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• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B0001Q23SK
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #82,205 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)

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19 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Mikhalkov's "Barber of Siberia" released by RUSCICO, May 20, 2004

By A Customer

This review is from: Barber of Siberia (DVD)

TRUTH lies in the detail. Nikita Mikhalkov knows this. Anyone lucky enough to have seen Dark Eyes and Burnt By The Sun will expect a visual feast. Dr Zhivago was a love story, with an epic backdrop. So was Cyrano De Bergerac. Add to these, The Barber Of Siberia, a tale of honour and passion.
Jane Callahan (Julia Ormond) travels to Moscow from Massachusetts in 1885, masquerading as the daughter of an eccentric inventor (Richard Harris), who needs money to complete the field trials of his monstrous tree-felling machine that will devastate forests and feed the pulp mills of an entire continent.
Her art is seduction and her business to elicit financial support from rich aristocrats within Czar Alexander's court. On the train, she meets a high-spirited group of young army cadets and makes particular friends with one of them, Andrey Tolstoy (Oleg Menshikov), who, over a bottle of champagne, falls in love with her.
Jane's character is ill-defined. She is not exactly a courtesan on a foreign assignment and yet appears, by European standards, to be unusually independent. Her flirtatious charm is hard to resist and yet there is something superficial about her, something lightweight. Being from the New World, her sophistication is affected rather than ingrained and, like anyone who uses flattery as a calling card, she finds it hard to distinguish genuine emotion from false feelings.
Andrey has the courage of a clown. He is not afraid to follow his heart, even if it leads into an abyss. He acts on impulse and with fortitude, often ending in farce, or trouble. He is loyal to the Czar and to the principals of the officer code. Driven by an unconsummated passion for Jane, he allows jealousy to crucify him.
Mikhalkov does not disappoint. Visually the film is stunning, recapturing a sense of wonder, even madness, that incorporates the soul of Mother Russia. The story is told in flashback 20 years on. This North American section is less than successful, not that it detracts from the whole. Moscow in winter at the end of the 19th century has a magic all its own.
The performances are worthy of Mikhalkov's grand vision. Ormond, sadly missed since Smilla's Sense Of Snow, is an intelligent actress, who finds strength beyond beauty. Instead, she finds strength beyond beauty, hinting at the anguish of a duplicitous nature. The film belongs to Menshikov. He is both tragic and hilarious, a foolish boy, a ruined man. Such exquisite acting defies praise. It is enough to be there and experience the unpredictability of a unique and thrilling talent.

P.S. To watch the movie preview video clip you can on russianDVD.com website for free.

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Russia's answer to Gone with the Wind!, January 8, 2005

By 

L Gontzes (Athens, Greece) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Barber of Siberia (DVD)

Definitely a great epic movie, the Barber of Siberia, brings to the screen the story of Jane, a beautiful cosmopolitan courtesan and Andrey, a young Cadet in the Imperial Army, during the years of Tsar Alexander III in Holy Russia.
The film combines drama, action, and adventure, making it one of the best of its kind, thus, resurrecting interest in historical films after a long dormant period.
Needless to say, Oleg Menshikov, Julia Ormond, and the rest of the cast have truly outdone themselves with their performances, which are outstanding to say the least!
The setting, the music and the costumes are all wonderful!
History, Love, Passion, and Honor, are all about.
Nikita Mihalkov has scored his biggest hit yet with the Barber of Siberia!

In short, it is an EXCELLENT movie, guaranteed to shed a tear!

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Better Film than Doctor Zhivago, February 6, 2006

By 

Gerard D. Launay (Berkeley, California) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Barber of Siberia (DVD)

It seems that Russian novels and (sometimes) Russian films
make some of the best epics in history. This movie recreates the grand sweep of Romanov Russia in a story of love, honor, duty, and deception. The plot surrounds a young cavalry officer's infatuation for the daughter of an American inventor; but the father has has other plans for her. Oleg Menshikov - the young officer - is a dream; he is one of the most handsome heroes in cinema. (He also appears in the film East West) Yes, the film is long but with the gorgeous cinematography, you won't notice it. A very unusual treat.