Rating: 
Summary: 40 minutes was enough for me
Review: In all fairness I can't review the whole film, since I walked of it--it was pretty annoying. I can't imagine how it could have won any awards; the acting was shallow grimacing.
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Summary: This book rocks my husband wrote it for me
Review: hi my namee is sun byun my husband wrote this book for me because I burnt him with a hot frying pan (hence the name, burnt by the sun) It is a wonderful book
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Summary: a must-have movie
Review: The cinematography in this movie was amazing and the acting was brilliant. The character actors were charming, and the leads were all very strong. Sometimes the use of symbols got a little esoteric for me, but never detracted from my emotional involvement in story--and what a wonderful, tense,funny,heartbreaking story it is. A Russian Impressionist painting come to life!
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Summary: A Masterful Fake
Review: This movie stirrs a mixed reaction. On one hand, the tragic, no-way-out atmosphere of the Stalinist era is masterfully depicted. On the other hand, I do not believe in the naiveness and purity of the main hero, Kombrig Kotov. Brilliant acting, thou.
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Summary: A complete film of rare beauty, quality and joy
Review: I have never seen an equal to this film. It is incredibly moving. The complexity stirs me as a viewer, please see it if you can. END
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Summary: This film shows the realities of the Stalinist era
Review: No one in the West understands what the Russian Revolution really did to the people who were left behind in the wake of political upheaval. This film shows the edgy realities of the new Russia under Stalin, whose cult of personality demands that one of the heroes of the Revolution, now married to his assassin's childhood sweetheart, be executed. The assassin, a musical prodigy, returns to the house of his former love, the daughter of one of Russia's great musicians, where he relives his life as a music student. In the conflict that ensues between the Soviet and traditional understandings of Russia, the assassin reveals that his fear of Stalin is greater than any other drive he has. A symbolic fireball that appears from time to time indicates the danger inherent in this conflicted society. The film is remarkable for its Chekhovian quality that questions the meaning of a society divided against itself. It also raises the question of the meaning of art in a world that values "trains with geese" as its highest achievement. The use of symbols, especially at the end, gives the political aspects of the film a chilling reality
that ordinary historical discourse cannot achieve.
As a work of art the film is remarkable. END
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Summary: Uh... I thought this was the band, burnt by the sun!
Review: Okay, i bought this thinking it was about burnt by the sun the grind/metal band...Well, i was wrong ! Anyways, i got a change to actullie read the book & i was quite impress better then any other book i've read before. Interesting plot and it has the best ending! Buy it now !
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Summary: Under the Shadow of Stalin
Review: Mikhalkov always had a flair for Chekhovian drama, and he doesn't disappoint the viewer in this movie, which essentially updates "The Cherry Orchard" to Stalinist Russia. What we get is a tumultuous day in the life of a theatre group in a tranquil rural community, lorded over by the proud Commander Kotov, as the small town prepares for the celebration of Stalin's first ride in an air balloon. Mikhalkov deftly mixes humor with pathos, the hallmark of all his movies, as the bucolic life is broken by the return of Mitya (impeccably played by Oleg Menshikov). We slowly get to learn of Mitya's mission with a profound sense of foreboding. The acting is purposely staged to give the scenes their rich theatrical air, yet there is a naturalism too, as Mikhalkov has such a fine eye for detail. To reveal too much of the movie is to give away its stunning climax. It was one of the first films to emerge from the post-Soviet era and gave Mikhalkov a broader international audience, earning him an Oscar in 1994.
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Summary: Heartbreaking
Review: This is one of the most powerful movies I can remember seeing. In many movies about the Holocaust or the gulags, the focus is on the suffering in the camps. This movie shows the idyllic life ripped apart by the paranoia of Stalin and his overwhelming cult of personality. The whole movie rings true with everything that i have read about the Soviet Union during the purges. The pace is slow, but the acting is brilliant, the cinematography gorgeous, and the ending packs a punch.
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Summary: Definitely added to my collection of Russian movies
Review: I can't believe the negative reviews here about this movie.(?) I think you have to have a good understanding of Russian culture and of the era this movie took place in to appreciate its depth. But if you do have a good grasp on Russian history and culture and still don't find it to your liking, then maybe it is just not your cup of tea-however, it does not mean the movie is not good. From the amazon.com description and from the good reviews here, there is not much more I can add, except for it is one of my most favorite Russian movies, one that I've just gladly added to my collection. I hope others give it a chance! Watch it very closely-It is a classic work of genius.
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