Vladimir Bortko – Cinema of the World

Vladimir Bortko – Master i Margarita AKA The Master and Margarita (2005)

admin — Wed, 12 Jun 2024 03:51:00 +0000

Master i Margarita (2005)

Master and Margarita (2005) is a Menippean film based on the eponymous book by Mikhail A. Bugakov. Set in Moscow under Stalin it has several story-lines that are intertwined. The sacrifices of Master (Galibin), a talented author of a manuscript about the biblical Pontius Pilate, and Master’s muse – Margarita (Kovalchuk), are paralleled by the biblical story of Yeshua in Yerushalaim, and the deceit of the cowardly ambiguous Pilate (Lavrov), whose character alludes to a Soviet leader. The reality is distorted by Satan Woland (Basilashvili), and his lieutenants, who are manipulating public events and people’s lives by pushing the buttons of human weaknesses and sins. Margarita taps into Woland’s power as she becomes the Queen of the Satan’s Ball. She turns into a witch to save Master. Some characters allude to Soviet leaders: Lenin, Stalin, Beria, and their entourage.

General
Container:	Matroska
Runtime:	3h 11mn
Size:	2.24 GiB
DXVA:	Compatible
Minimum settings:	Not met
Video
Codec:	x264
Resolution:	716x360 ~> 716x402
Aspect ratio:	16:9
Frame rate:	29.970 fps
Bit rate:	1 448 Kbps
Audio
English 2.0ch AC-3 @ 192 Kbps

https://nitro.download/view/4F76FCB78EEC194/Master_and_Margarita_-_Disc_One.mkv
https://nitro.download/view/6E116C5098D1EA5/Master_and_Margarita_-_Disc_Three.mkv
https://nitro.download/view/9B0CCAD593DE5BB/Master_and_Margarita_-_Disc_Two.mkv

Language(s):English
Subtitles:English

The post Vladimir Bortko – Master i Margarita AKA The Master and Margarita (2005) first appeared on Cinema of the World.

Vladimir Bortko – Idiot (2003)

admin — Wed, 04 Aug 2021 14:46:15 +0000

Idiot (2003)

The thrilling drama based on the world’s greatest masterpiece by Fyodor Dostoevsky. Half-sane Prince Myshkin returns from Swiss psycho-clinic to face the glamorous world of St Petersburg. Here vice, money and extortion rule. Myshkin finds himself in the whirlpool of intrigue. He inherits an enormous fortune, acquires affections of the vicious Nastassya Filippovna and the beautiful young Aglaya. Scandal, murder and incredible love affair follow. Plunge into the atmosphere of the 19th century St Petersburg created by the impressive authentic costumes and sceneries in the most expensive TV-project in Russia

13.36GB | 8h 50m | 708×422 | mkv

Language(s):Russian
Subtitles:English

The post Vladimir Bortko – Idiot (2003) first appeared on Cinema of the World.

Vladimir Bortko – Sobache serdtse AKA Heart of a Dog (1988)

admin — Fri, 22 Mar 2019 05:53:26 +0000

Professor Preobrazhensky and his colleague place some human parts into a dog named Sharik. Soon the dog transforms into a human.

Quote:
This movie (and yes, it’s a movie – it was shot as a two-parter, but the two parts together come down to slightly more than 2 hours) is one of the unsung masterpieces of world cinema. A very well-mannered, and yet at the same time absolutely savage denunciation of the Soviet regime and the type of person who flourished under it, the film is a faithful adaptation of the long-banned eponymous book by Mikhail Bulgakov. The sets are flawless, and the director made the brilliant decision to film in monochrome sepia, adding a feel of authenticity where a late-80s washed-out color incarnation would have all but ruined the film. I won’t say much about the plot, which deserves to be discovered by the viewer himself, but the performances are true Oscar material; special mentions go out to E. Evstigneev, who plays the old professor with such presence, gravitas and kind wisdom that with barely a word or a gesture, he ends up stealing every scene he’s in. The second, of course, is Creature/Sharikov, who, played to horrifying perfection by V. Tolokonnikov, is by far more frightening a character than Hannibal Lecter, because not only does he exist in real life – entire countries have been ran by men like him throughout history, with all that ensues.

While it’s a socio political allegory, it is worth mentioning that the movie is also brimming with humor, albeit dark – there are many outright comedies which haven’t made me laugh as much as this film. What’s more, when laughing at this movie, the feeling is not only one of hilarity but of understanding and agreement, which is always a plus.

There is hardly a complaint I have with this movie – the only slight flaw is the tone of intellectual/bourgeois snobbery I caught at times from the “enlightened” characters. But that’s a minor quibble.

2.21GB | 02:15:00 | 760×576 | mkv

https://nitro.download/view/19D466F558C2756/Heart_of_a_Dog_Part_1.mkv
https://nitro.download/view/8C294CC41127949/Heart_of_a_Dog_Part_2.mkv

Language(s):Russian
Subtitles:English

The post Vladimir Bortko – Sobache serdtse AKA Heart of a Dog (1988) first appeared on Cinema of the World.