The Vanished Empire @ the Russian Resurrection Film Festival
November 3rd 2008 04:18
The opening of the Russian Resurrection Film Festival paraded around with shots of vodka and smoked salmon, a balalaika orchestra gradually picking up tempo. We were there to see the latest film from Karen Shakhnazarov, one of the most accomplished directors in modern Russia.
Shakhnazarov has lived through the Cold War, born in the 50s, releasing his first film, "We Are From Jazz" in the 80s, when the height of Mutually Assured Destruction created a great rift between the West and the Soviet block, leading to Hollywood films that invariably featured Russians as the villains.
Since then, however, the wall collapsed and, with it, fell the influence of communism, leading the leaders of capitalist countries to pat themselves on the back with an ideology well done.
Interestingly, through this time, Shakhnazarov kept shooting, still producing films, going on to become the manager of Mosfilm Studios. His 2008 release, "The Vanished Empire", gives us a pure, unfiltered look at the other side of the wall.
It takes place in the 70s, when Soviet Russia started to stumble on the footsteps to global dominance - the Americans had put a man on the moon, The Beatles and The Rolling Stones were breaking the music scene wide open, and productivity in Russia was faltering to the demands of the population.
We see Sergey, a well-dressed, slender young man, stuck in college but only interested in one thing: girls. Despite the difference in ideology between the East and the West, this one point seems to be universal... young men couldn't care less about politics, as long as they have the means and the time to chase after the objects of their affection.
Shakhnazarov's film comes across like a fond memory. Shot in wonderful detail, with nostalgic, soft lighting, and a bright, cheerful disposition, "The Vanished Empire" is a mesmerizing look inside a country that most of us were brought up to believe were the 'bad guys'.
Sergey's grandfather is revealed to be a famous archaeologist; his parents, too, were academics. Naturally, they would like Sergey to follow in their search of intellectual knowledge, which Russian society has a strong tradition in.
Instead, however, Sergey takes his grandfather's books, piled high in his apartment, collecting dust, to a second-hand book store, where he pawns them for cash, which he uses to buy Wranglers, Pink Floyd albums and beer.
Here it is: The Vanished Empire... once a country of respected intellectuals, the politics of the global stage have pushed the youth to desire the other side. Shakhnazarov's film feels incredibly personal, as we understand that he grew up at this time, desperate to taste the fruits of the modern world.
Even stranger: as we see these Russian kids, playing rock music, dancing strangely to music that they are forbidden to hear, we realize that they enjoy it so much more than we ever did. While Pink Floyd sold millions of copies of "Dark Side of the Moon" in America, for Sergey to buy one copy on the black market leads to indescribable pleasure when listening to it for the first time. "The Vanished Empire" is absolutely sublime...
I say: An excellent, excellent film, one that encourages me to check out the Shakhnazarov Retrospective at the festival this year. There's a whole world of Russian cinema to explore - don't miss it!
See it for: This film is one of the most charming that I've ever seen, with Sergey using his sincerity and confidence to approach girls with casual ease.
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Comment by Janet Collins
The Social Critic
Janet Collins Blog
If anything would entice me to see this, your review did.
I don't know if I would have bothered otherwise. Thanks.
Comment by Cibbuano
20/20 Filmsight
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Thanks for reading! This review went too long - I didn't expect many people to read it, but I couldn't contain myself. This was an excellent, highly entertaining film, full of sincerity and warmth...
Comment by Sathya Pinisetty
Thanks for your review. It did encourage me to watch this film and luckily I got to see it in the International film festival of India. I would love to add this film to my collection and it would of great help if you could guide me as to where I can purchase a dvd for this film.
Thanks once again.
Comment by Cibbuano
20/20 Filmsight
Science News
Hunt Famous
Orble Post of the Day
Fat Cult
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Thanks for reading! I'm glad you decided to watch the film, and I hope you found it as enjoyable as I did...
...as for a DVD, the movie just came out this year, so I would not expect a DVD release for a while. It hasn't even done a theatrical run worldwide, yet, I believe.
Look at my recent reviews for some other, excellent films, such as "Days of Darkness", or "The Desert Within".