Fight the Beast!
It has always been a thrilling show — two men fighting one another. More or less, their chances are equal. …
cinema
Botched Helicopter Escapes
Attempts to flee from persecutors for a long time have been a thrilling element of action movies. Various means have …
Frantic Chess Players
A board game of chess has been widely regarded as a quite peaceful competition of intellects. However, sometimes even chess …
Unasked-for Assistance
Any of us need help sometimes. But, under certain circumstances we prefer this assistance to be approved by ourselves. Unasked-for …
The Wind Blows Dangerously
Some fairy tales have vicious characters, which are capable to do harm with gale-strength winds. Evil magicians relish
their ability to wreak havoc on ordinary people. Stormy tricks of the magicians have been shot magnificently by gifted moviemakers of different epochs. Let’s review a few examples of this kind of
special effects.
Amazing fantasy film Ilya Muromets («Илья
Only Heads Stick Out…
Certain movies have been notable for scenes, where only heads of players stick out while their bodies are buried. These
kind of dramatic and often tragic moments have been used to emphasize the frailty of human life, its defenseless against an oppressive state machine. It is one of the best ways to vividly show all
the difficultness of the struggle for human rights. Let’s review some examples from excellent films from the past.
…
Russian Roulette Shot by Film Directors
Very intense experience of Russian roulette has attracted adventurous people for its highest possible risk. There is
hardly more dangerous activity than playing with one’s life in such a careless way. Once again, moviemakers have been up and ready to make the best use of this blood-curdling entertainment. Let’s
mention few examples of Russian roulette on the silver screen.
War drama film The Deer …
How to Hijack an Ambulance
Such a peaceful vehicle as an ambulance is hardly a legitimate target for wrongdoing. But, despite this obvious fact certain
movies have vividly shown to us that this is not the point and, under some conditions, an ambulance is a vehicle of choice for smart guys. Let’s review few examples of ambulances being
hijacked.
Soviet naval sci-fi epic «Тайна двух океанов» (
Cut and Paste Approach Once Again
Soviet filmmamkers of seventies and eighties quite often followed the style of Hollywood films in terms of
plotline, special effects, etc. For example, Indiana Jones movies were rather frankly imitated by a Soviet-Polish sci-fi film «Klątwa Doliny Węży»(Curse of Snakes Valley), 1987. …
Headwear Beyond Repair
Caps, hats, and other items we put on our heads serve us not only as headwear. They also symbolize certain sacredness, because
they cover the most precious part of our body. That is why, the destruction of headwear presents itself as a rather ominous sign, because it is a quite symbolic part of our clothing. Filmmakers have
employed a ruined headwear motive under different storylines and genres.
…
Railway Sabotage
Spectacular train explosions have been employed by filmmakers to convey a tense atmosphere of the
military conflict, portrayed on the silver screen. Yes, a large-scale disruption of railways is one of the most convincing methods to vividly demonstrate the destructive nature of the war. Here are
some examples of this special effect, which has been expecially useful for films about WWII.
Inspiring “Star Wars”
Legendary space opera
(Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope, directed by George Lucas, produced by 20thCentury Fox, 1977), which has enjoyed success both financially and critically, wasn’t created out of nothing. …
Horrific Transformations
Creative people often employ dramatic changes in order to emphasize completely different states of something. Horror
and sci-fi movies are densely populated with characters, whose appearances transform magically before the eyes of viewers. Yeah, such eerie mutations might curdle one’s blood. Here, some
cinematographic examples of this technique.
Ruslan and Ludmila («Руслан и Людмила»,
Destructive Frenzy
Strong personalities sometimes have fits of desperation, when they are inclined to do crazy things. For example,
these personalities start to destroy furniture, tear their clothes to pieces, etc. All these have been done to give vent to their overpowering emotions. Consequently, film studios have been eager to
cash in on these widely known passions.
Lavishly …
Cake in Face
It is rather common prank, employed in comedy movies, when someone’s face gets smashed by a sweet food product.
Although, this seems like another instance of horseplay, the audience around the world still laugh heartily at it. As for myself, I consider a cake-in-face technique as a down-to-earth one, not
subtle way to convey one’s artistic agenda. But, since its widespread popularity, it deserves my closer attention as a researcher of cinema history.
Energy Disasters in Soviet Movies
Dramatic events, which disrupt operation of energy industry, can render spectacular scenes for movies. Imagine the
fiery explosion of an oil rig! How it can visually impress the audience. Yes, it endangers human lives and brings about a considerable damage in terms of money, but the emergency looks so beautiful on the silver screen. There have been numerous instances, when filmmakers exploited this subject.
Foot Worship in General Audience Movies
This practice can humiliate human dignity. That is why, film directors have employed it to show vividly, how their
protagonists suffer morally. And sometimes moral suffering is more difficult to endure than a physical one. So, foot worship presents a nice opportunity to plunge explicitly into the depths of misery
without degrading to obscenity. Both Western and Soviet moviemakers willingly exploited this technique.
In a drama
Mature Women and Little Boys
When a man molests a child, it looks abhorring to the majority of people. But, when an aged lady pampers a boy, it
looks somewhat less menacing. Therefore, arts and literature throughout the ages have taken a tolerant stance towards grotesque relationships between mature women and little boys. Accordingly,
moviemakers have followed this trend for decades.
Soviet fairy tale The Snow
Queen
Versatile Taxi Drivers
Not always they simply render you professional services, tailored to your exact destinations. Some taxi
drivers are actually larger than life. At least, several movies furnish the audience with engaging characters, who literally drive us mad. Don’t worry! I am not going to present you worn-out imagery
of too well known heroes like the Martin Scorcese’s taxi driver. We will call quite different sort of taxi drivers. Soviet hackies were in the class of their own. They didn’t merely provide
transportation. Their status was …
Incestuous and Pedophilic Overtones
Several movies, produced in the Soviet Union and Russia with the help of foreign companies for general
audience, contain rather questionable scenes hinting at incest and pedophilia. Moreover, the movies were awarded with prestigious international prizes. Thus, perverted intentions of the filmmakers
have been endorsed by many film critics and creative community. It also should be mentioned that the feature films were produced at the time of catastrophic upheavals before and after the collapse of
the Soviet Union. By and large, …