The book is by far one of the greatest feats of irony ever put down on paper. I have read it, enjoyed it and plan to recommend it to many people. I usually judge a film by its music in the first 5 seconds or so and was quite excited when I saw the Napoleonic view of soldiers and heard the daunting orchestra; but once the narrator started speaking, my first thought was "I have not sat down to see O.K. theatre." Ninety-five percent of the actors in this film seem unnatural, like they're reading the Illiad, or maybe on stage in "Shopping and F-ing." And yet again, Lithuanians simply cannot produce a movie that is actually movie-like. Maybe its just me, and others enjoy the acting-with-your-voice technique, but it is tiresome to hear the same overly-dramatic intonations coming from artificially-emotional faces. I would really like to see a Lithuanian movie which even remotely mirrors natural countenance. I also wanted to see something of a Fellini-style to highlight the irony of Sruoga. But no irony here. The images were also not impressive. Moreover, It did bother me how the prisoners sat around smoking and drinking, showering extensively with hot water (judging from the steam) and gazing out the windows. I know that Puipa could not include everything, but this time, he chose the wrong things to bring out. I would never exhibit this film to my foreign friends as an example of Lithuanian cultural life.
Review of Dievu miskas
