Favorite Films (lists up to participating site members)

[Mayerling]

I think that you're just Stalin for time.

I felt like dancing the fox Trot. Skying and other out-door exercising is not in my line. Anyone for "Putin on the Ritz".

[I dare anyone to use Kerensky, Bulganin, or Zhukov in a pun!]

Jeff

[GUT]

I felt like dancing the fox Trot. Skying and other out-door exercising is not in my line. Anyone for "Putin on the Ritz".

[I dare anyone to use Kerensky, Bulganin, or Zhukov in a pun!]

Jeff

A dare...

I'll see if I Kenensky, so stop Bulganin around and Zhukov out of here.

Sorry the best can do at this time of day.

[Mayerling]

A dare...

I'll see if I Kenensky, so stop Bulganin around and Zhukov out of here.

Sorry the best can do at this time of day.

I guess it's fair enough GUT. It was pretty early in the day.

Jeff

[GUT]

I guess it's fair enough GUT. It was pretty early in the day.

Jeff

And remember I'm still recovering from Christmas

[Archaic]

'Burnt By the Sun' (1994) Russian w/Subtitles

I watched an incredible Russian film several years ago called 'Burnt By the Sun'.
The film received the Grand Prize at the 1994 Cannes Film Festival and the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film, among many other honours.(source: Wikipedia.)

The acting is absolutely superb, so much more natural and nuanced that the drivel that comes out of Hollywood. It's directed by and stars Nikita Mikhalkov with Oleg Menshikov. This movie made me seek out their other work, some of which I was able to find with English subtitles.

There's a Wikipedia entry for 'Burnt By The Sun', but if I were you I wouldn't read it before viewing the film, as it gives too much away.

I'll just explain the film's basic setting for the benefit those who aren't familiar with Russian history:

It's set in the summer of 1936, the height of Stalin's bloody "Great Purge", and the events take place in one day.

General Sergei Kotov is a Red Army hero of the Bolshevik Revolution & Russian Civil War (1917-1920s). He and his wife Maroussia and their little girl Nadia are vacationing at their country house. Maroussia's family are members of the pre-Revolution Aristocracy/Intelligentsia who have managed to hang on in Soviet Russia.

The family is enjoying their summer vacation when an unexpected visitor turns up: Maroussia's ex-fiance Mitya who was last seen 13 years earlier in 1923, fighting with the White Army against the Red Army, when he suddenly disappeared.

If any of you watch this movie or have already seen it I'd love to hear your opinion. I think I saw it on Netflix.

Cheers,
Archaic

[Mayerling]

Hi Archaic,

The plot line in "Burnt By the Sun" sounds plausible - a similar plot has been used by Homer ("The Odessey") and Tennyson ("Enoch Arden"). Russian popular myth is full of them. Did Tsar Alexander I die at Tagenrog in the Crimea in 1825, or did he turn into the holy man Fyodor Kuzmich? The false Dmitries in the "times of trouble" were all claiming to be the dead son of Ivan the Terrible, and later Pugachev (who led the great revolt against Catherine the Great) claimed he was the murdered Tsar Peter III. This is also not solely found in Russia. Perkins Welbeck claimed he was Edward IV's second son, Richard, Duke of York, who vanished in the Tower of London with his brother in 1483. And there is the famous case of stolen identity from France in the 16th Century, concerning "Martin Guerre".

Jeff

[lynn cates]

driven to drink

Hello GUT. Thanks.

Well, if you are going to be that way about it, I'll just sit and sip my favourite Russian mixed drink--vodka and prune juice: the famed Trotsky.

Cheers.
LC

[GUT]

Hello GUT. Thanks.

Well, if you are going to be that way about it, I'll just sit and sip my favourite Russian mixed drink--vodka and prune juice: the famed Trotsky.

Cheers.
LC

[Archaic]

Hi Archaic,

The plot line in "Burnt By the Sun" sounds plausible - a similar plot has been used by Homer ("The Odessey") and Tennyson ("Enoch Arden"). Russian popular myth is full of them. Did Tsar Alexander I die at Tagenrog in the Crimea in 1825, or did he turn into the holy man Fyodor Kuzmich? The false Dmitries in the "times of trouble" were all claiming to be the dead son of Ivan the Terrible, and later Pugachev (who led the great revolt against Catherine the Great) claimed he was the murdered Tsar Peter III. This is also not solely found in Russia. Perkins Welbeck claimed he was Edward IV's second son, Richard, Duke of York, who vanished in the Tower of London with his brother in 1483. And there is the famous case of stolen identity from France in the 16th Century, concerning "Martin Guerre".

Jeff

Hi Jeff.

I may have given the wrong impression of the movie because the plot is so good I don't want to give anything away.

The plot of 'Burnt By The Sun' isn't about 'stolen identities'. People disappeared and resurfaced - or disappeared and never resurfaced - all the time during the Red Terror.
For example, the great-grandfather of someone I know vanished and was never heard from again. No corpse, nothing. He was a member of the "Bourgeoisie", so all the family could ever deduce was that it wasn't good. His two children had to escape on foot through China.

The film concerns identities, but more in the way of "Who can you trust?"

The title 'Burnt By The Sun' always brings the image of Icarus to my mind.

Best regards,
Archaic

[Mayerling]

Hi Jeff.

I may have given the wrong impression of the movie because the plot is so good I don't want to give anything away.

The plot of 'Burnt By The Sun' isn't about 'stolen identities'. People disappeared and resurfaced - or disappeared and never resurfaced - all the time during the Red Terror.
For example, the great-grandfather of someone I know vanished and was never heard from again. No corpse, nothing. He was a member of the "Bourgeoisie", so all the family could ever deduce was that it wasn't good. His two children had to escape on foot through China.

The film concerns identities, but more in the way of "Who can you trust?"

The title 'Burnt By The Sun' always brings the image of Icarus to my mind.

Best regards,
Archaic

I got a bit side-tracked after mentioning "The Odyssey" and "Enoch Arden".
In those cases the missing person does return.

Jeff

[Archaic]

PS: I'm still waiting for Lynn to come along and mention Sophocles.

Archaic

[Robert]

The title 'Burnt By The Sun' always brings the image of Icarus to my mind.

Ah yes : Daedialectical materialism.

[lynn cates]

It's all Greek to me.

Hello Bunny. Thanks.

Sophocles? I was thinking more of Euripides.

Hmm, sounds like a question asked by a tailor. I suppose the reply must be, "Yes. Eumen(d)ides?"

Cheers.
LC

[lynn cates]

materially speaking

Hello Robert. Don't mean to be anti-thetical, but your humour is quite synthetic. (heh-heh)

Cheers.
LC

[Steadmund Brand]

Been awhile since a list was put up.. so I thought I would start another....how about favorite "Bio-Pics".. now knowing that almost NO movies "based on actual events" is even close to the truth let's not talk about "realism" but more what films we enjoyed (or if we want to bash/laugh at inaccuracies why not eh?).. this time I’ll put them in order by year. Let’s go thru the 50’s to start ok (otherwise my list would be over 100 films!!)

1- Napoleon (1927)- about Napoleon Bonaparte
2- The Passion of Joan of Arc (1928)- About Joan of Arc
3- The Private Life of Henry VIII- (1933)- About Henry VIII
4- Man of Conquest (1939) – About Sam Houston
5- The Return of Frank James (1940)- About Frank James
6- Sergeant York (1941)- About Alvin York
7- Gentleman Jim (1942) – About James J Corbett
8- The Pride of The Yankees (1942)- About Lou Gehrig
9- Ivan the Terrible (1944)- About Ivan IV of Russia
10- Dillinger (1945)- About john Dillinger
11- A Song to Remember (1945) – About Frederic Chopin
12- Hans Christian Anderson (1952)- About Hans Christian Anderson
13- The Pride of St. Louis (1952) – About Dizzy Dean
14- The Story of Will Rogers (1952) – About Will Rogers
15- Julius Caesar (1953) – About Julius Caesar (Ok this one I know will get people going… the Brando film is so love/hate.. no in between here  )
16- The Glenn Miller Story (1954)- About Glenn Miller
17- Lust for Life (1956)- About Vincent Van Gogh (no mention of his being the Ripper in this one sad to say)
18- Somebody Up There likes Me (1956) – About Rocky Graziano
19- Fear Strikes Out (1957)- About Jimmy Piersall
20- Man of A Thousand Faces (1957) – About Lon Chaney Sr.
21- Monkey on My Back- (1957) – About Barney Ross
22- I Want To Live- (1958) – About Barbara Graham
23- The Left Handed Gun (1958) - About Billy The Kid
24- Machine-Gun Kelly (1958)- About George Machine-Gun Kelly
25- The Gene Krupa Story ( 1959) – About Gene Krupa

If people want I will do 1960’s and 1970’s next….

Steadmund Brand