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Product Description
In early twentieth century St Petersburg, pornographer Johann (Sergei Makovetskii) makes money selling photographs of blindfolded young women being spanked. His customers include Liza (Dinara Drukarova), daughter of engineer Radlov, who employs Johann's sister as his maid. Johann is also interested in twin sisters Kolia and Tolia, daughters of Dr Stasov and his blind wife Ekaterina Kirillovna. Although both Radlove and Dr Stasov resent Johann's intrusion into their daughters' lives, he connives to involve the women in his work, seeking to wed Liza while simultaneously planning to use Kolia and Tolia in pornographic films.
Product Description
United Kingdom released, PAL/Region 0 DVD: LANGUAGES: Russian ( Dolby Digital 2.0 ), English ( Subtitles ), WIDESCREEN (1.66:1), SPECIAL FEATURES: Filmographies, Interactive Menu, Photo Gallery, Scene Access, Trailer(s), SYNOPSIS: OF FREAKS AND MEN is a constantly interesting story and film-------very well photographed---------about a strange, psychopathic pornographer who makes movies of women being whipped by a "nanny" for the underground market at the turn of the century. The film is shot in a sepia tone to give a nice authenticity to the proceedings. If you've seen photographs from the fin-de-siecle, you realize what marvelous recreations of those romantic-------though risqué--------photographs the filmmakers have achieved. Many of them look very much like the photographs of Julia Margaret Cameron----------one of the finest photographers working after the Civil War, who specialized in photographing women in dream like, highly romantic, almost spiritual scenes. She never did photos like this, of course, but the same care was taken in the art direction of this film. SCREENED/AWARDED AT: Malaga Spanish Film Festival, ...Of Freaks and Men ( Pro urodov i lyudey )
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
16 of 17 people found the following review helpful
By A Customer
Format:VHS Tape
Alexei Balabanov is a director from whom you can certainly never know what to expect next. Having had two monster successes in Russia with the taut gangster thrillers Brat (Brother) and Brat 2, the director then turned to a most unusual story indeed: the beginning of the Russian porn industry. But it's not a thriller, oh no, 'Of Freaks and Men' is a dreamlike lyrical film set in a marvellous sepia-hued St Petersburg. A local gangster, suffering from his own version of angst and some kind of oedipal longings, and his cohort invade the lives of two respectable families, including a blind matriarch and Siamese twins, forcing them to participate in 'spanking'movies. A kind of dream of turn of the century Russia is brilliantly evoked in the autumnal light, as the characters move silently through the deserted city on canal boats, horrible threat and aching beauty alternating with each other constantly. Of course, under Communism, porn was absolutely outlawed; with the fall of the Red Power, it's everywhere. Balabanov's fantasy story takes the sleaze out of porn and examinesit in terms of the psychological states of the characters involved. By the way, once you see this film you will want to visit St Petersburg - I did!
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
By C. Chalk
Format:DVD
I'm really glad I watched this film - its dark, Dostoyevskian, packed chockful with symbolism and layers of meaning - hence the very long review contained in the 'extra features' section (which is worth reading and cribbing from in case you are a media studies student!). The film seems to be about exploitation, travel, the history of cinema, industrialisation - but aside from all this cerebral stuff - its a sheer, unthinking, joy to watch and listen to. The sequence with the steam boat going down the river, belching smoke - the man in front with flowers -accompanied by that luscious Mussorgsky music is about the best thing I can ever remember seeing in cinema - I couldn't stop myself re-playing the scene over and over on my DVD player. Nice simple Russian too - a GCSE student could follow little chunks of it I think. I recommend renting it though - who pays 20 pounds for a DVD nowadays?
8 of 9 people found the following review helpful
By DM Webster
Format:DVD
This is one of those films that you like thinking about afterwards but sit there bored through. The way it is filmed is excellent- in sepia with intertitles and the story is quite interesting but it is very slow. even though it is little more than 90 minutes long it feels longer and this detracts from the overall effect. I saw it at the cinema originally and it caused a lot of discussion but as a viewing experience you only need to see it once.
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4.1 out of 5 stars
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
4.0 out of 5 stars
Disturbing and beautiful
Bold, experimental film with overtones of David Lynch, Peter
Greenaway and others, but on first viewing at least seemed
to have more style than substance. Read more
Greenaway and others, but on first viewing at least seemed
to have more style than substance. Read more
Published 20 months ago by K. Gordon
2.0 out of 5 stars
WEIRD...
I just couldn't get my head around this movie. It was like I was sleeping and was having a dream. I admire the fact that the movie is well directed and uses some ineresting camera... Read more
Published on 9 Sep 2005 by Shkandrij
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