic wrote. "...the film achieves a powerful air of authenticity that is destined to make it a classic of Russian cinema.' The title is derived from a nostalgic Russian song that is performed several times in the movie. The wild geese have the possibility of moving on to milder climes, a possibility that Russian country people don't have.