Films/DVD Asylum

Posted by Victor Khomenko (M) on December 02, 2003 at 06:24:16

In Reply to: Victor, I saw the Winter War on the Big Screen posted by gware on December 01, 2003 at 18:13:28:

I am sure the image quality played its role - it was extremely distracting. So I am considering swallowing hard and shelling out $45 for the DVD now. After I am through the W&P fiasco, I guess.

The movie had power, and it was from the fact it was not some polished ala-Hollywood production (something as ugly as Saving Private Ryan is the best example of that kind of dishonest war movie making), but an almost amateurish film where there was no room for cliche's and lies.

That "peasants" honesty and raw truth were very obvious. By "peasant" I mean it was not made by some "intellectual" elitist producer/director, but by someone close to the story, almost a participant.

It reminded me more of the Bicycle Thief with its poignancy, than some celluloid war story.

In that sense it was much close to the Paths of Glory than to FMJ - staying with one director for a second. And that is also why I would always consider the Paths a superior film to the FMJ.

Come and See is not the film I would consider very strong at all. It is a shocker, but where the Winter War simply tells the simple story of simple people dealing with a horrible ordeal, Come and See is trying to impress, and it shows. Artificiality and embelishments, if you will.

So I would like to delay my final judgement of the Winter War until I have the chance to see it in its full glory on a large screen - hopefully the DVD will do that. Then I will know better whether in my view it belongs with the war movies I love - the likes of the Paths of Glory, Grand Illusion, Forbidden Games, Cranes are Flying and perhaps a few others.