Le brise-glace

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.

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.

This is an interesting story, based on true events. I must say the movie fails the typical standards of the trade: there are intense moments but without the classical build up, climax and conclusion.

It is truthful to the Russian/Soviet/Communist way of doing things although the time is 1985 when the "perestroika" was happening. The harshness of the system is clearly seen in the replacement captain. The unyielding nature of good people even in the face of the regime is shown by the younger captain.

However, I think there was a message in the movie that was hidden even from the actual authors, actors and directors. What you can see in the story is that Russians have this respect for authority beyond human reason. In other words the moral character of the man in authority is beyond question. Yes, there is some rebellion going on, but in the end it becomes clear that one is worthy not because they are morally good, but because they have power. This is a cultural and spiritual reality for other Slavic peoples and those where Eastern Orthodoxy and communism have been in place for centuries. I personally have little tolerance for such values. I cannot accept that there is inherent goodness in power over people, especially when used to assert power for the sake of power. As it will be seen in this movie, such assertion are rather brainless, as they serve no clear purpose, be it moral or utilitarian, but just the assertion of power over the "lower classes." This aspect may be too subtle for some viewers to appreciate, but for me this was the most important message of this film. It delivers in this regard, maybe even unbeknownst to the actual movie makers. That's why I gave it 5, otherwise it is a 4.

In a typical Eastern and European fashion there are moments where the viewer is left scratching his head wondering, and where did this come from? Or what is this sequence trying to tell me?

Cinematography is good, great pictures. If you watch the movie you won't be left feeling like you wasted your time. There is no disgusting language and profanity as in 80% of the Hollywood flicks. But this film is in no way a masterpiece.

An iceberg breaks friendly ice for this Soviet era survival tale. Between Soviet bureaucracy and Russian spirit, a ship and its crew finds itself stalled in Arctic waters with winter's ice advancing. Adding to bureaucratic changes from one seemingly self determined and reckless captain whose near colliding mishap with an iceberg proves too much, this story draws from a number of culminating points which might have served well for hindsight risk analysis. A crew's mutiny adds to the drama of an ending that were more likely a slow moving but still entertaining Sebastian Jünger story. Fortunately for the crew such tale neither ends on a note of deep tragedy and what once might have been an omen of the crew's death serves to provide their safe passage.