MovieChat Forums > Krasnaya palatka (1969) Discussion > Questions about plot story?

Questions about plot story?

posted 18 years ago by mcintyro
5 replies | jump to latest

Saw this masterpiece when it first came out in the summer of 1971.

Did not get the grand road show treatment it deserved (cuts) because the roadshow movie system was sinking fast (Paint Your Wagon, Hello Dolly).

When it did, barely, open, it did not receive a bad review, but that wasn't enough to save it.

THIS IS A THINKING MAN'S POSEIDEN ADVENTURE

Here goes:

1) Why couldn't Nobile prove, through the survivors at the tent, that his actions were honorable. Lundberg would only take him, and NOBODY else. Nobile begged him to take the sick, but Lundberg refused. Refused, people!!!!

Okay, we know later on that Lundberg's reasons, were monetary (insurance), but at the wreckage, he made sense, when he said Nobile was the logical choice to go back, so he could organize the search party, and the men agreed.

The only thing I can think of was some of this was said, at the wreckage, in secret away from the others.

2) When Amundsen and Nobile have there one on one confrontation after the other have left at the end, Amundsen makes Nobile realize that his reasons for being first were, so he could get a nice hot bath. In other words, I guess, he put himself first among the men. It's called a MISTAKE.

So, was Nobile justification to LEAVE FIRST all in his head, and Amundsen was right – the voice of reason.

Or, was Amundsen trying to tell him, that the people back in the world would only honor him if he stayed at the wreckage and let the others go first, regardless of all or none of the lives were saved. THE WHOLE LEADER THING. That even though the world regarded Nobile as a coward, he was, in fact, a true leader because he was the one who could save his men, and if only he knows that, it doesn't matter what the rest of the world thinks.

3) Although Nobile was, somewhat, jealous of Amundsen and the weaker of the two in terms of Artic exploration – Amundsen was better trained than explorers Robert Falcon Scott, Shackelford and Robert Peary, I do not think Nobile put himself above his men for selfish reasons.
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THIS IS A GREAT MOVIE. Started getting interested in arctic exploration when I read the play Terra Nova, which was about Robert Falcon Scott's second attempt to reach the South Pole in 1911. Amundsen beat him by a little over a month.

Like RED TENT there are scenes in the play between Amundsen and Scott that are fabricated in Scott's mind, before, during and after the fateful trip.

At a first reading of the play, you would think Amundsen was a heartless bastard. But if you read history, and go back and read the play, you find the author is NOT PAINTING Amundsen as a bastard. You have to read between the lines. Amundsen is a survivor, but not at the cost of human life.

That's why I'm glad somebody had the balls to make a great , thinking man's film like RED TENT. I am only sorry this masterpiece got lost in it's release.

[–] mad19571 18 years ago

Hi mcintyro

I just wanted to give a quick reply to your well thought out posting here. We could chat at length (and you have already started doing so quite well) about the possibilities as portrayed in the film. However, it is a film and, as all films do, it takes some liberties with real events.
I have recently read a book (darn if I can remember the title right now) about the expedition and the author points out that the main thing that Nobile got in trouble over was leading a failed expedition during Mussolini's time in power when failure was not allowed.

I have been lucky enough to see Terra Nova performed live on stage and you are right about how thoughtful and intelligent a play it is. If you haven't seen it already you will want to look for the British miniseries The Last Place on Earth. It was made in 1985 and adapted from Roland Huntford's book Scott and Amundson (the title of which was changed to match the TV show after it came out). The book and show were among the first times that Amundson was given a fair shake outside of his homeland. Scott apologists don't like this series but it is extemely well made with excellent acting by casts from Norway and the UK (including very early performances from Hugh Grant and Bill Nighy).

I got to see The Red Tent at the Cooper Cinerama theater in Denver, Colorado when it originally came out (by the way have you ever noticed in the credits that the release year is listed as 1969? 1971 must have been when it was first shown in the US) and your mentioning of roadshow releases and Paint Your Wagon makes me think that you might have gotten to see it in a great film theater like that too.

Well, I have to close by paraphrasing the wonderful line that Connery as Roald delivers at the end of the film: Think of the things we have attempted - Great things - and think of the things we have seen. LIKE THIS WONDERFUL FILM!

Thanks for starting such a good message board.

I'll make a good Gordon, Gordon!

[–] mam13143 17 years ago

Years later in response, or really just comment. I am only interested in this movie and the history of it as an amatuer but I have to say, given some documentaries on the subject, that I think you are right when you say Nobile's failure embarassed Mussolini, not necessarily Italians in general, because of his political agenda. At the time explorations were a symbol of a country's ambition and courage as a nation. That's why America and many other nations were involved in this exploration race too.

It puts to mind Gus Grissom, the American astronaut, who "lost" his capsule and was looked down upon by some - not all, but some - because of the political space race at the time.

[–] eolloe 9 years ago

I got to see The Red Tent at the Cooper Cinerama theater in Denver, Colorado when it originally came out (by the way have you ever noticed in the credits that the release year is listed as 1969? 1971 must have been when it was first shown in the US) and your mentioning of roadshow releases and Paint Your Wagon makes me think that you might have gotten to see it in a great film theater like that too.

It's years after your post, so you probably won't see my reply.
At any rate, as I was watching the film and seeing that it was a part-Soviet production, I assumed that Americans probably did not get to see it at all because it was made during the Cold War (at a time when there were no such things as DVDs or VCRs, and independent home viewing was nonexistent for all but the superwealthy and those working in the film industry). So I am surprised to read that you saw it during a US release in Denver in 1971.

[–] ScopeWatcher 9 years ago

Clicking on "release dates" on IMDb's page for THE RED TENT would display such information; but here I confirm this film's American theatrical release during the summer of 1971. (In Chicago it ran at the 2,400-seat State-Lake Theatre in August of that year.) And in addition to Paramount's lackluster U.S. promotional campaign, I'm convinced that the summertime release was part of the reason for this picture's low ticket sales. Pampered Americans don't want to subject themselves during their summers to the ordeal of freezing to death in the Arctic -- as Paramount proved once again three years later, with their opening another worthy film, Philip Kaufman's THE WHITE DAWN, to box-office neglect during summer 1974.

By the way, one of my treasured memories of film viewing is of screening a 16mm print of THE RED TENT at the home of my favorite high-school teacher and his family in May 1977. At the first reel break (about 40 minutes into the picture) his 17- and 16-year-old daughters quickly left the room together. I said nothing but was disappointed to think that they must not have liked the movie. However, before I re-threaded the projector, both girls had returned, now wearing heavy wool sweaters -- even though it was a pleasantly warm evening!

Most great films deserve a more appreciative audience than they get.

[–] ArchFrenemy 9 years ago

I'm in Missouri (north county of St. Louis area) and I saw this film in 1971 myself. Never forgot it. I remember the international feel of the production, the big names involved, and thought it was truly great; but I heard very little about it then, or later.

Et quid amabo nisi quod aenigma est...?