viy46

An absolutely adorable french series about a crime solving detective nicknamed "chinese". The show is a pleasure to watch. Aznavour is pure delight as a quirky character who patiently solves crimes. His way to a solution is often through a meditation of sorts using a pair of metal spheres that he rotates in the palm of his hand. The title character is very intelligent and wise. The series which I watched as a teenager reminded me later on of Columbo, the American crime solver. In both shows, the title characters act in a certain manner that misleads the criminals who usually don;t suspect the danger to be coming from a short, elderly man who deceptively appears to bear no particular siginificance. A very neat little trick that seems to work every time on both sides of the Atlantic.

Really funny, sweet, and moving take on the American western done by a soviet female director. Mr. First comes to a small town in the wild west to introduce the population to the art of cinematography. He brings a projector and an array of silent movies, including romance and comedy. Rowdy cowboys discover a different way of life and try to improve their own existence. Amazing cast, Tabakov is especially endearing as a saloon owner torn between greed and love for the movies. Surprisingly effective fight scenes could probably challenge those of the American counterparts. Karachentsov gives it his best with some of the best fight moves I've seen. Mironov is great, as usual, as an idealist out to change the world and bring enlightenment to the wild wild west. Highly recommended as a comedy, romance, western, and a meditation on the role of art and mass entertainment in our society.