Amazon.com

This majestic, French-made film wishes viewers a "latcho drom"--a safejourney--as it follows the roots of the Rom, traveling people better known as Gypsies. Stunning and evocative, it transcends language and culture, bringing together the best elements of National Geographic-style documentary and music video in a kind of anthropologicalMTV. Using only music and image, without any steady characters or plot, award-winning director Tony Gatlif (himself of Rom descent) tells a compelling story of Rom migrations from Northern India to Europe and the rest of the world. Beginning with a gathering of lavishly dressed nomads singing across the harsh deserts of Rajasthan, viewers are transported through the lush oases of Egypt into the ghettoes of Turkey, from the muddy lanes of Eastern Europe through lush French fields to the windswept coastal cities of Spain. Every step of the way, there are hypnotic reminders of the harshness and beauty of the Rom lifestyle: the rhythms of labor pounding into vibrant dance, the songs of Turkish flower sellers merging with the plaintive political satires of a gray-haired Romanian violinist. Music is everywhere--children barely able to walk dance alongside great-grandmothers--and covers all styles and subjects--from the wintry strains of an Auschwitz lament to a flamenco devotional in a Spanish shrine to a festive Dixieland number that borrows as much from New Orleans as from northern India. And wordless stories abound, told in the smiles of strangers waiting for a train or in the frowns of rifle-toting farmers come to evict travelers from their land. --Grant Balfour ... Read more

Reviews (25)

An enthralling glimpse into a hidden world
If you've ever been interested in learning about Gypsy (or more accurately, Rom) culture and history, this is the film for you.Made by Tony Catlif, himself a Rom, the film (the title means "Safe Journey," a serious blessing in this culture) takes the viewer on the same path travelled by the gypsies themselves a thousand years ago. It begins in India, showing a gypsy band in a desolate spot, telling their own story in dance and song. He travels ever westward, through Egypt, Turkey, Eastern Europe, France, and finally Spain, where the stunning beauty of gypsy flamenco dance and music will hold you spellbound. There is no dialog: Catlif lets the lyrics of the songs, the language of the dances, and the unforgettable faces of the gypsies themselves tell the story. You'll feel like you've been given a brief but magical tour of a mysterious, rarely seen world. Gypsies have always been persecuted and ostracized; this film, made by one of their own, gives them a voice in their own language. END

Stunning
The film Latcho Drom is a unique product, which is more like a 2 hour long music video, showcasing gypsy music (and sometimes dance) from all around the world. This is an amazing way of seeing the common treads that unite Roma (or gypsy) culture in all parts of the world, but also how these people have adapted to their surrounding by adopting bits and pieces of local traditions. This is also finally, a positive and maybe even objective look into Roma culture, free of stereotypes and prejudice. For fans of "Deep Forest", one of the songs from the film, the one from Slovakia, was sampled for one of their pieces on "Boheme." This film has rapid beats and heel-taping rythms, but also sad and melancholic songs and laments. Some images will make you want to get up and dance, while other can move you to tears, for example the old Roma lady singing about gypsy persecution at Auschwitz during WWII. A true pleasure to watch and listen to. I just hope there would now be a Latcho Drom 2 to explore the other regions of the world where Roma culture flourishes, but which were not included in the film.

extraordinary!
one of the most beautiful films of the past 20 years, almost shocking. what an extreme pity the film is not available on dvd so that it can be projected in home theater settings----a visually spectacular film on a large screen.

not a documentary in the usual sense in that there is no script or text, no interviews. the story is told wholly through gorgeous visuals and incredible music----and it is not any less informative for that fact! furthermore, by beginning in india and moving its way circuitously west to spain, one hears in sequence the transmutation of the musical styles---an obvious and simple yet truly amazing cinematic structure.

the sensitive viewer will absorb the pathos of rom people without difficulty. not a film for literalists, however, or those who need their cultural experiences explained to them. in this way the film is also very french.

Should be on DVD
Others have amply described this film. I just want to note that it would be great on DVD, because unlike most documentaries, the production values are on a par with Hollywood feature films. It's shot in 35MM wide screen, beautifully staged and lit, with a high quality digital audio track. Seen on the big screen it has immense impact because it transcends the documentary genre.

Greatness
When I first saw this video I could not belive it. It is truly beautiful, the music captivating and soulful. Although I was stoned out of my mind (high as a kite) I really new this was greatness and went out to pursue the soundtrack. It is one of my favorites to this day. I'm patiently waitng for the DVD release because let's face it video cassettes blow....cassette... wow, is that how youreally spell cassette.... weird man..... wierd. ... Read more

Reviews (31)

LOVE STORY WITH A CUTTING TWIST
Vanessa Paradis (Adelle) plays a sad 22 year old woman whose life has been strewn with failures and disappointments. In a single take lasting ten minutes, Paradis transforms before our eyes from an indifferent minx into a tearful plaintiff. That's terrific acting!

Adelle grew up believing sex is what life is all about, and so she never learned how to say "no" to any man or boy. Daniel Auteuil (Gabor) is an over 40 year old, tall, dark, contemplative knife throwing artiste who never smiles and has haunting eyes. After Adelle opens the film with a wryly amusing monologue on the failure of her life, an early scene places her perched in the middle of a bridge over the River Seine on a wintry night. Just as she is about to jump into the icy water, Gabor's voice comes out of the dark, "you don't really want to make this mistake." Adelle is annoyed at this intrusion, and she argues with Gabor about her intentions and his meddling. Gabor is a knife thower, he informs Adelle, and bridges are where he finds the best women candidates to serve as his targets for his dangerous art form. Adelle shrugs this off, accusing Gabor of trying to take sexual advantage of a desperate girl on a bridge. He indignantly dismisses her charge saying that he NEVER sleeps with his targets. "That's YOUR problem!" retorts Adelle. And so begins their relationship.

The black and white format lends drama to this often very funny movie. After they wind up in the icy water and in a hospital, Gabor virtually abducts Adelle into his act with the promise that they will be very lucky as a pair. Their odyssey takes the pair through Fellini-esque scenes of circuses, night clubs and a cruise ship as Gabor's act becomes increasingly dangerous . . . and sensual. Adelle continues to be distracted by "trying on, like new clothing" one young man after another while the duo travel from gig to gig in the south of France and Italy. But something profound develops between Adelle and Gabor. It climaxes in an impulsive knife throwing scene that is so well acted and filmed that we are presented with an erotic pas de deux between the couple that transcends pedestrian sex.

This film is a French fanatasy romance which is funny and erotic in a Hitchkokian way (e.g., Eva Marie Saint and Cary Grant train scenes in "North by Northwest"). What we don't see has a bigger impact on us than what is so skillfully placed before our eyes. The movie asks the question: can a beautiful young woman who has given up hope, live with a man twice her age whose art and life need her? There are many plot twists and turns brought to the viewer by exceptionally fine acting by French pop singing star Paradis, the self disciplined Auteuil, and excellent direction by Patrice Leconte ("The Hairdresser's Husband" and "Ridicule"). The subtitles are easy to read and the music is cleverly well selected. For example, we are haunted by Brenda Lee's far away, almost ironicly singing "I'm Sorry" (this in a French film) as Adelle and Gabor break up at one point. Very satisfying entertainment!

Im In Love...
I looooved this movie when it was in the theaters....not in too many theaters unfortunatly....tooo bad......this movie was really sexy without alot of the stupid pop culture ... that becomes old after 2 months or is trying too hard to be "cool"

If you like indie movies and movies from europe....you will probably like it....who hasent felt like jumping off a bridge at one time or another? :)
I can relate.....I liked all the sex scenes and the trip across europe was neat too, as well as the circus and knife throwing scenes.....I will probably rent it soon to see it again!
I also like that Vanessa Paradis is beautiful without being "perfect" like alot of american actresses and music stars are kind of pressed out of the same mold......imagine a popular actress or singer with a gap in her front teeth? wouldnt happen here in the usa.......

Not worth a single star
I curse, spit upon, and abhor this movie and its leading actress. She has no talent and appears listless in this film as adele. The only good on her cd Bliss was her long-standing boyfriend Johnny Depp's help in writing some songs and playing guitar with his outstanding talent. But I'm getting off this subject. The point is, she should never have tried her deformed hand at acting for her long neck is very distracting and takes away from the movie. The other actor's performances were fine, I am sure, but I would not know since her lisp was too prominent for me to pay atention to anything else.

Takes Your Breath Away
I don't even know where to begin writing about this movie. It follows young Adele, who thinks that her life is worthless and wants to kill herself by jumping off a bridge. Of corse, she dosen't (or else we wouldn't have much of a movie) and is confronted by a circus-knife-throwing man who says he can make her life better as she starts to plunge. This movie is all about how you control your own luck in life, or atleast that is what I felt the message was. It wasn't until I had finished the movie and gotten into bed that i realized that this THE most beautiful movie I have ever seen. It was just so light and and enjoyable, and made you smile inside. Beautiful is a word I have never used to describe a movie before. I always say "funny" or "cute" or "awful" or even "awsome". But never "beautiful" -until now. I have no idea why it's rated R. There was one profain word and nothing explicit (I mean NOTHING) in the whole film. I would even let a 10 year old watch it- just so they can see what a good movie is supposed to be like. Vanessa Paradis has proven to me with this that she is not just one of my favorite singers and models, but is a really great and serious actress. Everything I saw in this film impressed me. And please don't worry about having to read the subtitles! After 2 minutes, I promise you'll be so involved you won't notice or care. If you loved Chocolat, or Amelie, or anything like that, TRY THIS. (It's so inexpensive you might as well buy it. I couldn't find it in Blockbuster anyway.) Absolutley incredible! I don't know if I'll ever find another movie that can touch me this deeply.

la la love you don't mean maybe
A girl with hard luck in love meets up with a destitute knife thrower as she is about to jump off a bridge to her death. They base an act and latent romance on luck and telekinesis. He talks to her when she is about to go wrong outside of his presence and she answers back in perfect syncopation. She twirls on a wheel and he jams knives close to her skin near enough to maim or spiral her into ecstasy. She [blanks] every man who shows the slighest interest in her and he makes snide remarks and introduces new impossible tricks to his arsenal of sideshow cutlery. All in all the movie is a farce but very believable. Even the propped up rainbow is golden beneath. ... Read more

Reviews (21)

Great lineup, sterile handling
Carlos Saura has cornered the market for flamenco movies today, from his 'Carmen' and 'Bodas de Sangre'. The long career has given him access to Spain's top artists working today. Unfortunately he has not seen fit to change his doggedly austere style, throwing artists into a stark empty room hoping to induce a more somber, and presumably purer, more dignified and more respectable Art.

This may be good politics, but makes for bad art. Like it or not, the soul of flamenco cannot be torn from the Andalucian sun and earth and still live. Like Argentine tango and jazz, it is at its most vibrant and purposeful when it's at home among its people.

A much better intro to flamenco, which showcases this living link, would be "Duende y Misterio del Flamenco", "Los Tarantos" by legend Carmen Amaya, or the many Spanish TV documentaries like "Caminos Flamencos" or "Años de Flamenco" (with many of the same artists), available from Catalina's (catalinas@aol.com)

All the power, passion and artistry of contemporary flamenco
This is THE flamenco film. Carlos Saura, famous for his work with the great Antonio Gades ("Blood Wedding," "Carmen" and "El Amor Brujo") and for his portrait of Andalusian folklore in "Sevillanas," creates one of the best flamenco films ever made.

The focus in this work is on the performers and their performances. Sets are minimal and there is no "story" except that generated by the lyrics of the flamenco songs themselves. The director is careful to capture not only the larger aspects of the performances but also to zero in on the emotional engagement of the performers with their art . Flamenco is as much about the performer's struggles with the art and the emotions that underpin it as it is about a stage presentation. This is an intimate film despite the fact that it was shot in a train station. The sets, lighting and camera work continually direct your focus to that intimate space created by the performers.

The conceit of the film is a journey not only through flamenco's different styles as embodied by some of the art's greatest contemporary performers, but also a journey into the night. Not only is the night evoked through lighting effects, but the deep inner recesses of the soul are suggested as well, that inner wellspring from which flamenco itself arises.

This is the most profound exploration of flamenco ever captured on film. To understand flamenco, there is no better place to start than with Carlos Saura's masterpiece, "Flamenco."

Not what I thought...
I have listened to flamenco music all my life..I was born in Spain, and I'm telling you that this tape is not the true flamenco you would find on the streets of sevilla, or anywhere else in the south. ALso did not have enough dancing, which is the main atraction of the flamenco music.

Duende on film
Those not in the know tend to think of Flamenco in terms of women with fans and flying skirts and men in boots and macho attitudes. Well, yeah, but there's more, much more. This movie, filmed in a converted Spanish railway station, presents the full range of the Gitano's art, from traditional to modern, individual to group, expressing all the pain and joy of a true, very serious artform. A delight.

not enough dance
I am relatively new to flamenco and do not understand spanish. I like flamenco for the passion in the dance. I do not understand the music though, so my review might be that of a novice. I cannot even recognize the artists. I expected more dance in the video, though there are some very good pieces. I wanted to see more of the performers dancing like the world did not matter to them and the sound of the shoes was all the sound in the world, and the expressions in their faces. I am disappointed considering the price i paid for this. I wish I knew where to look for heart stopping flamenco dance. ... Read more

Reviews (7)

MUST SEE
The subtle passion of this film is remarkable. It is a Martinez tour de force - every movement on screen is full and rich. There are few films that are as romantic as this one. For any one who is a fan of Olivier Martinez this is a MUST SEE movie; For anyone new to Martinez, THIS is the one that shows you he is a true icon of sensuality and the ultimate in French film today.

C'EST tres bon!

"It would be wonderful to die of love."
In the film, "The Chambermaid on the Titanic" French factory worker Horty (Oliver Martinez) wins the company's annual contest of strength (once again), but this year, the prize is a bit different. Horty is sent to Southampton, England to watch the launching of the Titanic. At first, Horty's wife, Zoe (Romane Bohringer) is thrilled because she thinks she will go too, but the prize is for Horty alone, so he leaves for Southampton, and Zoe stays at home.

Horty goes to the Southampton hotel where he is supposed to spend the night, and once inside his room, a beautiful young woman knocks on the door and asks if she can spend the night. Horty, at first refuses, but the young French woman appeals to his chivalrous side. The woman, Marie (Aitana Sanchez-Gijon), says she is a chambermaid on the Titanic. Since she's due to sail tomorrow and just needs a place to sleep for the night, Horty lets her stay....

Upon returning to France, Horty is greatly changed. His wife notices his altered demeanor, and soon a sulkily distracted Horty is down at the pub with his fellow workers. Someone notices that he has a photograph of Marie, and soon everyone wants to know who she is and exactly what Horty's relationship is with this beautiful mystery woman. When news that the Titanic has sunk reaches the factory workers, they frenziedly request Horty's story about Marie over and over again--and the situation becomes intolerable for Zoe.

The story is really about the blending of fantasy and truth. Horty and his fellow workers have no glamour or fantasy in their bleak lives until Horty begins entertaining everyone with his stories. Soon it isn't even important if the stories are true or blatant lies. What's important is the ability to weave fantasy. But there is danger in fantasy--as Horty discovers--fantasy has a way of getting completely out-of-control, and when fantasy take over your life, does fantasy then become reality?

This is a very clever and unusual film from Spanish director Bigas Luna. It is perhaps one of the most unusual foreign films I've ever seen--a very unconventional romance--packed with good, solid acting, a script loaded with surprises, and splendid cinematography--displacedhuman

Wonderfull movie.
A movie that you will no soon forget........extremelly romantic and sensual.

Fascinating and well played
I really recommend you this movie. It is refreshing, and fascinating. It transports you constantly between reality and fantasy. A beautiful story. To be recommended!

The authentic gem of cinematic Titanics
French films often depict life in far more realistic ways than Hollywood. This gem, which only incidentally deals with the Titanic tragedy, is an artistic and sensual protrayal of how the mind is even stronger than the bodily appetites when it comes to romance, passion, and perception. The film cleverly depicts how human emotions and behaviors are more influenced by imagination than by immediate physical action. Martinez has a gritty, sexuality that is rare in films today. He suggests that men might woo their women more successfully with words rather than more traditional machismo. The photography, screen play, direction, and acting are all first rate. This is one of the finest films to come out of France since Truffaut and Renoir. ... Read more

Reviews (34)

All around perfect film-making
This is such a complete movie...The soundtrack is great with some hip hop raggae french mix and the three kids act so natural that it seems like a documentary...I've seen the movie numerous times and pick up more each time...This film is so great that it really bothers me that I don't know french so I can pick up on the real cliches and phrases that they use even though the subtitles are done very well...I highly recomend this film to anyone, both teens and adults...Very enjoyable and dramatic and thought provoking...Just an all-around perfect film...

Strikes the audience in the forehead like a nail-pegged bat
Hate is a strong film about lost youth where the apparent message strikes the audience in the forehead like a nail-pegged baseball bat. The story is set the day after nightly riots in a Parisian ghetto after the young Arabian man, Abdel, was brutally assaulted by the police. Vinz, Said, and Hubert are three friends of Abdel that are set adrift in anger toward the police as they try to find reason and justice within their social environment. The impulsive Vinz, performed by Vincent Cassel, acts tough as he knows that he has a gun that he found after a police officer had accidentally lost it in the riots. Said is the follower who glorifies the violence and strives to be respected as he has a twisted view of what respect is. Hubert dreams of getting out of the ghetto as he does not glorify the violence within the ghetto while his two friends do. The audience follows these three characters throughout a full day as they are sitting around, getting into trouble, and learning through their errors. Kassovitz creates an authentic and explosive atmosphere which becomes the grounds for an exhaustive examination of the socioeconomic milieu of young adults in a poor Parisian ghetto. In the end, Kassovitz succeeds in developing an excellent persuasive and disturbing cinematic experience.

Meaningful
Three friends (Vinz, Hubert and Sayid) are from the ghettos of France, living in the projects and there is seemingly no way out of that life for them as the society and especially the police discriminate against blacks, arabs from the projects... At least that is the message the movie seems to project to me. I had a really hard time following the things the actors say because the movie is in black and white and the subtitles are in black and white AND they overlap the movie picture... needless to say, many words are unreadable most of the time and taking the time to guess what they said is perhaps most exasperating when in this sort of low budget movie, the conversation between the characters matters A LOT! However, the movie's plot was easy enough to follow... police beat up their friend Abdel during a riot, who dies in hospital, and Vinz who is not too intelligent or able to control his temper gets ahold of a police pistol during the riot. He vows to shoot a police if they piss him off (actually he will shoot anyone who dares piss him off). These 3 boys take the train to Paris where they look for a friend who owes Sayid a bit of money. I will not go into details here but basically their voyage into Paris was a disaster as these boys from the 'hood cannot resist doing something "naughty" every hour. They miss the last train and spend the entire night finding things to amuse themselves, including breaking into people's cars and starting a fight in a classy art exhibition and also later a scuffle with skinheads in the streets. It all end in tears eventually, with at least one of them dead and maybe one police officer dead too, I shan't say who. The movie was, on the whole, thought-provoking for someone like me who grew up in an urban environment but never lived in a ghetto and can only empathise with what the central characters (or anyone else living in that situation) feels. If that's what the director set out to do, he certainly succeeded, so I am giving the movie 3 stars for making some impact. It could have been a better viewing experience however, if only something was done to make the subtitles more readable. The movie is shot in semi-documentary style so it might not appeal to those who prefer something more like your usual run-of-the-mill drama movies.

Simply a masterpiece!
If 6 stars could be given for this film, then I would not hesitate to offer it just that. La Haine (aka HATE) is a superb film about 3 urban Parisian youths who have one common link : an unrelenting displeasure for the police and what they symbolise. This film is full of exciting scenes and explosive performances from all the 3 main actors (Vinz, Said and Hubert). It focuses on the gritty and harsh other side to the Paris that most people are not accustomed to. At first sight, it might seem hard to get into but after a few moments, you become so absorbed in the film, you forget that you are watching a film and feel part of what Said, Hubert and Vinz are experiencing.

In my view, this is ground-breaking cinema that should not be ignored by anyone.

So Far, So Good.... Is That A Cow?
La Haine is basically a day in the lives of three guys from ghettos on the outskirts of Paris. After an apparently race-motivated police beating/murder, the ghettos are rife with looters, rioters, and many bigoted and intrusive police(or pigs, as the characters fondly refer to them), suspicious of anyone not caucasian or under 30. In its most reductive form, it's about a flawed society whose seams are bursting under the pressures of ignorance, intolerance, and various -isms. In the movie itself, this tends to remain below the surface of the characters' existences, but for in a few moments (namely encounters with police and skinheads) and brought to the forefront with a bathroom scat anecdote and repeated reference to a (very bitter) joke involving society, man, and rabbit jumping off a building (the movie is frequently funny). Although it takes place in France, where these issues are perhaps less closeted (what with Le Pen getting 15 percent of the vote...), any close examination of pretty much every "modern, 1st world" nation will reveal just how ingrained these problems are in the present state of the world. ... Read more

Amazon.com

Ziad Doueiri established his credentials as the assistantcameraman on Quentin Tarantino's early films, but his feature debut,West Beirut, belongs to the more European strain ofcoming-of-age films than Tarantino's cool crime wave. Tarek is a rebelliousclass clown and aspiring filmmaker, a restless Lebanese teenager who railsagainst European colonialism with little acts of defiance at the FrenchHigh School of Beirut. It's 1975. Fighter jets ominously screamoverhead, soldier convoys rumble through the streets, and the tensionsthat grip the city explode when a violent terrorist attack sinks Beirutinto civil war.

Tarek, played by director Doueiri's younger brother Rami in a spirited,charming performance, becomes Ziad's cinematic alter ego and aspiritual cousin to François Truffaut's Antoine Doinel. When amilitary blockade splits the city in half, cutting Tarek and hisfriends off from their school, the war zone becomes their playground.Doueiri never slights the danger of their situation and fills thebackground with telling detail (from snipers and booby traps to theincreasing racial and religious intolerance), but his heart is with theadolescent adventure of his recklessly naïve kids. He captures anexcitement and energetic curiosity only possible in the innocence ofyouth as they dodge military patrols, sneak across checkpoints, shoottheir Super 8 movies, and fall in love in the shadow of war. FormerPolice drummer Stewart Copeland provides a funky rhythmic score with aMideast inflection, easily one of his best. --Sean Axmaker ... Read more

Reviews (23)

Funny and sad.
This is a great movie for anyone who has lived in Lebanon at the start of the civil war in 1975. The movie depictes the times and mood of Beirut in 1975 very well. The movie accurately depicts the Lebanese youth, their sense of humour, and unrelentless desire to live, and have fun. However this is a sad movie. This is a movie about war, people, and survival. The consequences that war has on the youth is also well depicted. Yes kids were happy that school was shut for a day, a week, a month at times, but the future was uncertain to them, their dreams were shattered, and they began to feel these consequences as the war progressed.

Pure Lebanon at time of war
This movie represents pure Lebanon at time of war. The anxiety of the parents, and the fun of the children. The way the movie is written is genuinely clever, it's not directly about the war, but it's about 2 guys from Muslim West Beirut that want to develop a porn movie in Christian East Beirut. The beauty is not about this small and trivial story, but the things that they got through while trying to get to East Beirut. Everything in there used to happen at times of war, like the behavior of the armed guys on the check point to East Beirut, and the hiding in the warehouses at time of bombing. Though the movie is presented in a comic way, you can't help but cry many times if you are a Lebanese, because it makes you remember the bad times. The acting of everyone is almost perfect, even though it's the first acting experience for most of them. The only bad thing about this movie is the translation to English. I highly recommend this movie for everyone who's interested in what really went on in Lebanon, and the true identity and personality of the Lebanese people.

Shrewd comdey
This movie is about the beginning of the civil war in beirut . The director did a great job portraying the life of teenagers , parents , and common people during this period. I had tears in my eyes while i was watching the movie... because i was laughing so hard. Ziad doueiri gathered a brilliant cast , that didnt need to act a role but rather paraphrase their lives in the movie. This movie is one the happiest dramas you can watch, and it will give you true insight on how it is to grow during wartime .

Innocense lost and real life sadness
This movie was amazing and when I watched it back in 1999, it really moved me. Eversince then I had begun to appreciate movies as forms of communication and not just hollywood entertainment. It was raw and real. As a Kiwi-Arab, I truly can relate to this, and recommend to all estranged Arabs as well as anyone interested in Arab society. i am only sad that I can't find anymore movies he had directed.

EXCELLENT - A MUST SEE!!!!!!!!!!!
Summary: EXCELLENT MOVIE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

This is a WONDERFUL movie, it is a historical glimpse on Lebanon, 1975, through the eyes of a teenager. If (usually) U.S. citizens ask themselves "how can "those people" live in "those countries"? This is the perfect answer to it. When you have a LIFE, FRIENDS, FAMILY, when you don't believe that things can be changed, when life is LIKE THAT, you accept things that you cannot change.

The protagonist (EXCELLENT actor Rami Doueiri) goes through life as a happy go lucky teenager, used to living under such political changes, but untouched by them. In this movie of "coming of age", you can follow him in his seamless transition into adulthood: the realization of what life has became.

PLEASE DO NOT MISS THIS MOVIE - IT IS A MUST SEE - from any angle that you may want to look at it. You will gain different undertanding of things that you probably had before, if you are not a citizen from Lebanon, watch it and learn something. ... Read more

Amazon.com

This sprawling, exhausting, deeply moving Palme d'Or winner represents the pinnacle of Serbian director Emir Kusturica's considerable abilities, and what is easily one of the best cinematic achievements of the 1990s. It encapsulates 50 turbulent years of Yugoslavian history, from the outbreak of World War II in the 1940s to the destruction of this once-great nation in the 1990s.

When we first meet Marko (Miki Manojlovic) and Blacky (Lazar Ristovski), it's hard to take these jokers seriously. All they want to do is party their lives away. But the Nazi shelling of Belgrade changes everything, and the resourceful duo comes up with an ingenious plan--one will stay aboveground while the other goes underground. The arrangement represents an ideal opportunity for all concerned: Blacky, his wife, and the rest of their friends and neighbors will be protected from the chaos going on above, while Marko and the lovely Natalija (Mira Sorvino look-alike Mirjana Jokovic) will sell the weapons they're making down below. Everyone will share in the profits.

But Marko commits the ultimate act of betrayal--against Blacky and the rest of his subterranean comrades. This sort of deception can only lead to tragedy, and Kusturica doesn't spare us the details. In fact, it's his eye for detail that makes Underground such a memorable experience--the perfect note his cast strikes between the extremes of physical comedy, passionate romance, and mortal pain, the insidiously infectious brass-heavy score and the strikingly colorful images.

Underground is basically a parable, and doesn't always adhere to the laws of physics. It isn't for the literal-minded, the impatient, or the partisan. It's loud, it's long, and it isn't for the easily offended. It may just also be one of the saddest movies ever made and stands as a fitting tribute to a country that exists only in the hearts and minds of its former residents. --Kathleen C. Fennessy ... Read more

Reviews (49)

The boldest, most ambitious film of the 1990's.
Out of the collaboration of three ingenious artists, Dusan Kovacevic, the great writer of comedy, Emir Kusturica, a master of the absurd in film-making, and Goran Bregovic, the most wonderful musician alive, arose "Underground", the most ambitious, most daring, and perhaps simply the best motion picture of the nineties. Kusturica is a supreme magical realist of cinema; he has a hold on the absurd like very few other film directors. For this reason, he was clearly the best man to try and adapt Kovacevic's novel "There Once Was a Country" for the screen. The novel is a brilliant allegory of fifty years in Yugoslav history (1941-1992), written in a multitude of styles, from fairy tale, to comic sketch, to classic tragedy. The scope of the story is enormous, and even Kusturica seems to have some trouble pulling it off, especially towards the end, as the film tends to get out of hand and become rather hard to follow. Nevertheless, on the whole Kusturica's telling of the story is successful. His wonderful direction is only enhanced by the superb cast, hilarious and mad as it is. Performances by already established actors Miki Manojlovic, Slavko Stimac and Lazar Ristovski, as well as the less well known Mirjana Jokovic, are delightfully original, and truly masterful. The film also features a phenomenal soundtrack by the forementioned Bregovic. This is a movie everyone should certainly see, though in all honesty it is only the peoples of Yugoslavia who can truly appreciate it. In fact, the movie is dedicated to those few lost generations who lived through the period in question.

Film Starts Here. Talk about this movie! Buy someone a copy.
When the patriotic Blacky, from the film, has had enough he takes matters into his own hands, with hilarious, redemptive, celebratory results. The film is universal and is very worth watching without subtitles which can be distracting to the excellent acting, but I find that the dialogue helps lend to many metaphorical musings. I plan on watching this film as many times as I've seen Morvern Callar. Too many. The comedy in Underground is fast, subtle, and frequently metaphorical. The musicians are well paid and they are integral to the film. Final thought:"Franz!"

Absolute Masterpiece
Directing, performances and music. This is a movie that you should not miss.

hard to stop analyzing this!
in this installment from kusturica's creation, the similarities between this movie on one hand and on the other {the plato's cave, the second half of the 20th century of yugoslav history, the communist history of european nations, the history of totalitarian societies} make it hard to separate tragic from comic. kusturica continues his creative journey with an updated subject (the dissolution of the yugoslav state) while still employing the same magic-realist set of tools that has made him popular ever since 'time of the gypsies,' music, actors, etc.

the only exception i would take with this movie (and this might have started with 'father is away with business') is my unease, as viewer, with kusturica's program. in other words, when confronted with the burden of kusturica's take on 50 years of communist (yugoslav) history, i cannot easily suspend my critical sense vis a vis history in order to fully enjoy the story. and critical sense and magic-realism don't go well together. yet, somehow, the ever-postponed end leaves the viewer on a good balance.

But how to see it on DVD?
I love this film. I won't mince my words. It's not the greatest film ever made, and I won't conjecture what is, but it's amongst the greatest I've seen (and yes, I have seen a fair few in my time). Those that feel it is a poor film (you'll see that very nearly everyone feels strongly one way or another) just don't get a) what the film did at home as a social commentary or b) that yes, people in that part of the world do party loudly and do practice the art of suspension of disbelief in their culture and upbringing - some people call it appreciation of art and artistry, but never mind all that. We Slavs are a passionate people, for better or worse.

This "review" is really to point out that the widescreen DVD of Underground is available from Australia. I have looked high and low for years for this. There is an Italian DVD release, a Belgian DVD release, but I've only just found (and ordered) the Australian DVD release (Croatian language, English subtitle). Of course, you'll need an appropriate DVD player, but those are easy to come by.

One doesn't have to like the film but please do bother getting your reasons right. ... Read more

Reviews (26)

Beware of cheap imitations
"Diva" is one of my very favorite movies -- I distinguish that term from "film." It has a wonderful combination of a suspenseful plot (based on a detective novel by Delacorta,( who, I believe, has a Lolita complex illustrated by the young Vietnames girl), pop-art imagery, and a thoughtful theme (the increasing mechanization/depersonalization ) of modern classical music. A beautiful mixture of film noir, nouveau vague, and Hollywood thriller, with a self-deprecating sense of humor.

BEWARE OF THE OTHER DVD VERSION (with the gangster portrait on the box). IT HAS HORRIBLE SOUND WHICH IS FATAL FOR A MOVIE CONTAINING OPERATIC AND CLASSICAL MUSIC.

Run, Jules, Run!
I first saw this film in high school and was immediately impressed with it. I've rented it innumerable times and am glad it's finally made it to DVD. The premise is somewhat ridiculous, but if you see the film as an operetta in itself, then it makes sense. The plot interweaves three stories quite skillfully: the first thread involves the obsessive love that Jules, a delivery man, has for an opera singer (the Diva), and the lengths he will go to in order to possess her (or at least to capture her amazing voice). The second tale involves two cut-throat Japanese agents who will do anything to nab Jule's bootleg copy of the Diva singing (as she refuses to be recorded and thinks that music should be an emphemeral experience). And the final intrigue that provides the weft and woof for this movie is that of an underground sex slave ring and the Paris police department's attempts at apprehending the crime lord in charge of it.

All the characters in the movie were quite well-developed, except for that of the title character, the Diva, played by Wilhelmenia Fernandez. She is in real life an American opera singer, and as such I probably should not have expected so much from her as an actress. Nonetheless, her lackluster performance did not sabotage the great work by Frederic Andrei, who was superb as a naive, lovestruck Jules. Other notable performances were given by Richard Bohringer, the fabulously enigmatic Gorodish, the Zen-man with an answer for everything; and Thuy An Luu, his incorrigible, shoplifting girlfriend. I also loved the slapstick humor provided by the crime lord's two henchmen.

Diva is an all-around enjoyable film that capitalizes on the sense of sound in the same manner that "Like Water for Chocolate" culled from the sense of taste. You will hear a certain aria over and over again from this film, but the music that will actually stay with you is a haunting piano piece by Erik Satie (when Jules and Cynthia are in the park). I highly recommend this movie, especially if you liked "Run Lola Run."

As wonderful now as it was then
When I saw DIVA in the theaters, back in 1982, I knew I had witnessed something incredibly special. And for years it had kept a warm spot in my heart and mind. When I heard the DVD had been released, I was afraid of two things: 1) that the transfer would be a disaster and 2) the film would be terribly dated.

The not-so-good-news first: while superior to the earlier DVD release (which I had never seen, but heard about) the film suffers a little from some muddy sound, and at the worst times: during the operatic performances. Yet, the chase scenes have incredibly crisp sound. But I can't let that spoil the fact that the movie has held up incredibly well after 20+ years. While the fashions are of a by-gone era, everything else holds up perfectly. The plot, the direction, the performances are all as engaging as anything that's come out in recent years. Younger viewers may feel that this is a little old-fashioned, but I doubt it. This is a great film that has a little bit of everything: drama, love, comedy--and the strangest villains in cinema history! Give DIVA a chance.

A Thrilling Visual Poem
Diva is poetically visual as it displays a cinematically stunning experience, which renders one speechless with its sublime cinematography. The story begins with a postman, Jules, who is absorbed by opera as he tapes an opera singers performance. Unknowingly Jules has been observed by two peculiar men followings him in order to try retrieve the recording. In addition, a woman who is murdered has placed a tape recording in Jules's postman bag, which will add more problems for him. Diva is a superb cinematic experience that will visually intrigue as much French New Wave did during the 60s and 70s as it often produces new and interesting ways of displaying cinema.

cult film - no question about it
Diva is very intriguing with it's two parallel plots. The first time I saw this movie I was a bit confused and to this day I wouldn't know how to properly categorize it. It's a bit of a crime story, a bit of a romantic drama and has got lot's of great music.

But even if the movie had no plot and the acting was absolutely terrible (which it isn't), you could still just sit back and enjoy the music and the pictures (the lighthouse scene is absolutely gorgeous). Thuy An Luu is very tantalizing and a joy to watch, especially skating around Gorodish's warehouse / home.

Vladimir Cosma's piano sequences like the "promenade sentimentale" are masterpieces in their own right and I highly recommend the soundtrack.

I've seen this movie many times in the theatre. Owning this DVD is the next best thing to the real experience on the big screen and this was one of the first purchases I made after getting a DVD player. ... Read more

Amazon.com

This film was a touchstone of the late 1960s, when it was seen as an antiwar allegory for a world in which madness seemed to reign. Of course, that would probably be true whenever this movie was shown, wouldn't it? Directed by Philippe de Broca and set during World War I, King of Hearts stars Alan Bates as a Scottish soldier separated from his unit in France. He wanders into a small French village that has been abandoned by its residents in the face of oncoming combat. Instead, the town is populated by the residents of a nearby insane asylum, whose keepers have fled--a fact that escapes the innocent soldier, who assumes these are the regular folks. A film that celebrates the innocence and wisdom of the insane, even as it questions who the real madmen are. --Marshall Fine ... Read more

Reviews (30)

wonderful.
This is a movie everyone should see. I know that everyone always writes that, but I really mean it. I've never seen another movie like it in my whole life. there's something hauntingly, charmingly true about it. The story is set in 1918, in a small french town that has been evacuated because there's a bomb hidden. A scottish soldier is sent in to disable it, but he doesn't know where it's hidden or when it's going to go off. Accidentally freeing all the inmates of the insane asylum who've been left (by the fleeing townspeople) in the town, the soldier finds himself stuck among them, trying to convince them to leave, but having no luck. the inmates are irresistibly lovable, carefree, full of wisdom and completely free of all societal restraints. it's impossible not to fall in love with the world they create in the evacuated town. I think the movie is only made better by being in another language: reading the subtitles, you can imagine the characters saying the lines in any way that you want. French is such a beautiful language: that, combined with the unobtrusive music, makes for a film strangely silent and beautiful. It makes me cry. Please go watch it. It's definitely one of my favorites.

Enchanting fantasy; topical allegory; classic movie
A fairy tale set in a French town caught between the opposing armies of the First World War, "King of Hearts" has lost none of its beguiling charm in the 35 years since its original release, nor has its message grown stale. Alan Bates shines as Charles Plumpick, a simple private in a Scottish regiment and perhaps the only sane man in the abandoned town. But is his world of war and brutality really any saner than the make-believe world conjured up by the escaped inmates of the town lunatic asylum, the only residents Private Plumpick encounters during his reconaissance? It is a point of view that depends entirely on one's perspective. This whimsical, gentle tale challenges the watcher to reexamine what constitutes true madness, just as the asylum characters force Pvt. Plumpick, having been to his initial discomfort acclaimed as the King of Hearts, to choose which role he prefers: king of the fools or fool for King George V? Broca directs his own screenplay with a deft touch and using a stellar cast of mostly French actors. A very young Genevieve Bujold makes one of her earliest appearances in a major picture. The English subtitles aren't the best I've seen (and unlike the VHS version, are distractingly present even during English dialogue), but far better than the awful English-dubbed version of "King of Hearts" that is sometimes broadcast or sold. (The best subtitles I have ever seen were on a print that circulated around theatres during the 1970s and 1980s, but I've never seen this version used for home video.) The score by Georges Delerue is one of his best.

Quelle Surprise! This DVD version has, without fanfare, at least two entirely new scenes in the film that I have never seen before (and I first saw this in 1977). The first is a lengthier "homily" by Monseigneur Marguerite (aka Bishop Daisy) in the church before Charles' coronation. But the real grabber is an added scene at the very end of the movie that offers a parting glance at the primary players and a final bittersweet twist. Where on earth did this footage come from, and why has it been missing from this film for so long? Does this DVD version offer a "better" ending than the familiar one? It's debateable. But it's certainly intriguing.

Best Ending Ever!
This movie has the very best ending ever. I'd like to see someone try and find a more surprising, happier, funnier ending than this one. The loonies are in town and they've found their king and my heart. This movie takes the bag. It's my father's very favorite movie and one of mine. I definitely recommend this movie.

A buck-naked skip with birdcage!
This gem should hit many different emotions for the avid viewer. A true parade of carnival characters set in an antiwar theme -- this bit of royalty of the heart brings up aTHE enigma: Is the difference between psychosis and psychic just a paper-thin line of cultural subjectivism? Is the lunacy of blowing up yet another vacant city on the path to glory any different that skipping naked down a path with a birdcage in one's hand?

This film started the boomers reading subtitles and (hopefully) brought them out of their fears of foreign film. (Don't get the dubbed version, it lacks so much charm.) Its popularity had a great deal to do with the country's mass-consciousness about the Viet Nam war; but I hope it would have found the same audience without such a catalyst.

One feels like dancing in a fountain and blowing bubbles on the back of a bus after seeing this great flick. Keep a kazoo handy; you'll want to have something to toot after the film is over and you are left to your organized sanity!

Better yet, follow it up with the 1972 release of "The Ruling Class" and have yourself a truly insane evening of jocularity.

Is there something extra on this DVD?
King of Hearts was, in my younger and more vulnerable years, one of my favorite movies, but I had not seen it in many years. In fact, I'd rather forgotten about it. Then I came across the DVD and bought it and watched it again. Still a great movie, but I was puzzled. My recollection was the final scene of the movie is Plumpick (Alan Bates) appearing at the gate of the asylum naked. Then the credits began (rather abruptly as I recollect). In the DVD, however, there is a short scene after this where Bates has joined the inmates and there is a brief exchange of dialog. I don't recall ever seeing this before, but maybe my memory is foggy. No one else seems to have mentioned this either in ... of IMDB, nor does the DVD tout a restored scene. Can anyone tell me if they recall this scene? ... Read more

Reviews (63)

The epic sense of the life
Andrei Rubliov is the masterpiece of Andrei Tarkovsky. I 've watched very carefullly all his works, and Andrei contains the quintessential thought of this unique film maker.
What Tarkovsky made with this film may be one the most overwhelming and haunting achievemnts in all the story of the world cinema.
Rubliov is a icon painter who after an important fac, decides not continue in that office.
The powerful of the barbarian invassion into a church, where he acquires the human experience gets far away the world, he isolates and becomes in a wanderer.
The unforgettable images that appear before the viewer are of a trascendental poetic beauty never seen before and even now.
All the journey along the Russia of XVI century is a reflexive gaze of the human condition , the sense of the life and how dealing with it, the unsaid code of one must behavior humanly, even in inhuman conditions, facing the world, with his singleness, its little moments of joy, his infinite sadness and its miseries.
The opening sequence in which the fall is shown before us, is a original metaphor of how facing with the failure; and is depicted with such kind of beautiness that mesmerizes you. No other film n the story, with the exception of the ending of A man escapes from Robert Bresson reveals with so frehness and vitality the epic sense before the life.
When Rubliov knows this teenager, in the final chapter, and faces with him the huge challenge that implies to make the asgned mission, turns back çRubliov and it invites him to keep on going in his mission or the moira term greek, his place in the universe, his meaning in this brief stage in the world.
This superb masterpiece, has countless remarkable sequences, the dialogues are feed of a blissness and poetic raprure without a drop of effectism.
When the mission is completed, and everybody celebrates the fact our young hero remains alone and Rubliov will gather with him and will tell wisdom words that I must not tell.
This is the goal of the artist; he must go to the forrest and seek the mushrooms; the people will be just waiting from the safe place for him; and no matter how dangerous or hazardous be the journey; they only expect for your bag. They will consume these gifts; but the creator must seek them.
Tarkovsky was in the middle of the creative universe (remeber his father Arseni Tarkovsky was a poet)in 1966; the script has an inner mytical force ; and every bit of this film is sublime, perfect.
Tarkovsky showed what many film makers haven't been able to do; express with a camera such landscape of images, in all his whole meaning.
Andrei Rubliov will be always a landmark ; an eternal triumph ; a epic statement that will be with all of us till the end of our lives.
And even more.

Revelation in Contemplation
I had never seen a Tarkovsky film before "Andrei Rublev", but I intend to see more. This film was *very* different, but very good, and I was moved by it on many different levels.

Set in Russia in the early 15th century, this film is based on the life of Andrei Rublev, an icon painter and arguably Russia's first great artist. It's told in a series of vignettes that don't always focus on Rublev; many times he is either a background observer or not involved at all. He is a device that Tarkovsky uses to tell a grander tale, a tale about art, life, humanity, history, faith, good, evil and other philosophical ideas that most filmmakers fear like the plague. This film is much more than a historical epic, it is a work of art, and possibly more than that a path to enlightenment.

Like many of the greatest directors, Tarkovsky is more than just a filmmaker. He is an ARTIST, possibly more so than any director I've ever encountered. For example, most directors use techniques like music and editing to elicit specific emotions from the audience, but Tarkovsky uses few to no manipulative devices. Scenes are typically wide, sweeping, epic shots, which often linger for up to several minutes. The viewer is allowed to absorb the situation and the imagery, to internalize them and let them sink into the subconscious. If one is still and contemplative, one will enter into a dialogue with the film and begin to experience it on a higher level.

The film lacks a tightly knit plot, and there's no pat morality tale. Rather it is LIFE, boiled down to its essence. Scenes feel real, and often play out in real time according to the rhythm of life. Characters will sit and wait, and we wait with them. Incidents unfold in real time, with no cuts and nothing edited. Tarkovsky uses the natural world a great deal. For instance, a character will chance upon the carcass of a snow-white egret mired in the swamp, or a somber procession will scale a snowy embankment where the mud has bled through like a pair of weeping eyes.

It's a work of art, I've established that, but I also love the historical setting. Fifteenth century Russia was grim and unforgiving. Orthodox Christianity was the official religion, but paganism was still commonplace. Boyars, kings and princes frequently skirmished with one another. Tartars from the south took advantage of the regional instability to sack villages and cities. Plague and sickness were rampant, and the vast majority of people lived in abject poverty. But the so-called "Dark Ages" were nearly at an end. Art and ideas from West were steadily infiltrating the East. Rublev himself was inspired by a Greek painter named Theophanes, a relationship depicted in the film. Tarkovsky captures the period perfectly in "Andrei Rublev", and to me it seems like the next thing to being there.

Having said ALL that, I cannot in good conscience recommend this film to most people. Here are all the reasons a modern filmgoer probably would not like "Andrei Rublev": it was filmed in black and white; it's old (originally released in 1966); it's long (the unedited Criterion release is nearly 3 and a 1/2 hours); it's in Russian with subtitles; at least one animal was brutally killed during the filming (for which there is NO excuse - shame on Tarkovsky); scenes linger for several minutes without cuts or editing; it's arty (though not pretentious); it's very difficult to understand; it requires repeated viewings and you may never fully "get it"; it's told in a series of vignettes with only a loose overarching narrative; etc., etc. If none of that scares you off, you should definitely check it out, because it's a real gem.

RUINED BY ANIMAL CRUELITY
I was really looking foward to this film as i have enjoyed SOLARIS, THE MIRROR and many other russian films so much. Everything you,ve read about the magnificents of this film is true,it is one of the most striking,poetic and beautiful looking films ive seen period, however i must say thatiam utterly repulsed by the three barbaric acts of animal torture , Seeing a cow running around its enclosure after being set on fire, a horse fall down some steps , breaking its leg and then have a spear shoved through its throat
and a dog being beaten to death and watching its final twitching
make this film ultimi unwatchable ..is this art??is this excusable??Do you think this is okay? these are the most repulsive and distrurbing scenes i have ever seen in a movie. I DO NOT SUPPORT THIS I DETEST ANIMAL CRUELTY/TORTURE, ESPECIALLY SIMPLY TO MAKE A FILM.....im shocked that so many of your reveiwers did not mention this..Please , someone tell me i wrong and that these scenes did not really happen for real
and its all trickery..

THE Russian epic with striking imagery (1966)
Andrei Rublev is probably the greatest looking film of all time. It was shot on a Konvas (you can pick one up on Ebay for $1000) and film students will be stunned by what has been achieved in terms of cinematography with such an old and dated 35mm motion picture camera. It is inspirational in terms of film-making and this is the core reason why you should watch the film. If you are interested in Kino Art then Andrei Rublev can probably lay claim to the greatest art film ever made. If you are looking to experiment with Tarvoksky, then Andrei Rublev is not a bad place to start.

Like most of Tarkovsky's films, Andrei Rublev is extremely artistic, conjectures much on the human condition, metaphysics and Russian life - that all seem to have some hidden meanings that contains the film's truth that Tarkovsky expounds on - namely the wickedness of men and the temptations that they face. It is also about triumph of the will and the nature of man. This is all done via the "narrative" and the look of the film. Tarkovsky mixes moments of dialogue about the metaphysical (a doctrine that would continue to be a theme in all of this other films giving a sense of what was to come - especially the intricateness of Stalker, Solaris), arrestingly simple and slow cinematography (his trademark water shots), complex action sequences (there are full scale battles like from a Kurosawa movie) and visionary set designs (15th century villages, towns and cities). This is Tarkovsky's biggest film ever (and quite possibly the biggest Russian film ever).

The premise is complex. Andrei Rublev, a monk with the gift of painting, is invited to paint churches around the country and in Moscow. Between travelling from job to job he encounters - monks who have lost their faith, monks with too much faith in themselves, fools who are imprisoned for their beliefs, Wicca festivals (the pagan ceremonies of St. John's night), murder, torture (the Russian crucifixion), death, error, the sacking of towns by the Tartars (the sacking of Vladimir), vows of silence and of course the most striking final piece of the film - the making of the bell (the casting of the bell). Characters appear and disappear (a cinematic technique found in The Thin Red Line), but there is also a lot of hidden imagery (every time you watch it you find something new), in particular scenes of novice monks putting dirt on their cheeks which makes no sense at the time yet later on we seen Andrei put the same dirt as a stain on a church he has painted because of the bureaucratic blinding of artists (an extremely violent scene of which there are many. As a note: Andrei Rublev happens to be an extremely violent film and there are several disturbing scenes. Also a scene where a horse falls down a stairs was cut because of animal cruelty but this has been restored for the DVD). All of these scenes are done via several chapters that each tells a story in which Andrei Rublev is present either as the central character of focus, a participant or an observer. If you pay close attention to the chapters you will realize that the themes of each chapter are contained in all the chapters. Tarvoksky plays with the audience in so many ways that you can only hope to watch the film again and again until you make ALL of the connections. You will likely not see a more striking film for imagery. The ending is obviously what got Kubrick working on his trip scene in 2001. Tarkovsky returned a nod by filming Solaris.

Andrei Rublev is shot in monochrome although the ending does a little Wizard of Oz for us. The story is divided between two discs. You have 86 minutes in the first disc and 99 in the second for a grand running time of 185 minutes. This DVD is PRICEY but this is Kino Art at its finest and worth every penny. The extras are many and there are some very important historical interviews about Tarkovsky. However I will say that DVD is totally unsuitable for Tarkovsky's films and possibly you will do better to watch a widescreen video or even better a 35mm print of the film in the cinema next time it comes to town. Even though the transfer is sublime for a 1966 picture (a Russian one at that) and there has been a lot of digital correction, the DVD produces artefacts on nearly all of Tarkovsky's films because of his complex imagery, but this is just quibbling and is not the fault of the DVD producers. Tarkovsky has simply exceeded the limits of what DVD mpeg compression can handle, even after this film is spanned over 2 discs... and that says a lot about the quality of this man's vision.

Kino Art does not come much better than Andrei Rublev.

Excellent, but slow paced and not for everybody.
This review is for the Criterion Collection DVD edition of the film. This film, like many of Tarkovsky's movies are slow-paced. This may bore some, but Tarkovsky viewed many his films as a form of art as opposed to entertainment.

Most people like movies that entertain, but not all films do that. I am a longtime fan of Russian cinema and find this to be a good example of "art house" cinema.

This movie contains some scenes that some persons may find unsettling. There is a scene where a man kicks a dog to death, a scene of a horse falling down a set of stairs breaking its leg, and another where a cow is on fire. There is also nudity.

The film itself was banned in the Soviet Union, but later released in a heavily cut version. The film has many religious references and quotes from the Bible. (The subtitles on the Criterion Collection DVD use the King James Version for translation of the Bible which is my favorite.)

The film follows the story of real life 14th-15th century icon painter Andrei Rublev. Not knowing too much about him, I cannot give a clear comparison between the film and his life. The movie is well photographed and has an excellend full color sequence at the end of the film showing his acutal paintings.

The Criterion Collection DVD has numerous special features.
Interview with director Andrei Tarkovsky, Improved Subtitles, A timeline showing events of Russian history, and the works and life events of Andrei Rublev and Tarkovsky. There is also a partial length audio essay during certain chapters on the DVD track that conform with the scenes the narrator is talking about.
The booklet lists these tracks so one would not need to view the whole film to search for the commentary. ... Read more

Amazon.com

Lina Wertmüller (Seven Beauties) made this pointed, 1975 comedy-drama about class and sex conflicts. Mariangela Melato plays a rich woman marooned on an island with a crude sailor (Giancarlo Giannini). The two initially assume their accustomed class relationship with one another--she expects service, he grumbles about it--but then a revolution takes place and the subjugation is reversed. The film comes down on you like a hammer, but Wertmüller adroitly traces the shifting nuances of the relationship, and the two stars are excellent. Numerous scenes stick in the memory many years after one viewing. The DVD release has a widescreen presentation, production notes, biographies of cast and crew, and English subtitles. --Tom Keogh ... Read more

Reviews (26)

Interesting Island Love Story
"Swept Away" is an interesting italian 1974 release about a greedy woman who expects her male servent to accommodate her with anything she pleases in all costs. Her cruelty takes an unexpected turn once they become trapped on an island together. Then the job roles turn around, and her trials return to haunt her. The war that erupts between each other takes an unusual turn.

This creative plot was written wonderfully. They combine drama, comedy, romance, and slight erotica to make this unforgettable movie. Its conflicts and its trials keep audiences watching closely at what will happen next. The love story theme is one of the most unique in cinema history, though cruel. Twists and turns arise in various scenes giving it the added edge, leading to a surprise and powerful conclusion. Though there are some flaws not relating to the writing, namely the woman managing to keep her make-up on throught the entire island stay without reapplying, the interesting storyline greatly makes up for it. The acting is interesting, especially the two lead actors: Giancarlo Giannini and Mariangela Melato. Though Melato occasionally overreacts some words, she keeps her character interesting with her unique charisma. Giannini keeps his aggressive edge intact in every moment. All other actors also perform their roles wonderfully.

"Swept Away" is a great film for those looking for something unforgettably unique. This will surely keep audiences entertained. Those who like this film should stay away from the 2002 American remake, starring Madonna. It's not nearly as good.

Madonna remake rumor hopefully unfounded
For those of you who loath foreign films, put that prejudice aside and check out this sensational movie. Giannini and Melato make the best screen couple I've seen since Bogart and Bergman. "Swept Away's" filled with witty, intelligent dialogue, hilarious banter and breath-taking scenes of the Mediteranean. Moreover it's fairly politically literate, which is a rarity in Hollywood these days (and in most other movie making outlets).
The plot sounds as formulaic as humanly possible, but wait! This one's different. It's got a style and panache that barely any other films can match. Sure it was controversial (the misogynistic violence is quite disturbing) but Lina Wertmuller offers up a masterpeice that should not be ignored. It's easily her best (some would argue "Seven Beauties" but I disagree) and most enjoyable movie. They just don't make movies like this anymore, and especially not in Hollywood. When recommending foreign films to your friends you can't go wrong by pushing this video into their hands.
To see this one on a large screen would be quite an experience, just looking at it on my regular television made it seem as if I was cruising the Medeteranean right along with them.
Wertmuller rightly deserves to be considered one of the world's finest directors (a label that often eludes her, as I feel she's somewhat underrated) with this and other fine productions under her belt.

Wertmuller is amazing
Director Lina Wertmuller's provocative film takes the class struggle to a desert island where only the man and the woman exist. Wertmuller's scenario is that of the man assuming the role of ruler and the woman one of worker-slave, and this becomes a love relationship. Naturally, the man is the one most reluctant to go back to the society where he is worker-slave and the woman is ruler over him! The black humor is wonderful because it is visual, via the camera angles and shots, and it is beautifully filmed. I'm afraid the new version, from what I've heard,(and I will not pay to see it)meddles with the ending and hence changes the meaning of the film. With a world-class filmmaker like Lina Wertmuller, why fix what isn't broke and do a remake of a perfectly fine work of art?

Better than the new version with Madonna
The new version with Madonna is very good, the production is better because was made 30 years later. But this original version is so much funny, the actors are amazing.
The story is about a woman who is having vacations with her husband and friends in her yacht and one day she and a sailor take a boat to go to a beach so she could swim. When she suggests this to the sailor he says that it was late and dangerous but she didn't care and as result they got lost and ended in a deserted island. So in the island the sailor who wasn't well treated in the yacht because of the master's wife, now decides that it's time to be the master so the rich woman has to do everthing that he wanted if she wanted to eat or be in the cottage that he found. As a result of all this they fall in love.
I'd really like to tell more beyond that point but you'll really have to see the movie.
This edition is in italian with subtitles in english, but it's better that the movie is in italian because the voices are really funny.
Between the original version and the new one there are some changes but not very big because basiclly the story is the same. But if you're choosing between one and the other, I'll strongly recommend this one, the first one. It's much more funnier.

Very Good
TAMING OF THE SHREW set on a desert island, and very good with great acting. Didn't like the woman-hitting scenes, but over all a well done, intelligent film. Very very well written. ... Read more

Description

Writer/director Federico Fellini tells the tale of a woman (Giulietta Masina) dealing with her husband's possible infidelity. The result is a surreal and wild investigation into the psychology of a modern woman. Powered by Nino Rota's haunting score, "Juliet of the Spirits" was the winner of five Best Foreign Film of the Year awards and received Academy Award nominations for Best Art Direction and Costume Design in 1966. ... Read more

Reviews (31)

"C'mon Guilietta! We're all waiting!" (for you to come out)
This is a film about a woman in her 30s--a well-to-do Italian housewife--and the inner changes she experiences through several events in her life including, most prominently, the infidelity of the husband she loves. But it's much more too.

Fellini's stunning visuals--the colors and settings, the outrageous dress, and the fantastic score of Nino Rota, makes it seem as if Italy is the most exotic place on earth.

The first time I watched this film I was a bit put off by some of the events that didn't always make sense, as well as the annoying white subtitles that are difficult to read. But there was something about it that compelled me to watch again. I'm still not sure I understand the ending, or the role of the tall Spaniard, but there are many subtle and wonderful things happening.

The music of Rota is simply captivating. Most of it is carried by a lilting, swinging clarinet and a quirky organ in an unlikely but very rich marriage. I'm disappointed to find there is apparently no film score available on CD.

The viewer is treated to the whole litany and range of emotions of a woman suspecting her husband of cheating--and Guilietta Masina, in a great performance, tells it all in her face.

Guilietta also has visions. Her penchant for the spirts, along with the urging of her kooky friends, ("S/he only comes every seven years!") leads her to visit a spiritual charlatan, a phony guru, in a memorable and hilarious scene. "
"Isn't it an apple?"
"No dear, you must see beyond material form."

Guilietta's friends also try to persuade her to experience love beyond her marriage. I shan't tell the result but, again, Fellini treats the viewer to many, many exotic and unexpected scenes.

Finally, this film also explores the relationships of Guilietta to her husband, her mother and sisters, her friends, her husband's friends and her maids. In a sense, this is very much a woman's film. But it's more; it's surreal; it's certainly one for those tired of boring, contemporary films.

FELLINI'S BEST FILM?
Federico Fellini's films often reflected an enticing and disturbing dreamworld. "JULIET OF THE SPIRITS" is his first color film and it is a delight to see the bright, vivid colors again. All previous existing prints on tape were deplorable transfers.

Simply put, the story focuses on a wealthy Italian housewife in her 30s and the interior metamorphosis she undergoes as she experiences the passages, events and changes in her life, most notably her husband's unfaithfulness. A husband she loves. No words can do justice to the stunning visuals -- cinematography, costumes and production design.

Many film buffs consider this Fellini's best film -- even better than his autobiographical "81/2" -- a film that is in many ways the psychological flip side of "Juliet."

Fellini was one of only a handful of world class filmmakers that was fully actualized as an artist. He could not only break the rules, but make new ones. And no one excelled better than he in visualizing an elliptical, ephemeral dreamstate that still speaks to our deepest feelings in a unique and fresh style.

Nina Rota's fantastical score raises the intensity of the images and nuances the fleeting emotions. See this great movie for the first time and discover a genius and humanist who painted with light.

Thanks to Criterion for continuing the tradition of gathering the greatest films from the finest filmmakers around the world and publishing them in editions that offer the highest technical quality and award-winning, original supplements.

Who Doesn't Daydream...?
....It's a Fellini Cine, babes!

I was--like I have been while watching other foriegn films--put off initially by the seemingly incongruous little snippets of music and visuals. I mean, couldn't those Europeans make a movie that flowed better? Jeez! I open my mind, watched it a few times and came to these conclusions. First, Giulietta, the actress, must have been a bit off to have done this apparently semi-real story abouat a middle aged woman married to a famous director who she suspects is having an affair. I mean, she was married to Fellini when this was produced. Second, albeit the digital reprocessing has made the cinema more vivid and the costuming more striking, the women more sexier, it showed it's date. When Juliet goes to confront the lady about l'affair, she should have kick the B*'s tail. That probably would have been the response for a character in a current day movie. Third, in an odd sort of way, it all but helps a more modern Eyes Wide Open to make some kind of sense. I mean, who can say how we will respond when a whiff of infidelity comes into our relationships, our lives? Juliet's response were these visions. Some of these were from her far away youth. Some just were pure Fellini bacchanalia. Tom Cruise in Eyes was thinking well, if my wife can *think* it, well, I can just *do* it and be one up on her. It starts for Tom as 'getting even', but it corrodes into something else that he had no control over. (I always say we are forever one step from a huge disaster and we don't know it....) We see Juliet almost giving into her urges with the pretty Latin kid who she meets at her neighbor's...but something just doesn't feel right.

And so, that's what this film is about. What we go thru when we suspect something or hear some painful news. We have the brilliant Guilietta Masina and the surreal Fellini to thank for giving these emotions some sort of form..

One of Fellini's best films
I started watching Fellini films as a young teen, seeing the older ones in the revival theatres, and eagerly anticipating his newest films. Juliet of the Spirits is truly my favorite Fellini film. The camera visuals and color are stunning. The wide screen format is imperative. I only wish that Criterion had also added the (bad) English language soundtrack. It's better for first time viewers. Some of Fellini's imagery is easily missed by reading too many subtitles.

Beautifully Filmed Nonsense
While I admire the cinematic beauty of "Nights of Cabiria" and even its plot (as threadbare as it is, it's still good fun), by the time Fellini got to Juliet of the Spirits, he had really run out of things to say. Early on in the movie, there are harbingers of a plot, some suspense and even something verging on high drama, bu