The Barber of Siberia (1998)

This is not Mikhalkov's best film. Yet a Mikhalkov film is one that presents a story with a twinkle in the eye. His films come very near to the black comedy genre. Take his swipe at the average American not understanding Mozart's music--if it is taken literally, it will cloud the Mikhalkov perspective of life through cinema. That perspective is poles apart from the filmmaking of his half brother Andrei Mikhalkov Konchalovsky, who is serious and quite a bit of a perfectionist (he worked with Andrei Tarkovsky on his earlier movies), e.g. "Runaway Train" and "Shy People" made in Hollywood or "Siberiade" made in the former USSR.

Mikhalkov makes serious scenes seem light and a lark: the deportation to Siberia marked with opera singing; the dangerous duel that ends with a hero lying wounded in a Quixotic manner; a very tall Czar Alexander (the director) who puts down his queen with a most 'unroyal' remark. Mikhalkov and his half brother are great visualizers and have good ears for music--which is why the film is a treat to watch--natural splendors of Siberia, recreating a "Dr Zhivago" milieu with more authenticity than Mr Lean (who did a great job considering he could not shoot his film in the USSR).

I am a great admirer of good Russian cinema: especially the works of Tarkovsky, Kozintsev, Eisenstein, Konchalovsky, Talankin in that order. Mikhalkov is not the best but all his films are worth a view. But I have one suggestion--never take his films as what appears for there is a layer underneath the obvious--that needs to be seen tongue in cheek. And unlike Konchalovsky--the quality of direction is never consistent in Mikhalkov's works--it varies from the brilliant to the almost stupid.

But Mr Mikhalkov, what a pathetic waste of Richard Harris' talent to merely advertise his name in the credits for an insignificant role in a long movie...

Fmovies: The Barber of Siberia is a very strong example of a polarising film that will induce divisive opinions. It is very easy to see why people will find merit with The Barber of Siberia, at the same time though it is equally easy to see why others will dislike it. There is enough to like and appreciate but on the whole the general feeling this viewing of The Barber of Siberia had was indifference. Visually, it is an absolute stunner and one of the most beautiful films there is. The photography is just glorious, the scenery and costumes are evocative and the colours are the very meaning of sumptuous. The music is hauntingly beautiful, wasn't sure of the relevance of using Mozart, Verdi and Strauss was, but their music are suitable choices and are used well. Julia Ormond is radiant and very believable in her role, and of the Russian actors Marina Neyolova really stood out, she was fabulous. Anna Mikhalkova is fine too. Not all the actors succeeded though, Oleg Menshikov disappoints in a performance that seems out of his comfort zone, rather too quirky for a more serious role than he is accustomed to, he and Ormond have a lack of spark too. Nikita Mikhalkov is physically commanding but too overly-theatrical(quite a lot of the supporting roles are over-played actually) as the Tsar, comes across as a vanity project somewhat, he also directs and in a way that is rather self-indulgent. The script mixes comedy and drama, and the mix doesn't gel together or on its own. The comedy is taken far too broadly and the drama is too overwrought, when they're together it's like two completely different films. Too many characters are sidelined too, especially those of Richard Harris and Alexei Petrenko, Petrenko is still quite good but Harris is wasted. The story also doesn't engage and one that will move people or leave them cold(the latter unfortunately applies with me), a lot of the time it glosses over the important bits, making the depiction of 1880s Russia superficial and almost too idealistic, and spends too much time on the less-important ones(like scenes of almost nothing that go on too long). The pace drags far too much, there are even some scenes that don't even move, and the length is excessively bloated, if the film was trying to disguise that the story wasn't enough for the 3 hours it did a poor job in that respect. All in all, visually and musically The Barber of Siberia enchants but in terms of writing and storytelling it is a test for endurance. 5/10 Bethany Cox

"The Barber of Siberia" was actually the first Russian movie shot during the past 8 years which made me proud that I am Russian. After the stream of low-rated films about mafia, prostitution and 'hard life', most of which were brilliantly void of any thought or idea, "The Barber" managed to persuade me that not everyhing's lost for Russia yet.

The Barber of Siberia fmovies. Even if most of the reviews were devastating I decided to go and see the most expensive and discussed Russian movie. And the truth is that I enjoyed every minute of it. For me absolutely the best movie of the year. For a long time no movie impressed me like this one. You can find everything in it - passion, desire, fight, love and hate, tiers...Watching some scenes you laugh and others you cry. Excellent actor performances and a beautiful music make the movie unforgettable. So forget everything you have heard or read about and better go and see it with our own eyes.

Most of the critics are saying bad things about this movie, but all of my friends who have seen it are saying that it was really good. I started to like Nikita Mihalkov, when I saw his film 'Burnt by the Sun'. This film is quite different, but very good too. The film lasts almost 3 hours, but you won't lose your attention until the end. Actors are good, even I had some problems with J. Ormond's acting at some places. Alexei Petrenko and Oleg Menshikov are the best. As we see Oleg, we can believe him that he is really a man in his twenties(although we know he is not) and it's not because his make-up. The director of photography has done a good work too. I'd recommend this film to anyone, who likes movies with great pictures, cast, and who likes Nikita Mihalkov. You don't have to be a romantic type to like it.

I stumbled on this film one night on TV. I hadn't heard of it, but I got intrigued immediately. It was the long version, so it got quite late.

I didn't regret that one bit. It has a nice story thats seems to fit if you're willing to go along with it (one can always find a stick to beat the dog). It has witty, funny dialogs. Although it is a romantic story, it does not have the crappy all's well that ends well feel.

The 2 main characters are very well developed (in the version I saw), they are not clear cut, one dimensional. It is true that some other characters are bordering on the slapstick, but I feel this is not overdone. Somehow it balances really well.

Need I say more? Excellent entertainment (in my humble opinion).