Kolya

Rating:
Summary: PREDICTABLY CHARMING
Review: A Czech bachelor/musician's life is turned upside down when he agrees to marry a Russian woman just so she can get her paperwork to leave Russia. She has a small child who comes along with her. She is apparently in love with a man in Germany and one day runs off to be with the man, leaving the boy in the musician's care. Of course you can predict where the story goes... the man's stuffiness and crankiness disappears as he comes to care for the boy, and when the time comes that he must give the boy up, he feels that his life is unalterably changed. The film won an Academy Award for best foreign film, and you can see why. It is a good story, entertaining film, well acted, and overall lovely. You cannot resist the setting of Prague!

Rating:
Summary: Kolja-only the peak of an iceberg
Review: Although, I personally do not consider the Academy award to be a trademark of quality, somehow it happens that most of the foreign films awarded tend to be superior. This is also true in the case of Jan and Zdenek Sveraks' Kolja. I purposely say superior not excellent. As a person born and raised in the communistic Czechoslovakia I am very proud of the Czech cinematography as well as I am proud of my nation for being so particular about what to watch. Especially remarkable was the role the film art as a messenger during the time when it was not possible to say directly what had to be said.

Kolja is one of the many above-average movies made after the revolution and reflecting people's experience of the communist regime. However, I value even more the ones that had been made before the revolution. They were excellent and they made people stop and think. Czech cinematography offers a great number of excellent and extraordinary films, which will probably never be available here in the USA (e.g. films by Chytilova, Menzel, Forman, Herz, Kachyna, Zelenka and others). I truly think that the only way for a foreign film to succeed in the United States is to be, at least, nominated for the academy award. Which leaves many of the older ones undiscovered.

I'm very glad that Kolja had a chance to reach people beyond the borders of my country and that it has turned people's attention back to the little country in the heart of Europe.

I truly recommend you to watch Kolja. And I believe that if you liked this film, you might try to reach for the rest that's left out there for you.

....I can't resist to make a comment on the little review from the German reviewer saying that the communist would never let people like Louka behave the way he did in the film. I disagree. They have been fighting their every day's little wars against everyone who's tried to enslave them. If not necessarily by burning themselves on the squares of Prague then at least by not decorating their windows with the Soviet Union or other flags. But this is something about Czech people the Germans will probably never understand.

Rating:
Summary: This is not a love story !!!!
Review: Anyone who says that this movie is a love-story has clearly missed the whole theme and point. This is not a love-story as most foreign critics describe this picture. I don't blame them. This is a cultural thing. I cannot imagine how a foreigner could grasp the spirit and the countless funny little jokes which are the backbone of this movie. For a person who knows the environment, the time period, and the language this is a classic that will have you bent laughing. This movie came out a long time ago but Czechs have incorporated many funny/meaningful lines from this movie into their everyday language and use them still. Kolya reminds us of what we've overcome. Kolya is a very sweet movie, very soothing, very funny. Sverak is a very much loved figure on the Czech film scene and this movie shows why. And for someone who do does not have the communist experience as us Eastern Europeans do, this could be a little insight into how a regime can cripple peoples lives and how there will always be hope and people who won't bend their backs for noone. "You can fool some people sometimes, but you can't fool all the people all the time".

Rating:
Summary: Kolya
Review: As an ex-Czech who treasures her heritage, I am starved for anything Czech that I can find in this country. I could not believe my fortune when I saw that Kolya was nominated for an Oscar and would now be available in the states. I loved the movie, and I was probably able to enjoy it more because I could understand some of the subtle word-play, but I think that the subtitles were actually very good and definitely do not distract from the enjoyment of the movie. I have read some of the other reviews here who state that there are many Czech films that are better than this one. It is a real pity that because america is so self-centered I will probably never be able to enjoy them. Nevertheless, this movie portrays beautifully every day life that just about anyone can relate to. But it also offers something more. Something that perhaps only people who have lived in an occupied country could understand. The Velvet Revolution occured just 3 years after my family emigrated. I only heard and read about it. It was a great gift to SEE the enourmous joy of the people in Prague Sqare at the end of the movie. This, as well as the incredible "bath tub scene" brought tears to my eyes like no other movie. I don't usually cry at movies, but this one is special.

Rating:
Summary: Czech story has heavy social overtones
Review: Before I begin, I am a fan of many foreign films and Kolya was the winner of an Academy Award for Best Foreign Film, so I had to give it a look. Although I enjoyed the film, I didn't find it as moving as many other films that have taken home that same prize.

The storyline is basically Charlie Chaplin's THE KID with a taste of CINEMA PARADISO. A self-proclaimed bachelor inadvertently becomes the charge of a 5-year old that gets in the way of his 'lifestyle.' But, eventually they grow close making their separation painful.

The story is told with the Russian Occupation of Czechoslovakia as a backdrop and a thrust for many of the story points. But, the story seems at times episodic and there is no apparent through line: A government bureaucrat who threatens the hero drops out of the story. The child gets deathly ill but then is suddenly better and it is never brought up again. There is much talk of the hero's former experience with the Philharmonic, but we never find out why he is no longer playing with them... and then suddenly he is back.

The DVD comes with a passable video transfer and a very subtle sound transfer. As a special feature there is a 30-minute making of documentary that, like the film is in Slavic with English subtitles. It's always nice to see foreign films become more and more available to international audiences. It's also nice to see this film get so many 5 star ratings. Unfortunately, I can't agree.

Rating:
Summary: Stories like this MUST be told!
Review: Couldn't disagree more strongly with Maltin's review of this movie! Stories like this glorious celebration of personal and political liberation _can't_ be told too many times.

Rating:
Summary: A touching drama with an unforgettable cast - dont miss it!
Review: Everything about this movie is five stars. The cinematography is unbelievable, the cast will remain in your hearts forever, the character development, though predictable is still intriguing and touching. If you only buy two movies this year...buy two copies of Kolya.

Rating:
Summary: A Bitter-sweet Feel-good Movie
Review: For those who are not encouraged by having to read subtitles, please take the time! You will be justly rewarded when you fall in love with the title character Kolya and his guardian, Luca.

The young boy is a wonderful actor and somehow the spirit of the movie is something that Hollywood does not capture very often.

Funny, melancholy, but completely enjoyable all at the same time!

Rating:
Summary: Not the best of Czech cinematography.
Review: Having lived in the Czech Republic for 18 years I can tell all the non-Czechs out there that Kolya is not the best of Czech cinematography. It is good, but really nothing spectacular; the fact that it won an Oscar and many better Czech movies did not only shows how little meaning the award has. Kolya is certainly a type of movie that you don't see come out of Hollywood. As I said it is good (I rate it 7/10), but fails to hold on repeated viewings. Certainly not something worth buying.

Rating:
Summary: Simply a wonderful movie!
Review: I don't generally care for subtitled movies: it can be distracting to switch back and forth from the action to the dialogue, and there's usually a lot lost in translation. I'm so glad I didn't write this one off before I saw it!

Kolya is the story of a crusty Czech bachelor who suddenly finds himself in charge of a five-year-old Russian boy (a by-product of a sham marriage for money). It is a sweet story, without seeming like it's working at it.

The story is set in just-pre-revolutionary Czechoslovakia, which may interest those who follow eastern European history and politics. However, it doesn't pretend (or try) to be a historical film or pseudo-documentary -- it's just background for the story.

I was quite impressed by the performance of Andrej Chalimon, who plays Kolya. He did quite well in both Russian and Czech -- and, of course, is very cute. I was also very pleased with both the visual and musical imagery presented. There are some lovely shots of the Prague skyline and the Czech countryside, and the soundtrack features several Czech composers (some more well-known than others).

One warning: watch the end very carefully, or you will miss (as I initially did) a very important visual clue -- one which entirely changes the meaning and mood of the ending.

Even if you think you wouldn't like a "foreign film," or one with subtitles, I highly recommend this one.