Come and see Russian fantasy
Five Russian films have made it to the “Top 100 list” of non-English language productions, selected by one of the most influential British magazines on cinema – Empire.
One of them is Sergey Eisenstein’s timeless silent masterpiece “Battleship Potemkin” which features one of the most famous scenes in history of film – the large-scale sequence on the Odessa Steps – and has been studied in films schools the world over.
Another Russian genius director, often placed next to Bergman, Godard, Kurosawa and Fellini – Andrey Tarkovsky – has also been mentioned by the magazine.
Two of his dramas with universal appeal – such as award-winning “Solaris” and “Andrey Rublev” – have also made it to the coveted list.
War drama “Come and See” from one of Russia’s most revered blue-chip directors, Elem Klimov, has been described as “the Apocalypse Now of foreign-language cinema.”
No other Russian movie, however, could match the success of “Night Watch” by Timur Bekmambetov. The fantasy thriller raised 16 million dollars at home, setting a box office record in Russia, and was picked by 20th Century Fox for distribution in the US.
