Friday, September 30, 2005

The epic journey of "First on the Moon"

Russian director Alexei Fedorchenko has taken a stylish look at Soviet idealism and ambition on "Perviyje na lune" (First on the Moon). The script, from the team of Alexander Gonorovsky and Ramil Yamaleyev, is the tale of an early attempt by the Soviets to be the first to reach the moon in the late thirties. It uses archive footage to bolster the period feel, fuelling the feeling that it is actually a documentary. To add to the confusion, it picked up a documentary award at Venice this year.

Yet the film's story itself is an epic journey. The original script had to go through eight years of financial crises, disintegrating public institutions and loan sharks to find its way to the screen. For the story behind the story, check the Moscow Times. For a review, check European Films.net.

No comments: