L'empire perdu

Those who have been films by Russian director Karen Shakhnazarov will surely waste no time in recognizing certain similarities which exist in "Ischeznuvshaya Imperiya" and one of his old films "Kuryer" which was made in 1987.Both these films gives viewers outside of Russia a very basic yet subtle idea of what it takes to be a youngster in mighty Russia.Although music and young people can be found in both these films,it should be noted that these films must be analyzed using absolutely different ideological yardsticks.A word for those who have not seen old films by Karen Shakhnazarov.They should be requested to have an attentive look at them at the earliest in order to understand how Karen Shakhnazarov has nicely blended his love for music and Russian youth in most of his films.This is something which has given a distinct edge of lightness to the image of Russian cinema which has earned the dubious notoriety of following a recognizable pattern of serious,occult themes."The Vanished Empire" is a curious title which might induce funny ideas in inattentive viewers' heads but this film is only mildly critical of Russian state.The highlight of this film is its depiction of joys of friendship in true Russian style.If surprise end is any indication of a film's ingenuity then "The Vanished Empire" would surely win many a heart by being a truly heroic film showing the frustrations of hapless Russian youth.Film critic Lalit Rao interviewed MOSFILM studio CEO and Russian director Karen Shakhnazarov during a screening of this film at 13th International Film Festival of Kerala 2008 (IFFK) which organized a retrospective of his films.

This is the kind of film which captures the spirit of the age, which gives us an excellent cast playing characters who are all too real, in their world, over 35 years ago.

Everything that one could have heard about Leonid Brezhnev's Soviet Union can be found here. Compared to today, it was an era where life was simpler, yet offered far less opportunities than the West.

Despite the differences, by the end of this film, it is very easy to relate to the characters, especially Sergei Narbakov, the protagonist, and his friend, Stepan Molodtsov. Our humanity is a shared experience.

The outstanding performance by the Armenian actor, Armen Dzhigarkhanyan, must not be overlooked, either. Alternating between old wisdom and very dry humor, he stands out as Sergei's grandfather.

I have already recommended this film to friends who share with me an equal curiosity about the USSR, an acronym now consigned to history books.

One more great film by Karen Shakhnazarov, this is a coming-of-age movie during times when Western cultural and consumption influences were overcoming Soviet attempt to block them (and repress smuggling of those products). Jeans and jackets, English rock n'roll, French cinema, all that attracted youth, instead of those classes on the history of the Communist Party or the anti-(USA)imperialism propaganda. The relationship of the three friends is also interesting, with their mix of cooperation and rivalry, besides womanizer and brawler typical behviour. That juvenile lack of responsibility and experimentation, in their case, merged with a deep change in Soviet society as a whole, brilliantly portrayed in the movie (including with a perfect period art direction). The ending demarcates the passage to adulthood, and the future could never be foreseen by those partying teenagers.

We see few Russian films here in the U.S. and our familiarity with modern day Russian life is limited. Here we get a view of life in the Brezhnev 1970s. "Vanished Empire" reassures us that the Russians are just like everybody else, save for social conditioning and a scarcity of consumer goods. It's convincing characters are warm, animated and full of very familiar foibles. But it is charming how readily family and friends "do" for each other there,enthusiastically.

Yet this is a society so parched for Western-style consumer goods that a used Japanese radio can get a buddy out of police custody, a nice jacket plus gas money can induce a cab driver to take someone to the hinterlands and back.

Sergey, the focal character, is well and charmingly rendered by young Aleksandr Lyapin. Like a lot of 18 year old college boys he is impulsive and easily suggestible. His romance with girlfriend Lyuda is in full bloom but a call from his comrades can make him forget his commitments to the lady. More than once Sergey shows that loyalty to his buddies trumps faithfulness to his lover.

Sergey's inattention to those who love him and his hijinks in school are forgiven, up to a point, because of his youth and charm. But the carefree life and luck of a teenager cannot last. Life becomes serious and the due bill for self-centered presumptions is, inevitably, presented.

The women characters in this film are long suffering. Though not ill-treated physically, they are never valued above male comradeship. Their needs are not thought of, or not taken seriously. Lyuda's treatment by Sergey reminded me of the comment of an American exchange student who had boyfriends in the Soviet 1970s. Asked if she ever considered marrying any of them, she said "No." She said that, in Russia, "a woman might be loved but she will never be respected." Jim Smith

like many Russian films, Vanished Empire could be understand especially by the public from the East. for the small detail, for the life style , for the relations between characters, for a special form of poetry. in same measure, it is an universal story of a teenager. and the only ingredient who does difference by many other films about same theme is the atmosphere of Brezhnev era. the mixture of nostalgia and emotions, the adventures of a teenager and his desires, fragments of the universe of his family members, the way to discover his roots, the love story who seems be a misunderstood, the final dialogue and the beautiful performance of Aleksandr Lyapin - who not represents a surprise - are tools for define a time more than a biography. nothing new. only the flavor of a period . honest presented, realistic reproduced at the level of an age of searches. humor and crisis of an empire. and few scenes who are potential of gem.