"Ubit' drakona" is the last (up to date) movie made by Zakharov, blending modern realities and fairy-tale motives into a thought-provoking cinematic masterpiece. Unfortunately, most of Zakharov's movies are not easy to understand by those without the ex-USSR background. "Ubit' drakona", rooted in universal motives and using imagery familiar to the Western public, seems to be an exception. The nuances and the gentle humour of the late Soviet actors will probably be somewhat lost on the Western viewers, but much will be still understood.
The movie delves deep into the psychology of the tyranny and oppression, and into the psychology of the oppressed. "I started to envy the slaves.", says Lancelot, "They know everything in advance. They have solid convictions; maybe, because they have no choice?" This message about the burden of freedom is especially powerful. Everything is simple in the first part - a cruel tyrant, people who are afraid of him, trying to steer clear of trouble. The second part, however, is more important. It shows that the dragon inside one's mind might be more powerful than the physical dragon. The ending is simply magical.
It takes the visionary genius of Schwartz, who wrote the original play at the same time when Orwell wrote "1984", and the expressive genius of Zakharov, to predict the process that so many people went through decades later, and will keep going through as becoming free people is not the same as getting rid of a tyrant. (Lars von Trier's "Manderlay" comes to mind.) I wish Hollywood adapted this. The result probably won't live up to the original, but this message must be heard.
The movie delves deep into the psychology of the tyranny and oppression, and into the psychology of the oppressed. "I started to envy the slaves.", says Lancelot, "They know everything in advance. They have solid convictions; maybe, because they have no choice?" This message about the burden of freedom is especially powerful. Everything is simple in the first part - a cruel tyrant, people who are afraid of him, trying to steer clear of trouble. The second part, however, is more important. It shows that the dragon inside one's mind might be more powerful than the physical dragon. The ending is simply magical.
It takes the visionary genius of Schwartz, who wrote the original play at the same time when Orwell wrote "1984", and the expressive genius of Zakharov, to predict the process that so many people went through decades later, and will keep going through as becoming free people is not the same as getting rid of a tyrant. (Lars von Trier's "Manderlay" comes to mind.) I wish Hollywood adapted this. The result probably won't live up to the original, but this message must be heard.