Product Details

• Actors: Alexander Litvinenko
• Directors: Andrei Nekrasov
• Format: Color, DVD, Extra tracks, NTSC, Subtitled, Widescreen
• Language: English
• Subtitles: Russian
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
  
• Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Rated: NR (Not Rated)
• Studio: KINO INTERNATIONAL
• DVD Release Date: August 12, 2008
• Run Time: 105 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B00181XY7G
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #194,615 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)

Editorial Reviews

POISONED BY POLONIUM:LITVINENKO FILE - DVD Movie

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Pulling back the curtain, August 26, 2010

By 

Roland E. Zwick (Valencia, Ca USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Poisoned By Polonium: The Litvinenko File (Rebellion) (2007) (DVD)

Anyone who believes that government-sanctioned repression and political skullduggery ended in Russia with the collapse of the Soviet Union - and the attendant dissolution of the KGB - will find much to disabuse them of that notion in "Poisoned by Polonium: The Litvinenko File," a disturbing and eye-opening look at what life is like in that recently "liberated" country.

Alexander "Sasha" Litvinenko was, of course, the outspoken critic of the Putin government whose death by polonium poisoning in 2007 made international headlines. Litvinenko's "crimes" went beyond mere criticism of policy, however; an ex-KGB agent himself, he accused the FSB - the Russian secret service, a direct descendant of the old KGB - of being behind the terrorist bombings that rocked Moscow in 1999, bombings that he and others claimed were done for the express purpose of ramping up public outrage against the Chechens whom the government knew would be blamed for the atrocities. It was Litvinenko's "insider" knowledge and willingness to speak out despite tremendous risk to himself and his family that led activist filmmaker Andrei Nekrasov to seek out and befriend him. With this unlimited access, Nekrasov was able to interview Litvinenko at great length for the several years leading up to his death. He even got to film him as he lay dying in a hospital room in London, where Litvinenko had been granted political asylum. It is these interviews that make up the bulk of Nekrasov's informative and shocking film.

With these interviews and others - for Litvinenko is not the only one fearless enough to speak out on camera - Nekrasov has provided a scathing portrait of life under the Putin regime: the state-sponsored secrecy, the corruption and torture that is still being carried out on a regular basis, the repression of intellectual and political dissent - all holdovers from the dark days of Communist rule. Nekrasov's main thesis is that things haven't changed all that much in Russia since the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, and that the promises of a fledgling democracy are being perpetually undermined by those at the highest echelons of governmental power. And, as Litvinenko saw it, one of the reasons the Russian leaders ginned up a war with Chechnya in the first place was to legitimize its continued use of strong arm tactics in an ostensibly non-totalitarian society. Hence, the explosions in Moscow.

Of course, none of this willingness to speak out against injustice comes without a steep price for all who choose to do so. And make no mistake about it; Litvinenko is not the only person Nekrasov interviews who turns up dead under mysterious circumstances before the movie is over. But for other whistleblowers the pushback from the FSB has come in the form of threats, blackmail, fabricated evidence, trumped-up criminal charges, destroyed reputations and false imprisonment.

Perhaps most depressing of all is the general indifference Nekrasov has found to what is happening in his country - indifference on the part of not just the Russian populace and the national press but the world at large, an apathy that only encourages the government leaders to continue their suppressive ways.

This may be a tough movie to sit through at times, but what it has to say about a nation - and about the few citizens courageous enough to stand up against its systematic abuses - cries out to be heard. It helps to ensure that Litvninenko will not have died in vain.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars "If anything should happen to me, I beg you, show this tape to the whole world", September 7, 2009

By 

Stephen Pletko "Uncle Stevie" (London, Ontario, Canada) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Poisoned By Polonium: The Litvinenko File (Rebellion) (2007) (DVD)

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This documentary (formerly entitled "Rebellion") can be thought of as an epitaph, public disclosure, and personal journey revealing the truth about dissident and former KGB & FSB agent Alexander "Sasha" Litvinenko's (1962 to Nov. 2006) murder in London, England. (The FSB is the post-communism KGB.)

(Not mentioned in this documentary is that Litvinenko was murdered by radioactive Polonium-210 poisoning. He was probably the first person ever to die by this type of poisoning. Ironically, the restaurant where the poisoning took place has the actual name "The Polonium Restaurant.")

Thus, there are long sessions of Litvinenko being interviewed (before he was killed) by investigative journalist Andrei Nekrasov (who is also the director of this film and Litvinenko's friend).

It expands into a scathing indictment of modern Russia's political environment and national character using not only interviews but archival footage. Thus, there are stories of terrorism, slavery, blackmail, abductions, imprisonment, and as-sas-sin-ation.

This film's structure is a bit ramshackle and its final argument is somewhat dubious, but it does an excellent job of presenting its case. One might ask if this documentary is biased (since the director is Litvinenko's friend.) Perhaps. But what I found was a good example of level headed, journalistic investigation.

Those who appear in this documentary (the "protagonists") are listed in the end credits. There are eighteen names. The list begins with Litvinenko, his wife, father, and ends with Vladimir Putin, "President of Russia." Some people preferred that their name not be shown in the end credits.

I would recommend before watching this documentary that you read a brief biography of Litvinenko. As well, be sure to turn on the English subtitles (unless you understand Russian).

Finally, the DVD itself (the one released in 2008) is perfect in picture and sound quality. It has two extras.

In conclusion, this is a riveting documentary that attempts to answer the question:

Who poisoned Litvinenko?

(2007; 1 hr, 45 min; 12 chapters; wide screen)

<<Stephen Pletko, London, Ontario, Canada>>

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2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Important subject matter trumps poor presentation, April 20, 2009

By 

Michael M. Danziger (Venice, CA/Jerusalem, Israel) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Poisoned By Polonium: The Litvinenko File (Rebellion) (2007) (DVD)

I'm giving this film a much higher rating than it deserves because I think that the subject matter is extremely important. The movie alleges a number of disturbingly plausible claims in the name of Litvinenko which the free world continues to be grossly negligent at verifying or disproving. Bottom line: the film asserts that Putin is the real deal--essentially a tyrant, brought to power via an FSB staged war in which he could show how "decisive" and "strong" he is by murdering many hundreds of civilians in the name of "Russia." All the while he is steeped in hundreds of millions of dollars of racketeered dollars that he has been amassing at least since the early 90s. Anyone who speaks out against him and has a chance of being heard is murdered. And no one can really investigate anything because he's the head of state--not only politically but also the head of a large network of criminal agents who control every level of power in Russia. The allegations are serious and appear to be largely substantiated to the extent that such a thing is possible under the circumstances.

As a film, I thought it was really weak. The cinematography was "artistic" but it was unclear to what degree that "artisticness" contributed to the overall message of the film. Funny camera angles, "visual noise" interludes etc. I'd trade them all for a few more minutes in which the allegations and the arguments supporting them are spelled out more clearly. The information and the allegations were presented in a scattered and incoherent manner which gave them some short term emotional impact but made it hard to figure out what exactly the director was trying to say. I've seen the film criticized as being "too emotional" but I think that the "emotional" part was sorely lacking. Intellectually, it is chilling and compelling. But the use of shocking imagery and inflammatory rhetoric caused a very strong "anti" emotional reaction--you feel as if you're being toyed with. If the facts speak for themselves, why do we need extended shots of maimed Chechen babies? Why do we need a long scene of a stripper to show us what capitalism is? Why do we need to be shown SO MANY charred corpses? Russians then Chechens then more Russians then more Chechens--they all look the same anyway, they just make your stomach turn. But for what--I'm sure you could find disturbing images of mutilated corpses in any society at any time in history and they'll always make one's stomach turn.

After watching this film, you can't help but be indignant about the world's naive acceptance of the current Russian regime but you lack much feeling for Litvinenko and the others killed by Putin's henchmen. They're deaths hang in the air but are played down by the more visceral images to the point that you want to say, "Yea, well, he died, but at least he died in a hospital." It seems to me that the film had a perfect opportunity to deeply humanize this issue as well as presenting the case against Putin however they wanted to. In my opinion they blew it on both counts. I wish there was another, better, film that dealt with these issues. Seeing as there isn't, I recommend that everyone watch this film but don't expect it to work all that well as a film or to tell you the whole story.