Customer Reviews

Alexander Solzhenitsyn's First Circle

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This film is based on Alexander Solzhenitsyn's famous novel of the same title. It is based on the story of a special prison designed for scientists who would carry out research supported by the state in which the conditions of incarceration were better than those in the hellish camps of the Gulag Archipelago. The father of the Soviet space program, Sergei Korolev, worked in a prison laboratory like the one depicted here.
The story depicts the different types of people who are caught in Stalin's world-prisoners, NKVD warders and "investigators", the priviledged Communist Party elite and common people outside the prisons who are just trying to survive. Among the prisoners there is the type who is an enthusiastic supporter of Stalin (he believes that his imprisonment is simply "a mistake"), the idealist who will not compromise his values even if this endangers himself, opportunists who inform on their fellow inmates in order to improve their own situation, and those who debate whether it is moral to help the tyrranical regime in order to increase their chances of release.
The problem with this film is its uneven quality, on the one hand it was filmed in Moscow and the scenes showing the prisons, the shabby side streets and the official goverment offices (which have pictures and busts of Stalin in every scene) give the film a feeling of authenticity. The directing is sometimes outstanding, particularly in scenes involving the wife of Gleb the idealist getting her annual half-hour visit with her husband and one with Innokenty being interrogated by an NKVD man. On the other hand, there are scenes involving NKVD officers and high officials in which they are portrayed as comical buffons with scenes taken straight out of "The Three Stooges". Also there is a young woman character who is the daughter of an important Communist Party member who works as an NKVD clerk in the prison/laboratory. In reality, people from families in the priviledged "nomenklatura" would not have any contact with "zeks" (prisoners). These really lowered my estimation of the film. After all, no one would make a film showing Heinrich Himmler as a comical figure. I have concluded that Solzhenitsyn was not consulted on making the film and I believe that Russians (and not the Canadians and French who did this one) should make a film of this type in order to make it more authentic. People from Western countries who did not experience the horrors of Stalin's regime really can't convey to outsiders the full meaning of it. Having said this, the film is still quite useful in conveying at least part of the horrible reality that was Stalin's USSR. Don't expect any Western-style "happy endings" when you view this film.

I found this film to be both educational and entertaining. There are a few flaws but overall a worthwhile effort has gone into making this film is based on Alexander Solzhenitsyn's novel. The story is that of a group of scientists who for a vast range of reasons have been determined to be a threat to the Soviet state or an asset to the Soviet state, or both. This sense of irony regarding locking up dissident scientists as well as out spoken scientists as well as valuable scientists permeates the entire film and is meant to spill over into our impressions of the entire Soviet system. The story takes place in one of these designated prisoners for scientists, but of course due to the errors of bureaucracy, other types of prisoners are thrown into the mix. The purpose of these designated prisons is to work on scientific projects of value to the new and vulnerable Soviet state during the early years of the Cold War. These prisoners are treated to better conditions as compared to those poor individuals sent to other prison camps where they are worked to death in the Russian cold winter. There are ideological conflicts between the prisons as some are completely loyal to the Soviet state despite their incarceration and others are highly skeptical about the Soviet state and its motives. This tension between two friends and fellow scientists is the theme that runs through much of the film. One scientist believes his incarceration is a mistake and that he will soon be released and he believes in his heart in the most idealistic and lofty of the themes and philosophy of Communism. He is contrasted with his best friend and colleague who is highly skeptical of political power, especially that of the Communist regime in Russia, that has not lived up to any of the ideals written by Marx and Engels. Victor Garber plays the role of the idealistic scientist. He is such a solid good actor, as you may notice as he plays San Francisco Mayor Muscone in the film "Milk" The guards and directors of the prison also display a vast range of motives and characterizations. Some of the guards are brutal thugs and have little comprehension of the class of prisoners they guard. Others are fully aware and realize that spying on the prisoner's activities may be a way to advance in the bureaucracy. Two of the women guards have fallen in love with prisoners. The prison director is in the hard spot of having to maintain discipline while encouraging the scientist. He also is in the hard position of trying to determine when scientists are just wasting time or whether delays are actually part of the scientific process and patience is required. The film also explores the lives of the Communist Party elites who hold as much power as the aristocrats prior to the revolution. The film was made in Moscow and I must say I was very impressed with the high level of realism and authenticity this gave to the film. If there was a major weakness in the film, it was the portrayal of Stalin and many of the highest officers in his government as clowns. Stalin could not have risen to his position in the Soviet government if he was a foolish, clownish humorous character to be laughed at by English speaking audiences. This part of this Canadian - French film was a disservice to all viewers. To imply that the leaders of any social and political system in conflict with our own is headed by clowns is a very inappropriate and dangerous message to deliver. This is the major reason I ranked the film lower on the 5 point scale. There is a second theme in the film regarding a high ranking official from a highly ranked family who is spying for the United States, thus much of the tension around the film is trying to catch this spy using technologies that the scientists are developing. This allowed two narrative themes to weave together nicely. The length of the film at 187 minutes is very good at conveying the story in an appropriately paced manner. The weakest performance in the film was actually given by a wonderful actor, Christopher Plummer. He plays an alcoholic eccentric nerve-wracked upper level intelligence officer in Stalin's cabinet. Plummer over-plays the paranoia and clownishness of this character. It would have been ok to make him paranoid but not a clown.

Koch Vision present "FIRST CIRCLE" (1991) (187 mins/Color) (Dolby Digital) --- Under Sheldon Larry (Director), Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn (Author of Novel), Gabriel Yared (Film Score), Ron Orieux (Cinematographer), Serge Morache (assistant hair stylist), Stephen Benoit (assistant director), Leslie Grierson (third assistant director), Kim Karon (assistant art director), Sylvain Arseneault (boom operator), Luc Boudrias (sound re-recording mixer), Eric Rophe (sound), Raymond Vermette (dialogue editor), Mathieu Décary (first assistant camera), Jean-Yves Denis (grip), Stephen Benoit (assistant to director), Clifford De Spenser (dialogue coach) ------ the cast includes Robert Powell (Gleb Nershin), Victor Garber (Lew Rubin), Dominic Raacke (Nikolaj Schtschagow), Günther Maria Halmer (Wladimir Tschelnow), Christopher Plummer (Victor Abakumov), F. Murray Abraham (Staline), David Hemblen, David Hewlett ('Ruska' Rostislav), Heath Lamberts, Laurent Malet (Valadine Innokenti), Alexandra Stewart (Aletvina Makaraguine), Raf Vallone (Pyotr Makaraguine), Coraly Zahonero (Clara Makaraguine), Vernon Dobtcheff (Riyumin), Daniel Emilfork (Nikol), Corinne Touzet (Nadia Nerzhin), Robert Joy, Danute Kristo (Nina) ------ the story line takes place in a Soviet prison "Mavrino" December 1949, where a group of scientists work in this grim drama, one can interpret that the first circle includes not just the prison, but the whole uppercrust society of the Soviet Union, with Joseph Stalin as Satan overlooking his domain ... takes place in three days with interwoven characters that have struggling lives that will touch you in everyway ... surprise awaits the viewer as freedom is the price that is too high, even if betrayal is in the future ... one of the best adaptations of Alexander Solzhenitsyn novel under the direction of Sheldon Larry and outstanding performances by Robert Powell and supporting cast.

BIOS:
1. Robert Powell
Date of birth: 1 June 1944 - Salford, Manchester, England, UK
Date of death: Still Living

2. Victor Garber
Date of birth: 16 March 1949 - London, Ontario, Canada
Date of death: Still Living

3. F. Murray Abraham
Date of birth: 24 October 1939 - Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Date of death: Still Living

4. Christopher Plummer
Date of birth: 13 December 1929 - Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Date of death: Still Living

5. Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn (Author)
Date of birth: 11 December 1918 - Kislovodsk, Russia
Date of death: Still Living

DVD EXTRAS:
Disc #1 -- First Circle
Play Part 1
Part 1 Scene Access
Play Part 2
Part 2 Scene Access
Play Part 3
Part 3 Scene Access

SPECIAL FEATURES:
1. Cast and Credits
2. Actor Filmographies
3. F. Murray AbrahaM
4. Christopher Plummer
5. Robert Powell
6. Victor Garber
7. Solzhenitsyn and the First Circle
8. Weblink

Great job by Koch Vision for releasing "First Circle" (1991) - Alexander Solzhenitsyn, the digital transfere with a clean, clear and crisp print...looking forward to more high quality releases from the BBC mini-series film market...order your copy now from Amazon or Koch Vision where there are plenty of copies available on DVD, stay tuned once again for top notch drama mixed with an outstanding cast and director --- just the way we like 'em

Total Time: 187 mins on DVD ~ Koch Vision KOCV6632 ~ (6/06/2005)