Maybe it's me but I am very skeptical of a movie that comes from the Iron Curtain in 1964. There are just too many that are so bloody bad. For instance: The Cranes are Flying (1960), Ivan's Childhood (1962), Ballad of a Soldier (1959), Ashes & Diamonds (1959)
I could go on and on. They all just feel so outdated, low budget, melodramatic and amateur!
This film is no different, outdated, low budget, melodramatic and amateur! And no, I do not connect with the old man (the scenes where he kills the German and defends the grapes where particularly bad) and this was supposed to be the films strength. Perhaps it would have been easier had he not been portrayed as this ugly ogre for the first third of the film. Finally I was not moved by the films climax as it was so freakin predictable!
On the other hand the film did have a few remarkably good battle scenes that typified the early part of the Red Army's march to Berlin. But these were not enough to save this obvious piece of Soviet propaganda. After all, while this nice old man was trying to get to his son over 2,000,000 woman were being raped and Stalin had his eye on half the continent. Bad Huns! Bad Huns!!!
4 of 10 stars.
This film is no different, outdated, low budget, melodramatic and amateur! And no, I do not connect with the old man (the scenes where he kills the German and defends the grapes where particularly bad) and this was supposed to be the films strength. Perhaps it would have been easier had he not been portrayed as this ugly ogre for the first third of the film. Finally I was not moved by the films climax as it was so freakin predictable!
On the other hand the film did have a few remarkably good battle scenes that typified the early part of the Red Army's march to Berlin. But these were not enough to save this obvious piece of Soviet propaganda. After all, while this nice old man was trying to get to his son over 2,000,000 woman were being raped and Stalin had his eye on half the continent. Bad Huns! Bad Huns!!!
4 of 10 stars.