Gagarine: First in Space

The move into space is one of mankind's greatest achievements in the 20th century and this biopic is a worthy addition to the more commonly found fare us in the west are exposed to.

In a way this could be seen as the Russian equivalent of the excellent 1983 Hollywood film 'The Right Stuff'. It celebrates the putting of the first man into space, Yuri Gagarin of course. The film is told in a way that details his famous flight in 1961 with flashbacks to key points in his life, his childhood, his romance with his soon to be wife, his joining the Soviet Air Force and the trials and tribulations of the journey that resulted in him eventually making history.

As the film is less than two hours long it does have a feel of a carefully put together and slightly hurried celebration of an authentic Soviet hero. Gagarin is made out to be the nicest man in the world who was a model poster boy for the Soviets, and it does gloss over his life and stops conveniently before his faults as a human being (particularly his later alcoholism) became apparent. However that is my only grumble because this is a meticulously well done film with top rate effects and beautifully filmed. Yes it has a certain propaganda value (as do a great many American films on similar lines) that a cynic might try and pull apart. The re-enactments of the Soviet people celebrating his achievement do have a slight cheese factor when viewed from a modern perspective, but these are minor criticisms as the film is not intended to be a warts and all look at Major Gagarin's life, but a celebration of what he achieved and the fearlessness of a man who knew that to make history he had to knowingly take risks, with a brief explanation at the end of his life beyond his famous flight and his tragic death at the age of just 34.

the first man in space. the greatness of an idea and the struggles behind it. a form of propaganda. and a film who reminds, for not young public from the East, special moments. it is a correct film, with family scenes, with oasis of humor, preserving the spirit and atmosphere of the period, more credible by American blockbusters about same theme, touching and heroic and not far by clichés. a film about Gagarin. simple and honest, seductive in a not complicated manner, impressive for accuracy and good occasion to remind one of the great moments from the XX century. a film who could be easily criticized. but its beauty is the emotion who translate the events. and silhouette and words of a man who makes history.

What I like most about this movie is its relative neutrality. Of course, there was that historical, almost 'light the world up' tension between the two superpowers back then, but this one, however, menages to be almost solely Russian. It does not blame either part of the equation. It is Russian because of its characters, who are developed well throughout the movie. What baffles me that, in the same year, Gravity won everything, but this movie wasn't even mentioned. I think, Gravity will soon be forgotten, but this one, about Gagarin, will linger for a long time.

This film is another cinematic masterpiece in the history of spaceflight. I'm no film expert, but as an American engineer with a love for spaceflight history, I found this to be a very good film in all respects. Technical, drama, realism...all were good in many respects. The Russian cinematic effort and acting that went into this movie is 1st class. As an English speaker with only limited Russian language abilities as of this review, I found it very easy to follow the movie.

Bravo to all those involved in bringing this great story to the movie screen. Russia and all the other former Soviet scientists, engineers, cosmonauts, and everyone ever involved with the former Soviet space program have much to be proud of. Congratulations from America.

The film explores the tale of Yuri Gagarin, the legendary first man in space, who won the space race for the Soviet Union. The viewer is presented with a recap of that memorable day when humanity finally reached the final frontier, with a multitude of flashbacks to Yuri's youth and childhood.

We see Yuri's humble beginnings and his journey through life and the events that shaped him into the man who would become the greatest space explorer in the history of mankind.

The actors do a magnificent job of capturing the raw emotion of that day and present us with a story of all the people responsible for the first flight into space. Particular regard is to be had for Yaroslav Zhalnin who does a stellar job portraying the man himself.

For any fan of film or space exploration.

10/10