Screw kings! Yeah, to hell with that cabbage!!! Dear friends!
If you do not know how to spoil yourself on March 8 film evening, you can safely contact the address – to me!
It turns out that in the Soviet favorite film industry there were both gaps (a), and failure(s). And if I go into details for a short while, then, of course, I am talking about this film, shot on the basis of the satirical story of the legendary O. Henry, but shot ugly, without a soul, and without a Georgian conscience. Don’t know by whom and, apparently, according to the order of the Soviet time.
Of course, I cannot but be proud of the fact that many Soviet films, despite obvious contradictions in world politics, were made on the basis of American literary works. These films are really a lot, and the literary sources for which these films were created were not always known and popular among our people - thereby, respect for American literary culture and the classics of world literature, to which, without any doubt, my favorite and unique writer O. Henry is ranked.
O. I really do love Henry. A wonderful author of humorous novels and novels cannot help but touch the soul with at least his sense of humor, which... in my opinion has already proved its eternity, simplicity and unsurpassed. But in addition to the magnificent sense of humor and writer’s gift, O. Henry carried through his works and political thoughts, veiled hints of his attitude to certain political events and actions of politicians. And even if this great writer did not live as long as we would like, but he was able to leave us his immortal legacy of remarkable works, among which the story “Kings and Cabbage” was not lost, just about humor and politics, so kindly filmed by Soviet filmmakers ... but so terrible!
.. Doubts move into the realm of thought - literally immediately. Fortunately, the presence in the list of participants of the film such respected and well-known actors as Dzhigarkhanyan, Gaft and Karachentsev, forces to wait for something more worthwhile at least a little. And here it is. I was waiting...
.. Half an hour waited... Waited an hour. Series one was waiting... Two, with grief in half. Sorry, I didn't wait!!
If it was a comedy, why am I not funny? If it was a drama, it was clearly not a drama in the broad sense of the word. The songs are disgusting. Actors are unfamiliar and disgusting. The lights on the set - how much did they pour for the collar?! The music, which brings to mind the fauilletons "Trailists" and "Dog Barbos..." - I regretted having a hearing in principle. Dzhigarkhanyan is unpleasant, the character of Gaft in the costume of a cool cowboy is sloppy at the exit, Karachentsev is mercilessly not enough, and he does not appear immediately, and he excites only at first.
Next.
I had previously read O. Henry and Kings and Cabbage. It's just heaven and earth!
I understand perfectly well that a literary original is almost always much better and fuller than its adaptation, but I have never seen a film adaptation of a famous work of classics of world literature so terrible. Yes, I understand perfectly well that the budget was clearly not Hollywood scale, but after all, almost all Soviet famous films were created for not the biggest money, but it was really art! What was that? It is better to remain silent.
I didn't see the depth of the characters. It's pretty shallow and dim. As if they tried to mention all the iconic moments and iconic heroes from the book, but it turned out all in a hurry, ridiculously and not unified. No sense of beauty or depth of art. Moreover, there is no sense of sympathy or antipathy for any of the characters of the film, and where it comes from, when it is simply not clear who is who and why he is.
The whole film, tormenting my memory and looking at the film, I tried to put into a single mosaic what I saw and what I remembered from the book. It worked out -- alas, not everything. And where could it come from when there is no understanding of what is happening, why and where. And only rare moments of insight forced me to recall the hitherto read shoes, the murder of the governor, the scattered Remainik and Admiral of the Andzur state. And unfortunately, it was like sketches from "The Best Movie."
This movie is very little known. I know him only because I never look at film ratings, and I really wanted to look at the adaptation of O. Henry’s favorite novel. And the Soviet one. As a result - lost in the abyss almost 2 hours of limited life.
3 out of 10
P.S. Here, they say that a book is the best gift... so with those who say that, you better not argue. They're telling the truth.
And no matter how beautiful the film adaptation of the book is sometimes, it will still yield to its original source, because beauty is unique and unique. So are masterpieces. They are also unique... and unique!!