Frequently Bought Together
What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?
Product details
|
Reviews
United Kingdom released, PAL/Region 2 DVD: LANGUAGES: Russian ( Dolby Digital 5.1 ), English ( Subtitles ), WIDESCREEN (1.78:1), SPECIAL FEATURES: Cast/Crew Interview(s), Interactive Menu, Scene Access, Trailer(s), SYNOPSIS: Alexandra is a grandmother who has come to see her grandson, one of the Russian officers stationed in the Chechen Republic. In this male environment she discovers a new world, devoid of women, warmth and comfort where questions of life and death are decided. SCREENED/AWARDED AT: Cannes Film Festival, ...Alexandra (2007) ( Aleksandra )
Tags Customers Associate with This Product(What's this?)Click on a tag to find related items, discussions, and people.
|
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
11 of 12 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
Aleksandra is a 2007 Russian film which deals with the Second Chechen War. This is a war-film without any fighting to be seen - however, we see the effect of a never-ending war on Denis' fellow soldiers who are very young.
It tells the story of Alexandra Nikolaevna, played masterfully by legendary opera singer Galina Vishnevskaya, who hasn't seen her grandson in 7 yearson and has come to visit him on his military base in the Chechen Republic. Denis (played by Vasili Shevtsov)gradually gets re-acquainted as he takes her on a tour of the base.
Sokurov somehow manages to be convincing with his tale. I have found the film fascinating and emotional. Metaphirocally it takes an old woman's reflection of expereince to make Russian barracks life speak so eloquently about the lives of ordinary soldiers in Russia's present.
Highly recommended.
See also The Star (Region 2) [2002] [DVD] and Galina: a Russian Story
It tells the story of Alexandra Nikolaevna, played masterfully by legendary opera singer Galina Vishnevskaya, who hasn't seen her grandson in 7 yearson and has come to visit him on his military base in the Chechen Republic. Denis (played by Vasili Shevtsov)gradually gets re-acquainted as he takes her on a tour of the base.
Sokurov somehow manages to be convincing with his tale. I have found the film fascinating and emotional. Metaphirocally it takes an old woman's reflection of expereince to make Russian barracks life speak so eloquently about the lives of ordinary soldiers in Russia's present.
Highly recommended.
See also The Star (Region 2) [2002] [DVD] and Galina: a Russian Story
32 of 36 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
Please ignore the 'lonely granny' review; this is quite simply one of the greatest films you will see. Sokurov allows for mystery and contemplation, but like Ozu, Sokurov is, I suppose, not for everyone. If Ozu's films are 'just about some boring Japanese family', then Alexandra can similarly be reduced to some misguided plot description. I'd say it's about what it means to be a soldier, what it means to not be a soldier, what it means to be a man, what it means to be a woman, what it means to be young, what it means to be old, what it means to be a human being. No answers, just a journey.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
Grandma Alexandra (Galina Vishnevskaya) looks very fed up. She's got the whole of Mother Russia on her back - so is needing to walk much Great Suffering out of her tired legs.
She's gone to see Dennis (Dennis?!) her army officer grandson, where he's making war in the Chechen Republic. Whys she there? I mean, how credible is this? Why is she allowed to be there? Why is she allowed to wander around the front line faffing her fingers at the bored border guards? This situation seems like a contrived set-up of Sukurov's to facilely juxtapose women as nurturers against the bad boys (men) of war.
It's soon turned into one of those films where questioning plot plausibility becomes irrelevant - cus there is no plot. Nothing very interesting happens. And nothing very interesting is said. She gets shown around the dusty hot base, the dirty combat vehicles. Now she's examining their shiny equipment. She's brusque, dismissive. Seen it all, done it all. "All" meaning all the suffering already. All the suffering these bored boys are too insensitive - or desensitized - to suffer, with all this impersonalised shooting off of these weapons of destruction they do.
So she's wandering about the camp mumbling and muttering to herself like some grumpy old Mother Archetype. Its "Alexandra Nikolaevna" this and "Alexandra Nikolaevna" that (thought that only happened to characters in Tolstoy novels). Keeps needing to sit down cus tired. More than likely made tired; by the moral torpor shes witnessing - as accentuated by the drained out greeny gray the film is being filtered through.
"What do you actually want? I don't understand you" says Unit Commander. I don't understand her either. And its hard not to feel disengaged by all this gruff antipathy she's wearily trudging around the camp with. They can't help it - the poor lambs; they're just being soldiers. Making war and killing people is what soldiers do. Even if they are only little lads. If you don't like being there - go away!
And she's gone. Leaves as disgruntled/ crotchety/ lonely/ dismayed (take your pick) as she came. Mind you, there's been a big granny love-in at the train departure; reinforcing how instantly, easily, connective womenfolk can be together. Because they - the grannies, (whether Russian or Chechen) represent humankinds best, possibly - only - hope against war (I doubt Sukurov meant anything as trite as that - but its as much thought as i want to give this film for now)
She's gone to see Dennis (Dennis?!) her army officer grandson, where he's making war in the Chechen Republic. Whys she there? I mean, how credible is this? Why is she allowed to be there? Why is she allowed to wander around the front line faffing her fingers at the bored border guards? This situation seems like a contrived set-up of Sukurov's to facilely juxtapose women as nurturers against the bad boys (men) of war.
It's soon turned into one of those films where questioning plot plausibility becomes irrelevant - cus there is no plot. Nothing very interesting happens. And nothing very interesting is said. She gets shown around the dusty hot base, the dirty combat vehicles. Now she's examining their shiny equipment. She's brusque, dismissive. Seen it all, done it all. "All" meaning all the suffering already. All the suffering these bored boys are too insensitive - or desensitized - to suffer, with all this impersonalised shooting off of these weapons of destruction they do.
So she's wandering about the camp mumbling and muttering to herself like some grumpy old Mother Archetype. Its "Alexandra Nikolaevna" this and "Alexandra Nikolaevna" that (thought that only happened to characters in Tolstoy novels). Keeps needing to sit down cus tired. More than likely made tired; by the moral torpor shes witnessing - as accentuated by the drained out greeny gray the film is being filtered through.
"What do you actually want? I don't understand you" says Unit Commander. I don't understand her either. And its hard not to feel disengaged by all this gruff antipathy she's wearily trudging around the camp with. They can't help it - the poor lambs; they're just being soldiers. Making war and killing people is what soldiers do. Even if they are only little lads. If you don't like being there - go away!
And she's gone. Leaves as disgruntled/ crotchety/ lonely/ dismayed (take your pick) as she came. Mind you, there's been a big granny love-in at the train departure; reinforcing how instantly, easily, connective womenfolk can be together. Because they - the grannies, (whether Russian or Chechen) represent humankinds best, possibly - only - hope against war (I doubt Sukurov meant anything as trite as that - but its as much thought as i want to give this film for now)
Would you like to see more reviews about this item?
Were these reviews helpful?
Let us know
Most Recent Customer Reviews
Nothing happens!
Yes it's true a granny visits her son at a Russian base in Chechnya,(not sure about the spelling),potters about a bit,and goes home.Absolutely NOTHING Happens! Read more
Published 1 month ago by Awfully nice chap
the worst film I have ever seen
I love foreign language films
but this was by far the worst film I have ever seen
The story is about a grandmother vising her grandson soldier
She goes to the market... Read more
but this was by far the worst film I have ever seen
The story is about a grandmother vising her grandson soldier
She goes to the market... Read more
Published on 2 Mar 2010 by William E. Stoneman
Lonely Granny
"Alexandra" is a simple and unremarkable film about an old lady who goes to visit her grandson in a Russian army camp in Chechnya. Read more
Published on 9 Mar 2009 by L. Davidson
Customer Discussions
|
This product's forum
Active discussions in related forums
Search Customer Discussions
|
Related forums
|
Listmania!
|
|
Look for similar items by category
Look for similar items by subject
Feedback
- Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
|
