Monday, July 28, 2008

Revue

One of the major reason's why i love movies so much is their ability to transport you to a different time and age which takes you far away from your own current reality. It then makes you very appreciative for what you have in your own life.

That said, this documentary isn't just about the hardships of the soviet people. Its an illuminating look at how they lived/worked/survived life in the late 50's/early 60's. And if you think you've seen it all before, then think again. A vast majority of this footage has never been seen in the west before. So it is very informative, to say the least, watching ordinary everyday soviet citizens doing normal everyday things. A lot of the clips are undoubtedly made for propaganda type purposes, but thankfully, for the most part, they aren't overtly political. They're made probably with reasonably sincere intentions to rally the country to be as productive as they could be, to boost morale for their fellow countrymen.

Mercifully, there was one great directorial decision made which, after watching, seems like absolutely the correct thing to do, and that was to resist the temptation to place a voice over.
I am positive after you have seen this, that you'll agree as well. The pictures & people speak volumes. A musical phrase comes to mind, "Its not the notes - its the spaces in-between" that sum up this revealing doco very well.

Highly recommended.

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