Dvd
The Admiral
A sweeping historical epic in the tradition of Doctor Zhivago, The Admiral tells the story of Alexander Kolchak (Konstantin Khabensky), one of the White Army’s most controversial commanders. Married to Sofia and with a young son, Kolchak nevertheless falls heavily for Anna, the wife of a friend and fellow officer. Although Kolchak and Anna initially try to resist their passion and are separated in the chaos of the Revolution, they eventually unite in Siberia, where Kolchak is fighting the Bolsheviks on the banks of the Ushakovka River.
One of the most expensive Russian films ever made (the budget is reported to have been around $20 million), no expense has been spared on the lavish set pieces, costumes, and full-scale orchestral score. (Source: Seattle International Film Festival 2009)
Starring Konstantin Khabenskiy, Elizaveta Boyarskaya, Sergey Bezrukov, Vladislav Vetrov, Anna Kovalchuk, Egor Beroev
Directed by Andrei Kravchuk ('The Italian')
Written by Zoya Coudrie, Vladimir Valutsky
War, Historical, Epic, Drama | 1hr 58mins | Rated (M) | contains war footage | Origin: Russia | Language: Russian and French with English subtitles
The Talk
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Flicks review
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3
The subject of this film, Alexander Kolchak, isn’t one of history’s more decorated figures, yet here a reinterpretation of him as a hero is attempted. While the film can’t quite pull this off successfully, the peripheral pleasures on display are enough to make it an enjoyable watch.
All the technical components are excellent. The cinematography, in particular, is stunning, with sumptuous photography highlighting the beauty of both nautical and snow caked landscapes. The production design is impressive too, as sets and costumes recreate the era down to the minutest details. These assets are best expressed through battle scenes featuring unique additions to help them live in the memory, whether that is underwater photography or the presence of army brass bands on the battlefield.
It’s a shame that the story itself can’t live up to the lavish aesthetic. The tragic romance starts out strong, matching the dramatic intensity of the wartime conflict but emotionally fizzles out as it descends into tragedy. Kolchak never really seems as heroic as the movie wants him to be. Instead, it is his men and his wife who seem more deserving of that title, and additionally seem more human in contrast to their cold, impregnable leader. In spite of this, The Admiral is a glorious visual spectacle on the big screen, maybe the best of the year so far in that respect.SHARE:
The people's reviews
2 reviews
Press Reviews
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NZ Herald (Peter Calder)
3
Director Kravchuk, whose last outing, The Italian, was the Dickensian story of a 6-year-old boy's search for the mother who abandoned him at birth, is in grander mode here, helming what claims to be, at US$20 million ($28 million), the biggest-budget film in Russian cinema history.
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The Dominion Post (Graeme Tuckett)
Sweeping historical epics don't get much more sweeping, or historical, than this. Set in Russia as the country fought the Germans and then themselves during World War 1 and the 1917 revolution, this is a big-screen spectacle of a scale we haven't seen down our way in years.
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