Earth (“Zemlya”)
Directed by Aleksandr Dovshenko
Written by Alexsandr Dovshenko
1930/USSR
VUFKU
Multiple viewings
#55 of 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die
IMDb users say 7.4/10; I say 6/10
I last saw Earth on October 10, 2012. At that time, I was relieved to know that occasion would be the last time I would view it before I died. Fortunately I have preserved my review. Here it is.
Sometimes I don’t know what is wrong with me. This is perhaps the third time I have watched this widely praised Soviet silent film with the same results. I think I am possibly too influenced by film scores. This one has the same effect on me as fingernails on a blackboard. I’m sure other people would think it was fine. Then too, while I can recognize that the images are powerful and beautiful, the whole just doesn’t do it for me. There you have it. Meh.
It should be noted that I have a decidedly minority view of this important film. Per Wikipedia:
“It was named #88 in the 1995 Centenary Poll of the 100 Best Films of the Century in Time Out Magazine. The film was also voted one of the ten greatest films of all time by a group of 117 film historians at the 1958 Brussels World’s Fair and named one of the top ten greatest films of all time by the International Film Critics Symposium.”
Clip – Birth, death, and the whole damn thing
Yeah, I hated this one, too. I think the “majority” opinion is film snobs with nothing better to do with their time than promote this kind of dreck to legendary status. I found it ridiculous.
Just looking at that clip I showed reminded me how ridiculous it is. Off to read your review.
There is nothing wrong with you and i doubt you are a minority. The main and probably only asset of this film is that it makes for very entertainibg reviews. If you have not read it yet I can recommend Steve’s review.
I’m beginning to think the critics are wrong. I just hate to inadvertantly steer somebody away from something they might like when it makes all the Lists. I was really happy to give it a skip this time around. For some reason, there has always been a reason I felt like I should revisit it. Enough was enough!