watch on a large screen

update ( see original review below )


i'd like to say that if you watch it on a large screen, like a very large television, like 40 inches, many of the scenes seem to just "work" much better. i dont know what it is, but i was glued to the whole thing when i watched it in a large format, as opposed to a small screen.

the scenes that didn't make sense,, suddenly made sense.

the idea that some of it looked like a play, well, it didn't bother me at all. it all "works", i fits together, it looks amazing. its beautiful and consistent.


maybe it's because i can see the actors faces on a larger screen, i don't know. something is 'magic' about the size of the screen.



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i find myself infuriated by the camera shots, the scenes that dont apparently make any sense, the lack of zoom-in on faces when it could have been helpful, etc etc etc. the 'visual language' of the film is almost incomprehensible to me, perhaps i have watched too many modern films. it seems like someone filmed a play or even perhaps some kind of stage show like Cats or the Nutcracker.

the 'film storytelling' seems shattered and disjointed in places, with some scenes that are pointless taking too long, while others not drawn out long enough to emphasize emotion or feeling.

on the other hand.

i feel like im watching some proto-version of films like Flash Gordon, Krull, Neverending Story, Labryinth, and other 80s classics from the non-soviet world. there are so many flashes of brilliance and beauty here. I can't help but watch it, even if it feels patchwork and hard to follow.

its on Mosfilm's youtube channel by the way. search for 'Ruslan and Lyudmila' at youtube.

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