There are things you do hate, Lord. Perfume-smellin’ things, lacy things, things with curly hair.
I was concerned about the political dimension to Alexandra, given some of the dubious positions in some of Sokurov’s other work — the whitewashing of Hitler and Hirohito in Moloch and The Sun, the (for me) uncomfortable nationalism inherent in The Russian Ark and the celebration of the military man in Father and Son, but I needn’t have worried. This is as faultless a film as I’ve seen in a long time — certainly my best film of 2007. Sokurov’s concept is brilliantly simple — in just seeing Galina Vishnevskaya’s aged body in the midst of these young soldiers and military hardware the meaning of the film is absolutely apparent. Then, the artistry at work here is breathtaking — the dusty patina layered over the whole film, the finely-worked soundtrack forever slipping back and forth between human voices and snatches of orchestral music, and single moments — for example, the close ups on the young Chechen’s face during his walk with Alexandra back to the camp — that are ineffable in their beauty.
by Ian Johnston | Source: 35mm print
19 Dec 2007 10:17 PM | Submit Comment