Leonid Parfenov is the Russian equivalent of the BBC I caught myself thinking that Leonid Parfenov is a Russian analogue of BBC. Costume dramas, modern and historical films, numerous series of this British broadcasting corporation may not be known to everyone, but among true connoisseurs they are always famous for excellent quality, detailed study, their unchanging style. The same can be said about the Parfenov films. They are not like others and always keep a set bar.
"The Eye of God" is not just "Leonid Parfenov's film to the 100th anniversary of the Pushkin Museum", as the annotations are sparingly reported. This project fixes the reverent attitude of its creators to the history of Russia and the history of art of a huge country. This is a kind of panopticum, in which multi-genre fragments are skillfully assembled: here you have documentary films, and art criticism, and theater, and the author’s point of view.
The film keeps the viewer in tone, does not let him get bored, because for all the consistency of the storyline, the integrity of the story, the narrative is not homogeneous. Very advantageous look well-known figures of the past in the performance of modern actors — Ivan Tsvetaev (Oleg Tabakov), Sergey Shchukin (Vladimir Zaitsev), Ivan Morozov (Sergei Vasilyev) — there is no dryness of facts, no feeling of a concise retelling of some scientific article. Before us is a lively and fascinating film about living and truly outstanding people who formed the culture of Russia.
Yes, perhaps, for connoisseurs of history and art, this film will not seem so informative, but for amateurs like me, Parfenov’s films are a valuable treasure that should not be missed, denying yourself the pleasure of not only watching an interesting movie and something interesting to learn, but also touching the history and culture of your people.
10 out of 10
P.S. On my next visit to Moscow, I will definitely go to the A. S. Pushkin State Museum of Fine Arts.