codyfantabulon

It is good to see a motion picture depicting the tremendous fortitude and sacrifice of the Russian people. I think the Eastern Front should be explored more in history and the arts. In some ways the fighting on the Eastern Front was strangely similar to the utter bloodbath scenarios of WWI. Most Germans knew an assignment there was a death sentence with the odd reprieve for the lucky few. Although the world will never know how many Russian Jews were executed by the Germans and how many Russians really died in battle, we do know this-the Russian people took the German army to Hell and back. This film is certainly not an epic portrayal of the Russian military. It is a focused study of a small group of characters in battle. And the love scene? FANTASTIC! Yes, this film could have been more "realistic" and grotesque. Do we need that? Not really. This film is praise long overdue for the contribution made by the Russian people in the struggle against Nazi Germany. I saw a documentary about the Eastern Front in which Russians talked about fighting with shovels and rocks while their opponents had rifles. I think that kind of unsophisticated grit demoralized the Germans and on some level simply freaked them out! This film is a tribute to that spirit.

If this film had been directed by Truffaut or Bergman it would have swept Cannes. The fact that many viewers find it almost impossible to understand is testimony to the film's authenticity. As a life-long Southerner I feel compelled to state that anyone from the South over the age of 35 either knows or is one of these characters. The time period represented is one which lives in the memories of those alive today. Mississippi is particularly well drawn. I lived in Mississippi for four years and this film captures that distinct Mississippi flavor of charm,vindictiveness,religious observance,and sin. The bridge scene is what Southern pride and "redneck" are all about. Daddy just WON'T back up. One of the main themes of Southern art is the fact that many of the characters are so far from introspection and so close to instinctive, impulsive, animalistic behavior. When someone is "different" tragedy and/or myth tends to happen. Tennessee Williams mined that vein. Like the characters in this film, his people often dimly understood that they needed to either leave home or accept self-revelation in the confines of their environment. Most couldn't do either. The result is usually some sort of denial,death, or sacrifice. Great films/novels/short stories about the South have a sense of yearning and fatalism which I find very honest and moving. If you are into Russian literature, you are probably into Southern literature too! My thanks to Max for this beautiful film.