Prisoner of the Mountains

The film “Prisoner of the Mountains” shows a side of war completely foreign to Americans in some aspects.  First being the close proximity that a war is being fought to their homes, and second the treatment of Prisoners of War (POW’s).

Religious Whiplash

I’m very interested to learn more about religion in Russian history. Everything I know about Russia comes from the 1900s-modern day, most of which was filled with Atheist Communism, so it was interesting to see such an emphasis on religion in The Island . It is possible that the film was depicting an isolated area of Russia, but it ultimately promoted the reintegration of Russian Orthodoxy. The film was very moving, even to a person who has no ties to the Russian Orthodox church.

The Island

The film the Island was a very powerful example of devotion to faith. The overall feel of the film is very religious with very strong symbolism.  The film did a good job of expressing the fact that even under the Soviet rule of Russia, when the country was atheist, religion did not die as many would think.  The island in the White Sea that housed the monastery was remote, yet people came from all around to receive blessings from Father Anatoly.  

Wannabe

There has been, in many ways, a lot of controversy surrounding the belief that Peter the Great made the right choices on his campaign to make Russia an empire. By this I mean the direction he wanted Russia and its people to go to reach a modernized empire. The direction would be to mirror much of what other parts of Europe (Sweden, Italy, England) were doing. On quote in particular from the secondary source Peter the Great says what I am trying to say.

On Russian Ark

The film “Russian Ark” (2002), to me, embodies the wandering journey of understanding self-identity that any Russian would experience while wandering the halls of the Hermitage in St. Petersburg. While I enjoyed the graphical displays of elegantly dressed parties, extensive art collections, and fine architecture, my favorite “character” in the film is the unnamed (I believe), unseen man behind the camera. When watching Russian Ark, sometimes confused as to what is happening, or how this scene fits into the seemingly chronological path through the Hermitage, or attempting to understand who exactly is speaking, there is one voice and one angle that I return to– I think it belongs to The Russian (this will be my name for the cameraman).

Pointless?

After I watch any movie for the first time, I like to look online (places like IMDB or TV Tropes) to get a feel for what critics and other viewers thought of the movie. This gives me a feel for things I may have missed. Knowing next to nothing about Russian history (or filmography), I did the same after watching Russian Ark. One thing that struck me on the TV Tropes page was a section entitled No Plot? No Problem!…