- As a child, I was taught that it is not good to read other people’s letters. You and I had a different childhood.
Not beauty, but love will save the world. And I was convinced of this once again, watching the strongest film “East-West”. The main characters of the loving family are husband Alexei Golovanov (Oleg Menshikov) and his wife, Frenchwoman Marie (Sandrine Bonner) with a young son, who returned to Russia after Stalin announced their repatriation and fell into the postwar hell of snitching, suspicion, denunciation, unfreedom. Marie is determined to return to France. But there's no turning back. Her husband, a doctor, more or less began to adapt to Soviet reality. On all this ground, disagreements gradually begin in the family.
All the actors in the film are amazing!
Oleg Menshikov played a great role. Most of the film is in French. How beautiful that language was from his mouth! His French was seductive! And one game of eyes worth what, no words! And despite all the twists and turns of fate, there was no doubt for a moment that he stopped loving his wife! And yes, the finale of the film showed what a loving man is capable of. Looking at Menshikov’s convincing without false play, one thought still did not leave me: how, having lived such a difficult fate for his hero, Oleg Yevgenyevich does not occupy any civic position in life, when the present time in Russia resembles Stalin’s times.
In my opinion, the acting work of Sergei Bodrov (Sasha Vasiliev) in this film is stronger than in the cult “Brother”. For me, Bodrov Jr. was an actor with a face without emotions, with an unchanged appearance, with the same timbre of voice and in no way suitable for the role of a lover. But, oddly enough, in this film, his individuality of play lay down as it should, the sincerity of feelings came from the inside, understood through the screen. Sasha’s youthful pure love for Marie and her adult female love for him are permeated with pain, motherhood, tragedy and beauty! And the episodes of Sasha’s escape in the black cold sea against the current to the Turkish ship, which are replaced by episodes of a concert with songs of the Red Army ensemble, conducted by Boyko who is very charismatically played by Boris Stupka, shake the soul to shivering, especially when you know that such a talented Sergei Bodrov tragically died young (three years after the filming of this film) and Boris Stupka is no longer in life.
I saw the actress Sandrine Bonner for the first time and now I want to see more films with her participation, because with her Marie I went all the way and felt all her feelings and cried with her.
I want to mention the beautiful actress Tatiana Dogeleva (Olga). Her role was small, but again incomparably played: a kind of woman-predator, who senses the prey, where she lies poorly, or in other words, a weak link, quickly picking up the hands of men, knowing the time when to open the door of her room, or when to light a cigarette or pour a glass. The dialogue between Olga and Alexey is in the title of the review. It seems to be a negative character Olga, but the talented game of Dogileva, her eyes during the breakup of relations with Alexei, in which there was either anguish, or hopelessness of loss, causes pity for the heroine, but not triumph, that they say that you need so.
Well, and, of course, the incomparable Catherine Deneuve strengthened the film with her presence. There is no comment here!
I did not start watching this film with a skeptical mood – on the contrary, the high rating of the audience, the cast and (!) a brief description of the plot inspired me to trust the film, which would sometimes cause me doubts. I confess: I am not a fan of historical cinema, firstly, because I am convinced of the factual impossibility of objective coverage of historical events in any discourse, and secondly, because the study of history takes place within the framework of the analysis of real archival documents and different points of view. Why did I start watching this movie? Simply because it claimed to be not a historical film, but a love story. Why do I rate him extremely negatively? Because he was politically biased .
I chose a negative type of review, and at the same time I am not going to write “about the anti-Soviet” (for yes, the Decree of the Presidium of the USSR Armed Forces on the restoration of Soviet citizens of the former Russian Empire living in France was indeed, and indeed many re-emigrants were subjected to repression). I'll also skip moments of historical mistakes (such as the ridiculous scenes of providing a room after being accused of espionage, grandma's funeral in church, talking about "beautiful.") Austria! forty years! What’s more, I don’t have sentimental feelings based on Pushkin’s old-fashioned aphorism: “I, of course, despise my fatherland from head to toe – but I am annoyed if a foreigner shares this feeling with me.” And, of course, I consider the highest degree of childishness to attribute the authors of this work to the “enemies of the people”, “fifth column”, etc., etc., for their motives are much simpler and more prosaic than anyone may think.
Why is this film disgusting to me? Because it is nationalist. Note that the opposition (even in the title!) is not totalitarianism - democracy, not dictatorship - freedom, but the East - the West. And that idea runs through the film. The positive characters in this film are either citizens of foreign countries or Russians who adore the West or are eager to escape there. All those who do not want to go to the West are either moral freaks, sadists, or “bad”, antisocial, lost people. The West is the “promised land”, France is the “welfare country” (strange in light of the post-war economic crisis), where every sane person should strive to leave the hell, which is not even the Soviet Union, but, according to the title of the film, the entire East. The problem is not in individuals who inhabited the USSR, not in a society that conformally accepts the requirements of the system, not in a system that ruthlessly destroys people morally and physically, not in the regime and not in the political/economic course. The problem is East. Although, it would seem, what does it have to do with the East and the West, if we are talking about freedom and dictatorship, while in the West was Spain + a number of authoritarian countries of South America, and in the East - Taiwan and South Korea? However, the theme of this film is not what is stated in the trailer and description, but boring, notorious and covered in the 90s in all ways canonization of the image of the West, in other words, supremacy, domination of some nations over others. Pure nationalism, absolutely unacceptable in art, nauseating.
It is necessary to talk about the Stalin era, and perhaps it is not pointless to present one’s position also in the cinema, and it is undoubtedly necessary to express different assessments and views. Many films were made about this era, and worthy, including denunciations, emphasizing the regime, exposing the system (for example, “Weary by the Sun” in 1994 or “The Feast of Baltasar, or the Night with Stalin”). There is another category – the famous “cranberries” in the spirit of the recently released “Number 44” or the infamous sequels / prequels of “Burnt by the Sun” – but this is just a stupid “cranberries” where both the facts are made up and the story is not history, and the viewer perceives it as a whole adequately, awarding low scores. However, the theme in all films of these categories is usually defined as the confrontation of freedom and totalitarianism, but not as the confrontation of nations.
It is sad that such a vile, false in terms of its own positioning film has a warm audience response and high marks. In conclusion, we can only wish everyone who evaluates this “creation” positively to be more attentive to semantic substitutions or more honest about cinema, which, like any healthy art, does not tolerate politics.
This movie is terrible. Some deliberately grotesque picture of the Stalin era seasoned with classical music. Stereotyped characters immediately make it clear to the viewer: here are the bad, here are the good. Every dialogue in this film looks ridiculous, artificial, the concentration of pathos in the game of actors is skyrocketing. East-West, starting with its name and ending with the last frame, leaves behind a feeling of not even pretentiousness, but some kind of obscenity.
The plot is extremely banal and full of templates, in the film there is no holistic, unifying core, it is just a set of clumsy fitting scenes in each of which there are necessarily the same strained and clumsy tears of actors.
This kind of film is not something incriminating, it wants to be, but it is not. Under the mask of a certain revelation and lyrics, which the director wanted to fill his picture, we are waiting for an ordinary film of medium hand, shot strictly according to the canons and from this deeply incompetent.
The Bolsheviks once called cinema the main flag of art. In this they were not mistaken: books are not read by so many people; people are not interested in painting either, because you need to think when viewing most paintings in order to decipher and understand the images and symbols embedded in them.
It's just a movie. Moreover, quality films can leave such a strong impression on people that they can cut into the memory of entire generations.
And all was well in the Soviet Union, as long as the cinema was completely subjugated by the propaganda machine of “the country of light socialism”. (Of course, we now know how "good" everything was with the Gulag, the purges, the Holodomors.) Even the same Alexander Dovzhenko was forced to encrypt his REAL vision of the Bolshevik system, laying destructive information "between the lines." For example, in the film Arsenal (1929) there is an episode: revolutionaries seize the train, it moves at an increasing and increasing speed, but ... no one knows how to drive it. As a result, the train goes downhill and all the Bolsheviks, except the main character, die. And in the film “Ivan” (1932) there is another, no less eloquent episode: a worker died on the construction of the Dnieper Hydroelectric Power Plant, and then before the viewer there is a whole “carnival” of continuous ropes, cables, cargoes, where one single person is nothing. He's just a cog. It will break, so what?! And if the first film from oblivion in the Soviet Union was saved by Stalin himself, who loved Arsenal, then the mentioned episode from Ivan - the brightest of all the tape - Soviet critics and "film critics" scolded from all sides, sensing something wrong. And in the future, this picture was carefully avoided by the side.
But back to the subject. I wanted to express some of my thoughts and describe my impressions of the movie East-West (1999).
Only France, Russia, Ukraine, Bulgaria and Spain joined the filming process. It is a requiem for all who were deceived and destroyed by the Soviet power. No matter what, people died physically or spiritually. The spiritual death of the Ukrainian poet Pavel Tychyna came in the 2nd half of the 1920s, and physically he died in 1967.
The film describes the events of the late 1940s, when in the wake of post-war patriotism, many Russian emigrants immigrated to the USSR. Alexei Golovin and his French wife Marie, who arrived in the USSR, firsthand encountered the terrible realities of Stalinist totalitarianism. Almost all those who arrived with them on a steamer were sent to camps or shot.
The picture is interesting because it is shown through the eyes of Western intellectuals. And thanks to this, we see in a new way all those “joys” of life in the scoop, small household trifles of which begin to cause horror. But all this is achieved because we “looked at them from the outside.” The actors of the film seemed to live the lives of their heroes, and not played them, so I would recommend the film to watch.
Such pictures are needed now, but they are not even shown on television. And why, when you need to build a new scoop.
- As a child, I was taught that it is not good to read other people’s letters.
So you and I had a different childhood.
In the 90s, on the euphoria of the collapse of the Soviet Union, it was fashionable to make a film about the totalitarianism of the system, strangling in its steel embrace citizens 1/6 of the land. Including filmed on this topic and Western filmmakers. Sometimes they turned to Russian directors and artists for help, and sometimes they did their own thing. Specifically, this film was shot on the money of the French, their film crew and under the leadership of the French director. True, with the involvement of domestic artists in the main roles. Due to the specifics of the script, it was partially shot in French. The fact is that the film “East – West” tells how after the end of the Second World War, Stalin was kindly invited to their historical homeland, those who for political reasons emigrated from the country after the Civil War, as well as those who were already born in exile. The call of the “father of nations” was answered by hundreds of gullible “formers”, who were brought on the ship under the control of the Cheka to the USSR. True, their fatal mistake, they admit too late – when the ship will enter the port of Odessa. Since already there, right by the ladder, the officers of the bodies will divide those brought into three types: those who should be shot without trial and investigation, those who should be sent to a concentration camp, and those who can still be left free, but under strict supervision. The heroes of the picture, if I may say so, were lucky to be among the last. A young, intelligent family consisting of spouses and their teenage son will henceforth live under the hood of Stalin’s organs, and with all their might prepare an escape from the country of the victorious communism.
The script was written by the Frenchman Luo Gordel in collaboration with one of the best domestic authors - Rustam Ibragimbekov, based on the little-known book by Nina Krivosheina "Four-Thirds of Our Life" - published in the years of Perestroika. The film was shot by the famous French film director Director Varnier - the author of such films as: Oscar-winning "Indochina", "French Woman" and "Lumiere and Company". He also partially got into the development of the script, as a result of which the film appeared not essential for the Western audience, but striking to domestic critics, historical blunders and tension. But this did not negate the general professionalism of the production, the high quality of the acting and the respectful attitude of foreign figures both to their Russian colleagues and to our exhausted and unhappy Motherland.
In technical terms, "East-West" is simply flawless: imported filming equipment and expensive film, a large budget that allowed not to save on the reconstruction of the atmosphere of the post-war Soviet Union of the 40s, and contributed to a decent payment to invited stars, both domestic and world cinema. But the set of the picture met such masters as Oleg Menshikov, Catherine Deneuve and the Queen of French cinema - Catherine Deneuve, Bogdan Stupka, Sergey Bodrov-ml, Tatiana Dogileva and Sandrine Boner. Not counting little-known or not at all known, at that time to the general public performers, whose names are now on hearing. Despite the “star” of some performers, screen time is distributed among all very democratically. Of course, given the fact that playing the main roles it is given more. One of these are Oleg Menshikov and Sandrin Boner – playing the roles of the spouses Golovin – Alexei and Marie. These include Bodrov, Jr., who is at some point the third in the relationship of their characters, which make up a somewhat unusual love triangle. To take into account the “unloving” connection of the hero Menshikov with a hubalka – a snitch performed by Dogileva, to which he simply had to go in order to protect his careless wife in “anti-Soviet” behavior, we will not understand.
The work in this picture again became a challenge to the creative abilities and willpower of the outstanding actor, People's Artist of Russia - Oleg Evgenyevich Menshikov. Again, for the sake of the role, I had to overcome certain barriers: associated with learning a foreign language, and with poor health. During filming, he had an ulcer and needed surgery. Overcoming the pain, he played the set scenes, trying nothing to give out on the screen of his physical suffering. He had to play in French, taking into account the correct intonation and pronunciation of words - since his hero knew this language from childhood, he should not have problems with correct speech. And his partners were pure-blooded French women - Sandrine Boner and Catherine Deneuve herself, who was happy to meet on the set with a Russian artist who liked her role in Mikhalkov's "Weary of the Sun". Then, Madame Deneuve praised his professionalism, saying in an interview that Oleg not only spoke excellent French, but also played like a Frenchman!
In the story, between the spouses Golovin there is a quarrel, and they seem to move away from each other. This happens because Alexey, in order to save his wife, accepts the “rules of the game” imposed on him at the NKGB – and begins to maintain the illusion of a prosperous life, returned to the historical homeland of immigrants, flatteringly speaking about the Soviet government and its hospitality in various forums and during international, creative evenings at which he is ordered to speak. But at the same time, Dr. Golovin loves his wife, and tries his best to help her. Meanwhile, Marie converges with a young boy Sasha, whom they took to live in their room after the death of his grandmother, so that he was not put out on the street as “unreliable”. Since Sasha has no relatives and friends (his entire family was shot or disappeared in camps), the young man decides to escape from the country. In this he actively helps Marie, who begins to coach Sasha - preparing for the championship in swimming, which should be held in one of the Western countries. For Sasha, this is the only opportunity to escape from the dungeons of the “red trap”.
A lot of psychologically difficult scenes, such as the scene of the interrogation of the arrested Marie, who is insulted and beaten by the Chekists. There is also intrigue as to whether Sasha will succeed in his "big escape" or whether he will sink into the cold sea. Since he does not go to the competition in order not to substitute the coach who vouched for him, he decides on a reckless adventure: by bribing Turkish fishermen, he hopes that they will wait for him in neutral waters, while he will have to swim to their ship for almost 6 hours in icy water! In addition, shows and full of hardships and humiliation of the life of Golovin with his son, their reunion with Marie, and the organization of Alexei, with the help of one French actress – the flight of his wife and son abroad. “East – West” is one of the best films of this subject, and a stunning manifesto about the human craving for freedom.
If you take and reject the continuous negative about the historical Soviet era, then almost nothing will remain of the film. Rhetorical Questions: Was the film made to let us all know how things went wrong? All Soviet people were thieves, informers and lived like jailers. In the West, was everything in milk chocolate? Such a picture is very sick to watch, to waste your energy and time do not want.
The acting is flawless. Menshikov and Bodrov just coped with hurrah.
About the director and the script can be said in two words: a collage of pictures. Each shot scene was connected by solid time fragments. There was no gradual transition from one scene to another. Either the director shot too much, then cut, or everything was so designed that vivid pictures of cruelty were perceived by us as a historical fact-effect of the moment.
3 out of 10
"East-West" is an extremely strong, deep and worthy drama, which must be watched. The film received an Oscar nomination for best foreign film, and it is worthy of praise. This drama tells us a true and shocking story about the tears and broken lives of people who returned to the USSR after 1946.
We see how the main character of the doctor returned from France with his French wife and son to his homeland in the USSR, but this is not what they expected. They have to live in poverty and communal conditions, and no one will let them go back to France. Millions of people have fallen into this trap, and we see the tears and grief of the people who lived in this harsh time.
Directed by Director Varnier created a very believable and honest film in which this story takes place so vividly and memorablely. I think that many new generations do not know about this fact, and they need to see this film for sure.
This drama is so refined and beautiful wonderful and talented actors. Sergey Bodrov Jr. in this drama plays very worthy and commendable. I remember his play very well. It is a pity that this actor died, how many other great roles he played. French actress Sandrine Bonner was created to play such dramatic and touching roles. She's an interesting actress and I'm always happy to see her in movies. Oleg Menshikov also plays commendable. With the main role he coped, and his play is extremely emotional and sensual. I was very happy to see Catherine Deneuve in this drama. I love this French actress and admire her. In this film, she is amazing.
This film is one of the best films in the world cinema, it carries a deep meaning and truth of the past. This harsh film tells of a harsh time, and I will probably never forget this film.
9 out of 10
I really liked the film, wonderfully conveyed the era, starting with the atmosphere of general suspicion and arrests and ending with the life of a communal. I like the actors, even Bodrov. Although it always seemed to me that with his invariable facial expression he does not try to play at all, but specifically in this film he looks appropriate despite this.
It is strange that someone seems an exaggeration of the activities of the KGB shown in the film. On the contrary, it is downplayed in the film for obvious reasons. If the real torture of the time had been shown, it would have had to be reclassified into horror films. And the arrest of grandmother Sasha is not an exaggeration, in the framework of the era, it unfortunately looks very organic. Yes, actually arrested for knowledge of the language, and could arrest without such a reason, but simply for nothing. There are many such cases described, it is strange to deny it.
The only incomprehensible moment in the film is the relationship with the French Embassy. The reality of these events is hard to imagine. If Marie's passport was severed, did she cease to be a French citizen and become a Soviet citizen? (and if I go to France and tear my passport there, I will become a French citizen?) I can't believe France would give up on its own. Yes, they probably couldn’t save her while she was in the Soviet Union, but why would the ambassador yell at anyone when she was already inside the embassy? This seems unbelievable.
The desire to learn more about the history of your country is one of the stages of growing up. And books, articles, searches on the Internet begin. And the cinema serves more as a significant background. We are all used to question the historical authenticity of events in such films, but we have learned to appreciate another thing - the atmosphere.
The atmosphere of the painting “East-West” is the end of the Stalin era. Dirty communal apartments, former aristocrats, the fate of ordinary people, cornered. The generation of universal fear and hypocrisy. The example of a once happy family tells the story of eternal values: love, trust, devotion. It's not just a movie plot. This is the thread of fate, leading the viewer through pain to catharsis.
The film is for the most part valuable not only shockingly - a candid plot, but also remarkable acting work. An outstanding composition of native and foreign famous personalities led to a stunning result.
Oleg Menshikov, to my unexpected admission, turned out to be an excellent actor. Every possible experience of his hero, he sincerely tried to live and pass on to the viewer. His “adaptation”, the path from the person in which any thought is read to the impenetrable, confidently calm – this is the whole genius of Menshikov’s work in East-West.
Sergey Bodrov Jr., whose talent is not doubted by any viewer who has ever seen him on the screen, in this tape is revealed in full. A very complex role of a person with a difficult for that time, indomitable, character and broken fate, predetermined by the time in which he was born. His passion, love, the whole range of feelings causes the viewer no less excitement than for the main characters, the unfortunate Russian-French couple of driven outcasts.
Tatiana Dogileva, whom I hardly recognized in the film, showed her best side as an actress. There are not many scenes with her, but they are the most vivid and explosive in the film.
Tanya Massalitinova in the role of Anastasia Alexandrovna, “the main apartment” is magnificent. This is the spirit of a big man. A member of a noble family of people who are no longer being made. In one image and a couple of phrases everything - from pre-revolutionary well-fed childhood to poor old age in a communal apartment.
For a long time I wondered who Bogdan Stupka played, whose name flashed in the credits. And only after viewing the epiphany - boom! - Yes, it's a "harp clap" Colonel Boyko. It’s an ambiguous character and it’s a pity that the filmmakers told so little about him. He is really interesting in the image of a typical Soviet communist, a big man with a broad soul.
Of the Western stars, Sandrine Bonner is brightest as the beautiful half of the Russian-French marriage union and, of course, Catherine Deneuve, playing an ardent pacifist. The first will pass all the circles of hell - poverty, bullying, self-pity. The second will not want to sink to empty talk about world peace and will try to help in practice at least those few who can help. And there is an elusive ease in both of these foreigners. Whether freedom in the eye, or the absence of a stamp of fatigue on the face, or perhaps a proud posture behind the property of a sense of pride and self-esteem. These women look completely different in the frame. They are amazing.
Directing at level. Everything is smooth, without hesitation, but the plot does not rush, giving the viewer time to feel that world. The only drawback of the picture I would call music. They are beautiful, but too... not ours. It's more like Hollywood, and that makes it seem foreign.
In general, I recommend watching for everyone. Perfectly conveyed the atmosphere of the time, which is felt by the skin, to goosebumps.
10 out of 10