Emil Bakkum
Matj is certainly one of the best films, that I have seen in the past months. However, I have to admit that the story and the message are especially tailored to my needs, and appeal to my interests and activities. It is a Russian produce, and just like all other Russian movies that I know the pace is rather slow. This may be due to the nature of the Russian people, and actually it did not bother me. The narrative is based on a book of Gorki, that had earlier drawn my attention thanks to the beautiful cantate, that Berthold Brecht and Hanns Eisler made some decades ago. It tells the struggle for emancipation of a young worker in a steel mill, around 1900 in Tsarist Russia. Surprisingly, his rather meek mother manages to follow him on his road to awareness and development. Both actors do an excellent job, and the protracted shots of Inna Churikova's face as the stupefied mother convince you that her brain is constantly grinding and creaking. I also like the scenes of village life and the quiet Russian music, which both match the quality of this master piece Doctor Zhivago. I have never read the book, but the film plot is highly credible and seems historically correct. The primitive life of the peasants and workers, and the omnipresent oppression of the Tsarist regime are well known from other sources. We see this in the film, for instance when the leaflets for agitation in the factory are all written by hand. The son is arrested for trying to obtain a printing press, and in addition reads prohibited books. Although I seriously doubt if reading the Marxist and quasi-scientific book Capital will much benefit a steel worker. Authentic is also the mother knitting the red flag for an event on May 1. On this day her son will be the flag carrier of the small group of socialists during a demonstration before their steel mill. Somewhat strange is the demand of the workers, namely the realization of the political democracy. This is a political requirement, and usually the workers were more enthusiastic about trade unionism leading to economic improvements (prompt payments, reduced hours, hot tea (authentic!)). In addition a demonstration with only ten people, together marching against the complete regiment of soldiers that protects the mill, shows a silliness, that seems inappropriate even for primitive workers. Nevertheless, I concede that it may have happened on rare occasions. The scenes of the trial by the Tsarist tribunal are brilliant. There is also a shot of Lenin visiting the grave of Marx in London - which is authentic. Slightly confusing is the fact, that a parallel drama line is interwoven in the plot. The affair with the printing press fails due to treason by a fellow worker. Later this man is murdered by another worker (notably his nephew) in revenge. This was certainly not the normal procedure in the labor movement of the time. The murderer is caught, and seduced into cooperating with the secret police. In the final scene this villain stabs the mother to death for no apparent reason, other than the distribution of leaflets. This is far-fetched, and I do not see the point. The Tsarist regime was undoubtedly ruthless in its oppression (no tears for the Tsar), and the secret police may have tortured on occasions, but it definitely did not kill at random. The officers supporting the regime were perhaps ill-mannered and ill-guided, but their intimidating actions remained relatively decent and humane. In fact, the years of Lenins exile to Siberia were the healthiest ones in his life. The killing of the mother was a personal drama, but not a social one and thus off-theme. Nevertheless, as a whole the film is highly recommendable. If you like this genre, you will also appreciate the films Reds, Rosa, Die Unbesiegbaren and perhaps Germinal (some of which are in my list of reviews).
Raph
This is by no means a bad movie, but the strength that could be found in Panfilov's previous work is hidden here under unoriginal layers of hollywoodian filmmaking. Inna Churikova's character is beautiful: the evolution gives her room to show her talent, in a very dramatic manner. The book is very dramatic in the first place, but in a way that push the movie towards the flashy. Overall, I found that the film lacks subtlety and complexity.
