USSR

Barbara Wurm, Edition Filmmuseum wrote:
Po zakonu (also know as Dura Lex) was the cheapest film produced in Russia (perhaps even still today); at the same time an absolute masterpiece, the greatness of which stems from its very minimalism. The minimum effort required for the story-development (Kuleshov constantly claimed, he happened upon Jack London’s story “The Unexpected” quite by chance), the minimum number of characters (just three for most of the film), a minimum of inter-titles and lines of dialogue, a minimum of locations; a clearing not far from Moscow (posing as “Alaska”) and a cabin–the perfect setting for a stripped-to-basics chamber play. Even if the juggling of shot composition and length (Kuleshov’s notorious “Americanism”) is not as artistically ambitious as in his previous work, it is still apparent how close-ups dominate inside, whilst outside, in the snowy landscapes and riverscapes, long shots reign, seemingly to the point of halting all movement.Read More »

A young school teacher Tanya works at a night school for working people. But it’s uneasy to get used to grown-up men, their constant attempts at flirting, their sometimes too manly jokes and comments. She is especially irritated by Don Juan-like behavior of Sasha Savchenko. She avoids his advances, and Sasha becomes so upset that he drops out of school. After a while, Tanya gets used to this new for her environment, finds in her heart an attraction to Sasha, and there comes Spring, exams time…Read More »

Quote:
In 1954, Upton Sinclair donated 100,000 feet of film shot by Sergei Eisenstein in Mexico to the Museum of Modern Art. From this footage, Jay Leyda, assisted by Manfred Kirchheimer, created an almost four hour long assemblage titled “Eisenstein’s Mexican Film: Episodes for Study.” The film is silent with explanatory titles. The MOMA footage was later re-edited by Grigori Aleksandrov to create the 1979 version of “Que Viva Mexico”.Read More »

Nina arrives as a young lost girl in a factory, but soon shows great qualities as a human being, curious of knowing more and learning. History comes across her way.Read More »

Synopsis: At War as at War (Na Voyne kak na Voyne) (Russian Title: На войне как на войне) is a 1968 World War II drama directed by Viktor Tregubovich and based on a story by Viktor Kurochkin. The film tells about the weekdays of the crew of a self-propelled tank destroyer, commanded by the young and inexperienced junior lieutenant Maleshkin. The tank battle scenes are spectacular!Read More »

Experimental educational film reveals the emergence of some ideas of Biophysics in the historical, philosophical and methodological aspects.
First film from the biophysics cycle (1982-1989).Read More »

Plot: Rare documentary film about the space made in the Soviet Union in 1951 year by Pavel Klushantsev.Read More »

A delightful mixture of history, humor, and drama!
9 October 2001 | by Eric Norton

Peter the Great takes a Russian man of African heritage – Ibrahim Petrovich Hannibal – under his wing as the tsar builds his grand navy. After having a disastrous affair in France, Ibrahim vows to never fall in love again, until he sees the daughter of a wealthy boyar. Peter the Great insists the two be married, but Ibrahim goes against the tsar’s wishes, refusing to force her to marry him since she doesn’t consent. When another man tries to marry her, however, Ibrahim’s loyalties and generous nature are put to the test.Read More »

Synopsis:
Veronika and Boris come together in Moscow shortly before World War II. Walking along the river, they watch cranes fly overhead, and promise to rendezvous before Boris leaves to fight. Boris misses the meeting and is off to the front lines, while Veronika waits patiently, sending letters faithfully. After her house is bombed, Veronika moves in with Boris’ family, into the company of a cousin with his own intentions.Read More »