Le brise-glace

A Russian disaster film; A story about an ice-breaking ship that collides with a huge iceberg and is forced to drift along the coast of Antarctica. Based in part on real events that occurred in Antarctica in 1985, this film wastes no time in propelling us into the action. The cinematography is impressive. While the soundtrack is a bit too melodramatic at times and there are a few continuity problems, overall it serves up engaging drama. The struggle for leadership and direction between a new martinet captain and a younger demoted captain is interesting, touching on themes about unquestioned power.

The story is pretty interesting, but it feels choppy, and incoherent. I get the feeling the editing is the problem. On top of that, you are watching a Russia movie with English over dubbing. In spite of these things, the movie is still intriguing. I wouldn't call it spellbinding . . but it keeps your interest. Olga Filimonova is stunningly beautiful. // The Bushwacker 10/1/2021.

The US dvd audio mix is cheep and poorly done. I wish it had the original audio with English subtitles. They turn down the audio and dub the English over the original mix, much of the action and music is muted.

Probably would like it more if it was the original audio.

A Russian language film (I saw the English dubbed version) somewhat based on true events set in 1985. In Antartic waters the ship encounters an iceberg and the Captain is replaced when the ship becomes stuck in the ice. The rest of the story is the tension between the crew and commander under increasingly difficult conditions and uncertainty of rescue. The acting is good throughout and even with the somewhat sloppy translation the individuals and their responses to the situation generate genuine emotional involvement. Since it's based on historical events, you sort of know how it turns out, but you can't resist pulling for the crew and hoping they all survive. Someone called this a propaganda piece, but I disagree since it hardly shows the Soviet state in a good light. I lost count of the negative comments made by the crew regarding the bureaucracy they feel has abandoned them. In fact the representative of the State is painted as a true company tool (something which seems to transcend nationality and politics) and is possibly the only real villian in the film.

THE ICEBREAKER, tells a story, apparently based on true events in 1985, of a Soviet ship which gets stuck in ice and is in danger of being hit by an iceberg, all the while waiting for help which, due to Soviet bureaucracy, may not arrive in time.

The strongest point of this film are the visuals: some of the landscape scenes, whether real or CGI, are simply breathtaking. There is also personal drama involving two rival captains which is used to convey social commentary on Soviet culture and the various inefficiencies and injustices it brought about.

Unfortunately, the lousy dubbing kept taking me out of the movie. Technically, it is so bad that at points we know exactly when the original sound is being silenced so that we can hear the dubbed voices. The first time I heard it, I laughed out loud at this amateurishness, which stands quite in contrast to the rest of the film. Also, a kid in the film was dubbed by an electronically distorted adult voice, which sounded just bizarre.

The ridiculously poor quality of the dubbing made it hard for me to evaluate the dramatic aspects of the film because it kept taking me out of it. It also gave me reason to doubt the quality of the translation. At least the overall story, interlacing personal drama with sociocultural commentary, is a good one, and that is what I went by.

This film is mainly for fans of maritime drama and those who enjoy beautiful icy landscapes, but either way, if you do not know Russian, watch the subtitled version.