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Khrustalyov, My Car!
Хрусталёв, машину!
1999 · Film · 147 min
Directed by Aleksei German
Military doctor General Klenski is arrested in Stalin's Russia in 1953 during an anti-Semitic political campaign accused of being a participant in so-called "doctors' plot".
2 positivefrom 2 commenters
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3 comments on Hacker News
Parajanov's works are also incredible. A lot of his stuff was not "acceptable" in the U(kr)SSR because of their regionalism and stark non-realist aesthetics, but Shadows of Forgotten Ancestors is a fascinating and gorgeous look at traditional Ukrainian folktale and visual culture.
If you like Hard to Be A God, you should check out Aleksei German's other films, especially Khrustalyov, My Car! from 1998, which is nominally a comedy film, but plays much more like a surrealist horror film that riffs endlessly on the Kafkaesque paranoia of Stalinist Russia. It would make a brilliant double feature with Iannucci's Death of Stalin from 2017, which was definitely influenced by German's film.
Thanks for a reply!
Aleksey German is a true genius. IMO, one of the greatest directors ever lived. I've watched all of his works. "Khrustalyov, My Car!" is a true masterpiece, a film that is of great depth. But, unlike his other works, with "Khrustalyov, My Car!" you need to know quite a bit about Stalin era to feel it's completeness and integrity. There is nothing random in it.
I recommend you to watch "Public enemy - Bukharin" by Leonid Maryagin. It is an amazing film, about the rise of the Stalin's terror. Sadly, it is not widely known. You might want to check out the list of historical personalities mentioned there before watching. There are some truly kafkaesque moments in it.
Larisa Shepitko is also a genius.
One of my greatest passions is the trilogy by Sergei Gerasimov ("The Journalist"[1], "U ozera"[2], "To Love a Person"[3] ), the ones that he has not only directed, but wrote scripts for. However, I feel that these films might appear cryptic for people that haven't lived in Soviet Union.
[1] http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0062524/
[2] http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0065140/
[3] http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0171498/
There are some good Russian movies that are somewhat unknown to the Western public. For example, I wonder if any of you have seen these:
Georgiy Daneliya. "Kin-dza-dza!" (1986) [1]
Larisa Shepitko. "The Ascent" (1977) [2]
Leonid Maryagin. "Public enemy - Bukharin" (1990) [3]
Aleksey German. "Twenty Days Without War" (1977) [4]
Aleksey German. "Khrustalyov, My Car!" (1998) [5]
Stanislav Rostotskiy. "A zori zdes tikhie" (1972) [6]
Mikhail Kalatozov. "True Friends" (1954) [7]
Mikhail Kozakov. "Pokrov Gates" (1982) [8]
Georgiy Daneliya. "Osenniy marafon" (1979) [9]
Elem Klimov. "Come and See" (1985) [10]
Victor Ginzburg. "Generation П" (2011) [11]
Sergei Gerasimov. "The Journalist" (1967) [12]
(this one is Polish) Juliusz Machulski. "Sexmission" (1984) [13]
(also Polish) Krzysztof Kieslowski. "The Decalogue" (1989) [14]
[1] http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0091341/
[2] http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0075404/
[3] http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0100891/
[4] http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0074447/
[5] http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0156701/
[6] http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0068161/
[7] http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0047650/
[8] http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0083465/
[9] http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0079679/
[10] http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0091251/
[11] http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0459748/
[12] http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0062524/
[13] http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0088083/
[14] http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0092337/