Finally got round to watching Elem Klimov's 1985 film 'Come and see' last night. Frankly superb. J.G. Ballard described it as the best film about war ever made, I suspect he may be right, it's certainly reached the top of my list. Slightly bizzare in places, some would say a little slow in getting going(very Russian I suspect) but I could only disagree, as an evocation of the effects of warfare it makes Saving Private Ryan, Band of Brothers et.al. look somewhat amateurish. (real ammunition/artillery used for most of the scenes) Strong stuff. I'd reccomend it to anyone Cheers, Adam.
Is it generally available on DVD? I'd spent a year or so looking and it was only available on the wrong region, however it was released quite recently on Region 2 and seems to be on general release, I've seen it in Virgin, mine was from Amazon: Amazon.co.uk: Come And See [1985]: Amazon.co.uk:: Alexei Kravchenko,Olga Mironova,Liubomiras Lauciavicius (£15... so I assume i'll spot it for £6 sometime soon...hohum) Cheers, Adam.
as an evocation of the effects of warfare it makes Saving Private Ryan, Band of Brothers et.al. look somewhat amateurish. (real ammunition/artillery used for most of the scenes) . Sounds like quite a film. What part of the war does it portray? Any good bits before I go an buy it?
Byelorussia, I think in 1943, more & trailer here: http://imdb.com/title/tt0091251/ and Owen enthuses here : http://www.ww2talk.com/forum/books-movies/8057-your-favourite-ww-ii-movie.html?highlight=klimov#post88883 Still think it's that rarest of things, a long, subtitled film that really gripped me. If you're looking for 'action' most of it is concentrated into a fairly short but horrifying section (especially if you've got kids). edit: Cross-posted with the above 2 posts, really must stop wandering off while writing.
Who wins? I think you'll be glad to know that the Americans did not influence the outcome of this film by capturing an enigma machine or by taking on the might of the Imperial Japanese Air Force I think that the only winner was the Grim Reaper
Posted this on the Favourite War Movie thread.post #29 Watched it in Russian with subtitles, get a better "feel" that way. Boy, you can tell this isn't Hollywood. Rather slow but that is good as it allowed the story to develop. Great insight to forest life in a Partisan camp in Belorussia in 1943. Keep having to remember the main character is only a teenage lad. Fresh faced at the start of the film, looks about 50 at the end. Music to the film is fantastic and very oppressive at times. The droning sound of the over-flying German spotter plane is very sinister. The showing of violence is not gratuitous alot of the deaths happen out of shot. The scene with the village church is handled well. Really not to be watched before going to bed, especially if you have small children and think of what went on in that church. That is what is good, all you see is the church from the outside BUT you know what is going on and can visualise the scenes inside. Not pleasant. In the film they used real explosives (not cinema pyrotechnics) in many scenes and live tracer rounds in the cow stealing sequence. Some slightly arty bits, such as the White Stork appearing in a few scenes which the meaning of was lost on me, Eastern Europeans think it is good luck to have them nest on their house so perhaps it is contected with that, in an ironic way because this lad was having no luck. Talking of birds it was good to hear Great Snipe calling on the misty morning, well I think it was. Film is 137 minutes long with choice of Russian with subtitles or English overdub. A very thought provoking film, made me abhorr anything remotely connecting with Nazism. Not one to watch late at night if you want to get to sleep afterwards but it was only time I could view it with no small children around. If this is Russian cinema then show me more and keep Hollywood's war movies away.
I forgot to add, several times since watching this when I've heard a plane that sounds similar to the one in the film it gives me the shivers. Trailer here YouTube - Come and See Trailer
... Elem Klimov's 1985 film 'Come and see'. Frankly superb...(real ammunition/artillery used for most of the scenes)... well, they didn't spare money on ''real'' props - then, back in 1985. unfortunately, this film, however brilliantly produced - smacks of anti-fascistic hysteria. and, whereas making attempts to philosophize, it fails to disclose the real nature of the fascism.
it fails to disclose the real nature of the fascism How do you work that out when Hitler wanted to wipe out the Slavic people to make liebesraum for his Master race? What do you consider the real nature of fascism then?
... What do you consider the real nature of fascism then? you really want to talk on this subject? me thinks, we better do not raise this issue...
you really want to talk on this subject? me thinks, we better do not raise this issue... Maybe in the correct area of the Forum but not here. We talking about the movie on this thread.
