Musical wandering

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Jul 232008
 

No Russian movies tonight. I’m busy getting ready for some Spokesrider bike rides. I did spend some time with the Russian language, though, starting with one of Viktor D. Huliganov’s lessons.

Then, while working on my maps I listened to YouTube music, and then stumbled upon this song, which I recognize from the movie Obyknovennoye chudo. It’ll be handy having it here so I can learn the words.

And I see that Nastya Kamenskih is in on this kind of music, too. I was somewhat surprised to see her on this stage. I learned about her some months ago when doing a YouTube search for Fabrika Zvezd. Most of the music from Fabrika Zvezd doesn’t bear much repeated listening for me, but the “Ne para” that she did with Potap is one that wears well. She has a good voice, and it seems she and Potap enjoyed working together on stage. It was fun to watch the two respond to each other. I’ve also seen several more recent YouTube clips of her singing with the guy that appears with her in the above clip. (I’ve seen his name, but don’t remember it.) The songs those two do together doesn’t seem to work quite as well. Below is the one she did with Potap on Fabrika Zvezd. I don’t know that they ever topped it — at least not on YouTube.

I see I’ve wondered a long way from Ostrov — from Pyotr Mananov to Dmitri Dyushev to Tamara Gverdtsiteli to Nastya Kamenskih.

Hmmm. I still haven’t worked with my vocabulary flash cards tonight. Better go and do my quota for the evening.

What kinds of movies

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Jul 232008
 

Alexander Sedov asked what kind of movies I like. There are a lot of types I like, but what first came to mind is how I like those that portray the countryside — roadsides, fields, and yards. I also like those that portray people’s homes and mealtimes. I’m one of those strange people who enjoys looking at other peoples’ photos from their vacation trips overseas, but what I’m often looking at is the edges of roads — where vegetation meets the road. I feel I’m getting to know a country when I see that. But I like seeing places of all kinds.

Anyone who has gone over to my Spokesrider web site probably has noticed that I spend a lot of time on the edges of roads. If I ever get to visit Russia, I’d like it to be on a bicycle tour where I can see these things.

Some movies that are memorable for the scenery are Vozvrashcheniye, Comissar, Sudba Cheloveka, Les glaneurs et la glaneuse (A French documentary, not Russian) and Vokzal dlya Dvoikh. And some that were fascinating in how they showed apartments and homes are Moskva slezam ne verit and Ironyia Sudby and (in a different way) Vokzal dlya Dvoikh.

I like movies that can show me these things, regardless of what sort of acting or story they contain.

That’s not a complete answer to Alexander’s question, and I’m not sure it’s completely accurate.

A couple of months ago I was talking to an old family friend who I hadn’t seen for several years. She now has a new Russian daughter-in-law. I told how I had been trying to learn some Russian and how my wife and I have found that we enjoy watching Russian movies together. At one point she asked why I was so interested in Russia. I mumbled something about how the scenery reminded me of Minnesota. She then asked, incredulously, “You like Russia because it reminds you of Minnesota?” Well, no, it isn’t just that. If it’s Minnesota I want, I can go there easily enough for the real thing. (It’s where my parents and some of my siblings live, and where one of our children was born.) I’m not sure I can explain myself what’s so fascinating about it. But I do enjoy watching the movies with scenes that show not just the grand vistas, but what the terrain is like up close and personal.

Viktor D. Huliganov

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Jul 212008
 

No movie comments today, even though Alexander Sedov brought up some good topics, and even though I just learned that the great actress, Nonna Mordyukova, died two weeks ago. Her passing deserves more than I’m going to have time to write about tonight.

What I do have is a new YouTube link for learning Russian. It’s a series of videos produced by Viktor D. Huliganov. My wife says he’s like Garrison Keilor. Well, he does have a dry sense of humor and he sings well enough, too. I think he makes his living as an accountant.

I found him by starting with the movie Ostrov. That led me to YouTube clips of Dmitry Dyuzhev, who played Father Job in that movie. Most of the clips are his singing — usually together with Tamara Gverdtsiteli. I happen to like a lot of them, though I don’t know if that’s the kind of music that’s popular among the younger generation.

Some of the clips display the words. Those I find especially useful.

Here’s one of a song titled How Young We Were (Kak molodi mi bili). It led me to want to find a translation, and that’s how I found Huliganov.

Here’s a clip titled “RL 102 – Constructions using Dative”. Following the lesson Huliganov gives a translation of the song and then sings it in a chipmunk voice. I wasn’t sure where he got that, but in other videos I saw that he actually can sing. I hope he keeps producing those lessons. They’re fun to watch, and helpful, too.

Here’s another clip of Dmitry Dyuzhev and Tamara Gverdtsiteli — one that made me want to learn the words of some of their songs. It seems to be a sentimental one that got people all teary.

And is that Barbara Brylska of Irony of Fate who was in the audience, wiping her eyes? Why yes, it is! And after the song I got to hear her voice, too. I was curious about that, because according to Wikipedia her character’s voice was dubbed in the original movie, because she had too much of a Polish accent. She has a deeper voice here than her character in the movie had, but she’s older now, too. (I don’t know if her voice was also dubbed in the sequel that was made 30 years after the original.)

Shestoy caught napping

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Jul 202008
 

I had just watched the 8th segment of The Sixth (Shestoy) on YouTube when I laid back on my Lazy-Boy, thinking what a pathetic excuse of a movie that is, with no redeeming social or artistic value that I could think of so far. I’ve watched a few other Easterns, but none that were this lacking in anything that would fascinate.

I must have slept longer than my usual 20-minutes, because I was extremely groggy when I was awakened by the phone. And I had been dreaming. I was right in the middle of a dream, where I was leading a group like Sergei Nikonenko’s in a situation where I might have to deal with violent enemies who would take the stuff entrusted to us. I swear, there were some of the same people from that movie with me.

Ack! If an anti-commie like myself has to subconsciously identify with a Soviet militia leader, why couldn’t it be in a better movie than this one?

OK, now that I’ve said that, I’ll watch the 9th and final segment. Not right away, though.

Dmitry Dyuzhev

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Jul 192008
 

Three days ago I mentioned the flaws in Ostrov — the parts that didn’t seem put together very well. It’s also possible that they aren’t flaws, that there is a symbolism and profundity that I’m too stupid to notice. Whatever the reason, the Tikhon connection was one that seemed even less well done on the second viewing.

This time I’ll mention a part that was better the second time around. It was the relationship between Father Anatoli and Father Job. Somehow I didn’t catch it all the first time around. Maybe I was looking for the usual movie cliches about stodgy organized religion vs the humble, spiritually-minded maverick, so didn’t expect anything important to come of it. But there is more than that, especially if one follows the references to why Cain killed his brother. The relationship between Father Anatoli and Father Job develops to the end. Neither character quits on the other.

I can’t say that Dmitry Dyuzhev, who plays Father Job, is a good actor. (See 6 second clip above.) Nor can I say that he’s a bad one. The Russian monks with their heavy beards are somewhat limited in what they can do through facial expression, but they can use their eyes. I thought Dyuzhev did well.

It seems that Dyuzhev is no more a long-time actor than Pyotr Mamanov. Instead, he’s a singer. The above clip shows a sample.

Ostrov — the flaws

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Jul 162008
 

mamanov

In re-watching the end of Ostrov tonight, I was even more irritated by some of the flaws at the end. The movie is a great one, but now I think the climax is sloppily done. (Go away if you don’t like spoilers.)

One part that bugs me is the exorcism. It’s done well, but the Father Anatoly character doesn’t quite fit. He has already announced that he will be dying shortly, but here he is, looking younger, stronger, cleaner, healthier, and better dressed than he did anywhere else in the movie, either before or after. He wears that heavy coat shown in the above image, where in other winter scenes he’s simply wearing his black robe. And no, it’s not that this scene takes place in bitter cold. There is a pool of water from which he washes Nastya’s face. In bitter cold that pool would have been iced over.

My best guess is that this scene was shot early in the process, while the filmmakers were still trying to feel their way as to how to portray the character. What they finally settled on was perfect. It’s too bad their earlier, less successful experiment (if that’s what this was) couldn’t have been redone.

The following paragraph might be considered a spoiler.

The other part is the final scene with Nikhon. I’m glad it wasn’t done Hollywood style, with hugs and over-dramatization. But the scene doesn’t seem to have made any difference. It doesn’t seem to have mattered much to the characters, and it doesn’t develop either of the character’s characters any further. The first time through I thought maybe I was just too dense to get it, or maybe there was something in the language that didn’t come through in the subtitles. But now, after a second viewing, it just doesn’t seem to work.

It’s still an excellent movie, though. Here is a scene that I just now found on YouTube. It’s one that does work. (Sorry, no subtitles.) It includes the prayer for the healing of the boy. It has especially good acting and good camera work. Note the camera position for that prayer by Pyotr Manonov/Father Anatoly.

Late edit: I said I just now found this clip? I see I had already posted a link to it several days ago. Oh, well.

Ostrov and Vozvrashcheniye

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Jul 152008
 

I’ve already mentioned how some of the camera work in Ostrov reminded me of Vozvrashcheniye. But it’s not just the camera angles and panning of the scenes on the northern seas. There is a similar washed-out quality to the colors. And some of the music is similar. The use of simple piano and woodwind notes helps build a tension, but gently.

This YouTube clip demonstrates some of the color effects (in the scenes that aren’t dominated by the actors’ presence). But I haven’t been able to find a clip that captures the music.

Well, maybe I remembered wrong. Here is a clip from Vozvraschcheniye. Some of the music starts at 6:30, and in many ways it’s not at all like that on Ostrov. But the pacing and effects are somewhat similar. At least they had a similar effect on me.

I think the two clips do show the similarities in the washed out colors. Northern latitudes tend not have the deep blue skies that one gets near the equator, but the effect was exaggerated in both movies.

Pyotr Mamanov’s back yard

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Jul 132008
 

I had read in several places that Pyotr Mamanov became a convert to the Russian Orthodox Church and left Moscow to live in a village. Here is a YouTube clip that apparently shows the village he moved to. I like scenes of peoples’ back yards like in this one, where he goes out to feed his dog and cats.

I wish I could understand more than a few disconnected words and phrases of what he’s saying.

One thing that strikes me from the movie, Ostrov, is how on one hand the character he plays can say to the boy with the leg that won’t heal, “on dobroye” (speaking of God) and on the other he is tormented by his sins and afraid to face God after he dies. But that’s a way that people can be.

(OK, I just now learned that BlogDesk, which I usually use for posting, couldn’t handle Cyrillic characters. But the WordPress editor can.)

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