Movies and Films
This is the forum for Movie and Film discussions. Again, our topic is naval warfare in WWII for the most part.
Re: Not exactly U-Boat stuff but what about K19?
Posted by:
cate
()
Date: November 04, 2002 09:16AM
<HTML>Well anyone planning to see this movie, I'd say do it quickly, as I don't think it's in for a long run. The Odeon have pulled it after one week in Chelmsford and elsewhere, due to poor box office. Its still showing at the UGC where I found it in Ipswich in the end, with fewer than twenty of us in the cinema.
I'm a bit baffled as to why it's doing so badly. It's far from a bad film, in fact I liked it a lot. Some things irritated - the accents, for example. Why English speaking actors put on fake Russian accents to speak their own native language is beyond me. They would have done better to stick with their own range of natural accents and dialects - the USSR was a huge empire after all. The 'we are foreigners' message gets in the way of connecting with them on a human level a bit.
But there was loads of good stuff in this film. I thought the central performances were powerful and dignified. The script was intelligent and didn't deviate from the true story to an unreasonable degree, beyond what was dramatically justifiable. Even though it was a fiction, and by no means set out to be a documentary, you could see it's History Channel roots in the production values. Perhaps if it had gone for a more commercial and less worthy approach it would be doing better box office though
The camerawork was excellent. I loved the way it swooped and soared around and through the sub, panning from individuals within and cutting out through the hull to the sea beyond. The underwater use and movement of the camera was fresh and inventive. There are some very good surfacing/ diving sequences, and a breathtaking one when it surfaces through the arctic ice.
The drills were interesting and exciting, and compensated to some extent for the central problem that this was not an 'combat service' film, so no stalking, depth charging etc that normally creates the tension.
I rather liked the way the ending was handled too. I didn't think it got too mawkish. The contrast between the image of the beautiful fresh faced young men playing football on the ice, and their later middle aged and elderly selves paying respects to their dead comrades was genuinely moving.
It's not as good as Das Boot - how many films are? - and it is a disaster movie not the story of a single sub patrol, which gives it a different character from the outset. It's also the story of how a system that is so closed and run by political dogma impacts on its military and compromises its effectiveness, and the loyalty and bravery of its men.
I'd definitely recommend seeing it, and I'll certainly get the DVD when its released. But If possible see it in a cinema to do it justice. The sound alone is worth it.
rgds
Cate</HTML>
I'm a bit baffled as to why it's doing so badly. It's far from a bad film, in fact I liked it a lot. Some things irritated - the accents, for example. Why English speaking actors put on fake Russian accents to speak their own native language is beyond me. They would have done better to stick with their own range of natural accents and dialects - the USSR was a huge empire after all. The 'we are foreigners' message gets in the way of connecting with them on a human level a bit.
But there was loads of good stuff in this film. I thought the central performances were powerful and dignified. The script was intelligent and didn't deviate from the true story to an unreasonable degree, beyond what was dramatically justifiable. Even though it was a fiction, and by no means set out to be a documentary, you could see it's History Channel roots in the production values. Perhaps if it had gone for a more commercial and less worthy approach it would be doing better box office though
The camerawork was excellent. I loved the way it swooped and soared around and through the sub, panning from individuals within and cutting out through the hull to the sea beyond. The underwater use and movement of the camera was fresh and inventive. There are some very good surfacing/ diving sequences, and a breathtaking one when it surfaces through the arctic ice.
The drills were interesting and exciting, and compensated to some extent for the central problem that this was not an 'combat service' film, so no stalking, depth charging etc that normally creates the tension.
I rather liked the way the ending was handled too. I didn't think it got too mawkish. The contrast between the image of the beautiful fresh faced young men playing football on the ice, and their later middle aged and elderly selves paying respects to their dead comrades was genuinely moving.
It's not as good as Das Boot - how many films are? - and it is a disaster movie not the story of a single sub patrol, which gives it a different character from the outset. It's also the story of how a system that is so closed and run by political dogma impacts on its military and compromises its effectiveness, and the loyalty and bravery of its men.
I'd definitely recommend seeing it, and I'll certainly get the DVD when its released. But If possible see it in a cinema to do it justice. The sound alone is worth it.
rgds
Cate</HTML>
| Subject | Written By | Posted |
|---|---|---|
Not exactly U-Boat stuff but what about K19?
|
Phil Johnson | 11/01/2002 09:01PM |
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Re: Not exactly U-Boat stuff but what about K19?
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Vin | 11/02/2002 07:05AM |
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Re: Not exactly U-Boat stuff but what about K19?
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cate | 11/02/2002 01:30PM |
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Re: Not exactly U-Boat stuff but what about K19?
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ROBERT M. | 11/03/2002 04:37AM |
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Re: Not exactly U-Boat stuff but what about K19?
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cate | 11/04/2002 09:16AM |
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Re: Not exactly U-Boat stuff but what about K19?
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Volker Erich Kummrow | 11/05/2002 12:11PM |
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That accent thing
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Mikko | 11/06/2002 05:56AM |