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Siege of Leningrad

  • 18-09-2010 1:03pm
    #1
    Crann na Beatha
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 11,763 ✭✭✭✭


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Comments

  • #2
    Morlar
    Closed Accounts Posts: 9,273 ✭✭✭Morlar


    I saw it a few months back and thought it was interesting in parts. I will probably watch it again to refresh my memory.

    The production values were quite good for a straight to DVD release and Gabriel Byrne is an excellent actor imo. The female lead (survino ?) was also quite good.

    The overall look and feel of the Leningrad Siege is well portrayed - the grinding hunger of all those desperate people through long months of decay is portrayed with tact and in a respectful manner. The experience of the common man is nicely contrasted of the experience for those Russians who had party connections and were permitted to flee.
    Scenes of the communist commissars herding 'volunteers' into certain death in the path of German tanks and heavy machine guns is not something you see often in hollywood movies. Also the general viciousness of the party people versus the ordinary citizen also came across quite well. One scene that struck me was the one where the journalist is reported dead and so when they realise she is alive decide to kill her (partly due to her imperial/white russian connection). This part I believe is based on fact - in reality that woman's father had fled the communists and they still wanted him dead.

    One or two scenes struck an off note, ie when the Germans dropped a time delay bomb with the words 'Free Sugar' written on it in order to attract desperate civilians - that seemed a bit silly to me and I have no idea if that is based on documented fact or fantasy/rumour. The Luftwaffe pilot who (if I recall correctly) 'suicided' himself due to the pressures of conscience - I have no idea if that is truth - I seem to recall it mentioned in the credits but it was news to me and I do not know if there was truth to that or not. I think with a lot of things from that time we will never know the full truth and how a story is presented in a movie is based on unreliable testimony and hollywood filling in the gaps - in this case it was for me more interesting to see a big movie about the russian experience for a change. Also it did not patronise it's audience with as much emotional manipulation as many other movies tend to to.


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