We Are Jazzmen
November 12th 2008 22:27
Such fervent passion went into this production, a simple story of a young man, kicked out of music school for his love of jazz, that starts a jazz band with two desperate street musicians. The story stumbles into suspension of belief, but this is not a movie that pretends to subscribe to realism... this is fantasy and dreams imprinted onto celluloid.
This is 1920s Russia, before the world became too embroiled in disagreements on political ideology, and these hopeful musicians play with all their strength and energy, looking for any chance to perform on stage. Here's a musical interlude, with no English subtitles, that conveys the delightful energy of the film:
It's a marvellous first production, even despite the flaws in the audio and production, one that seems to carry the theme of the power and nostalgia of music in Russia. This was revisited for Shakhnazarov's 2008 release, "The Vanished Empire", which opened the Russian Resurrection Film Festival; the film touches on life in the Soviet Union in the 80s, when the greatest pleasure was to buy a Pink Floyd album on the black market.
"We Are Jazzmen" is a perfect tribute to the dedication to music, giving yourself so wholly and completely, without question. Watching the film, the audience must question if the birthplace of jazz, the USA, is somehow less sincere than countries that attempt to imitate. The distinctive Russian flavour adds so much spice and fragrance to music that might be considered old-fashioned and dull to youth today, revitalizing the music.
Shakhnazarov is not content to sit in a field of dreams, however... as this review from Out Where The Buses Don't Run No More intelligently points out, one powerful phrase in the movie is when an old military saxophonist, questioning the need for improvisation, says:
"It must have come from the Germans. The Germans invent something and we, the Russian people, always pay for it."
The immediate conclusion drawn is about the first and second World Wars, an obvious dig at the Russian front. The review points out, though, that Karl Marx was, in fact, German, and the line is a sly dig at the ideology that pushed Russia to the cold side of the Cold War.
Consequently, "We Are Jazzmen" is a wonderful film, one that pushes aside the Western stereotype of dull Soviet cinema, breathing life and energy into a movie that is as lively as it is funny. No matter what political institutions exist at that time, cinema is everlasting; the ability to make an audience laugh or sympathize with characters is above all, godly.
I say: Hard to find, but an absolute gem. Enjoyable to the last drop.
See it for: Georgy, the drummer, is a strange looking maniac, who injects the film with clumsy comic vitality.
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