Reloader
02-07-06, 17:31
I read about this film in Empire magazine recently, it's just been released in the West, so I bought it soon after. Made in 1985, it's set in Soviet Belarus during WW2 and tells the story of a young boy who enlists as a partisan to fight against the German invasion and deals with his right of passage in the war thereafter and how it affects him.
It deals also with the brutal ethnic cleansing carried out by the Nazis in that part of the Soviet Union. To achieve realism, the director used live ammunition for what battle scenes there are. The film can be shown in Russian with subtitles, or dubbed in English. I choose to watch the Russian language version with the subtitles, I just prefer it that way.
There are 2 discs in the box, with one containing extras, such as interviews with the cast & archive war film. Unfortunately, no translation is provided with these, so unless you speak Russian, they're not going to make much sense to you!
However, this is an excellent realistic film, well acted and filmed, showing the war from the Russian perspective and I would recommend you see it if you get the chance. (Y)
It deals also with the brutal ethnic cleansing carried out by the Nazis in that part of the Soviet Union. To achieve realism, the director used live ammunition for what battle scenes there are. The film can be shown in Russian with subtitles, or dubbed in English. I choose to watch the Russian language version with the subtitles, I just prefer it that way.
There are 2 discs in the box, with one containing extras, such as interviews with the cast & archive war film. Unfortunately, no translation is provided with these, so unless you speak Russian, they're not going to make much sense to you!
However, this is an excellent realistic film, well acted and filmed, showing the war from the Russian perspective and I would recommend you see it if you get the chance. (Y)