At the height of the Cold War, this maudlin piece of uplifting romantic mush was Palme D’Or’d at Cannes, presumably since it put a human face on the bad old USSR. Fancy helming by Mikhail Kalatozov (some impressive large crowd maneuvering & tricky free-wheeling kinetic editing) can hardly hide the banality of the basic storyline: Boy leaves Girl for WWII front, while back at home a crafty cousin avoids the draft & worms his way into Girl’s heart; she repents, but FATE takes its toll. Some of the political tosh must be heard to be believed. (Filmed right as Hungary ‘welcomed’ the Soviets.) Imagine an ultra-romantic Frank Borzage silent classic from the ‘20s, but without an ounce of his conviction or consistency in presentation.
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You can check on all our titles by typing the Title, Director, Actor or 'Keyword' you're looking for in the Search Engine of your choice (include the phrase MAKSQUIBS) or just use the BLOGSPOT.com Search Box at the top left corner of the page.
Feel free to place comments directly on any of the film posts and to test your film knowledge with the CONTESTS scattered here & there. (Hey! No Googling allowed. They're pretty easy.)
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Friday, May 16, 2008
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