Not my cup of tea, 9 September 2007
In the end, while these movies may appeal to some people, they're not my cup of tea. Just being honest here.
3/10
Showing posts with label Soviet Union. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Soviet Union. Show all posts
Sunday, August 22, 2010
The Day the Earth Froze (1959)
- Sampo
Not my cup of tea, 9 September 2007
This is going to start to sound confusing because I feel exactly the same about The Day the Earth Froze as I do the other two movies I've seen directed by Aleksandr Ptushko. My comments for The Magic Voyage of Sinbad and The Sword and the Dragon are applicable here (and this is where it gets confusing) – "'The Sword and the Dragon seemed to be filled with such broad overacting that it became absurd. I realize that the movie was made over 50 years ago in the Soviet Union. I understand that the movie is filled with messages and other pro-worker propaganda. And I appreciate the importance of the film as a relic of the communist system. But none of that means I have to actually like the movie.' If you change the title of the movie, this quote accurately reflects my feelings on The Magic Voyage of Sinbad." – This time, substitute The Day the Earth Froze and you've got a quote that accurately reflects my feelings on the movie. Also, I'll add that, if anything, The Day the Earth Froze is actually duller than the other two movies. Even with the Mystery Science Theater 3000 commentary, I had to wake myself at lest two times before I made it through.
In the end, while these movies may appeal to some people, they're not my cup of tea. Just being honest here.
3/10
Not my cup of tea, 9 September 2007
In the end, while these movies may appeal to some people, they're not my cup of tea. Just being honest here.
3/10
Thursday, August 19, 2010
The Magic Voyage of Sinbad (1953)
- Sadko
These Russian fantasy movies just don't appeal to me, 3 August 2007
I'll skip the normal plot synopsis and get right to it. Besides, anything I could write about the plot would hardly matter as the American bastardization of Sadko that I watched appears to bear only a passing resemblance to either the original Russian movie or the classic Russian folktale on which it was based. First off, I wonder whose bright idea it was to turn the character named Sadko into Sinbad. Let's see, Sadko is a poor Russian musician – Sinbad is an adventurous Middle-Eastern sailor. A lot of similarity there, huh? Secondly, I really have to wonder if the Russian version of the movie included anything about a quest for a bird of happiness. I say this because in the end the bird hardly seems to matter at all. It's almost as if the idea of the bird was added to the American version to give some sort of justification for "Sinbad" going to sea.
Beyond the problems of Americanizing this Russian movie, I have problems with the bits of the original Sadko that seep through. As I stated in my recent review of The Sword and the Dragon (aka Ilya Muromets), I'm not a fan of this style of Russian movie or acting. "The Sword and the Dragon seemed to be filled with such broad overacting that it became absurd. I realize that the movie was made over 50 years ago in the Soviet Union. I understand that the movie is filled with messages and other pro-worker propaganda. And I appreciate the importance of the film as a relic of the communist system. But none of that means I have to actually like the movie." If you change the title of the movie, this quote accurately reflects my feelings on The Magic Voyage of Sinbad. And even though I realize that my appreciation of the movie might be improved if I were to have the opportunity to see the original film, I doubt the change would be drastic.
Like many others, I saw The Magic Voyage of Sinbad through Mystery Science Theater 3000. I enjoyed this episode much more than the previously mentioned The Sword and the Dragon episode. Overall, some very funny riffs. I'll give episode #505 a 4/5 on my MST3K rating scale.
3/10
These Russian fantasy movies just don't appeal to me, 3 August 2007
I'll skip the normal plot synopsis and get right to it. Besides, anything I could write about the plot would hardly matter as the American bastardization of Sadko that I watched appears to bear only a passing resemblance to either the original Russian movie or the classic Russian folktale on which it was based. First off, I wonder whose bright idea it was to turn the character named Sadko into Sinbad. Let's see, Sadko is a poor Russian musician – Sinbad is an adventurous Middle-Eastern sailor. A lot of similarity there, huh? Secondly, I really have to wonder if the Russian version of the movie included anything about a quest for a bird of happiness. I say this because in the end the bird hardly seems to matter at all. It's almost as if the idea of the bird was added to the American version to give some sort of justification for "Sinbad" going to sea.Beyond the problems of Americanizing this Russian movie, I have problems with the bits of the original Sadko that seep through. As I stated in my recent review of The Sword and the Dragon (aka Ilya Muromets), I'm not a fan of this style of Russian movie or acting. "The Sword and the Dragon seemed to be filled with such broad overacting that it became absurd. I realize that the movie was made over 50 years ago in the Soviet Union. I understand that the movie is filled with messages and other pro-worker propaganda. And I appreciate the importance of the film as a relic of the communist system. But none of that means I have to actually like the movie." If you change the title of the movie, this quote accurately reflects my feelings on The Magic Voyage of Sinbad. And even though I realize that my appreciation of the movie might be improved if I were to have the opportunity to see the original film, I doubt the change would be drastic.
Like many others, I saw The Magic Voyage of Sinbad through Mystery Science Theater 3000. I enjoyed this episode much more than the previously mentioned The Sword and the Dragon episode. Overall, some very funny riffs. I'll give episode #505 a 4/5 on my MST3K rating scale.
3/10
The Sword and the Dragon (1956)
- Ilya Muromets
Interesting as a relic, but that's as far as I can go, 29 July 2007
Reading through the various user comments on IMDb for The Sword and the Dragon (the title I saw the film under) I notice words like surreal, bizarre, goofy, ridiculous, wacky, and weird. I can understand how someone might use each of these adjectives to describe the movie. As I watched, I might have been tempted to use any one of these words at various times. But unfortunately, one word you won't see me use is "entertaining". The style of the movie did not appeal to me in the least. The Sword and the Dragon seemed to be filled with such broad overacting that it became absurd. I realize that the movie was made over 50 years ago in the Soviet Union. I understand that the movie is filled with messages and other pro-worker propaganda. And I appreciate the importance of the film as a relic of the communist system. But none of that means I have to actually like the movie.
So overall, while I appreciate the opportunity to see something as different and unique as The Sword and the Dragon, I'm not in any hurry to rush out and create a fan club. Interesting? – Yes. Entertaining? - No.
I saw The Sword and the Dragon courtesy of Mystery Science Theater 3000. I've heard such good things about all of the Russo-Finnish films that I was excited to give this one a chance. Sadly, it didn't live-up to the hype. The comedy too often is directed at the obvious - making fun of a different culture. In the end, I'll rate this episode a 3/5 on my MST3K rating scale.
3/10
Interesting as a relic, but that's as far as I can go, 29 July 2007
So overall, while I appreciate the opportunity to see something as different and unique as The Sword and the Dragon, I'm not in any hurry to rush out and create a fan club. Interesting? – Yes. Entertaining? - No.
I saw The Sword and the Dragon courtesy of Mystery Science Theater 3000. I've heard such good things about all of the Russo-Finnish films that I was excited to give this one a chance. Sadly, it didn't live-up to the hype. The comedy too often is directed at the obvious - making fun of a different culture. In the end, I'll rate this episode a 3/5 on my MST3K rating scale.
3/10
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