AniInterview Sorry, this movie sucks

NekoHomey Purely Joyful Movie!

FeistyUpper If you don't like this, we can't be friends.

Senteur As somebody who had not heard any of this before, it became a curious phenomenon to sit and watch a film and slowly have the realities begin to click into place.

elbabun The events are tragic for all - people in dire need of spiritual support and priests striving to serve, but under very difficult circumstances. It is the increasing resistance not only from population, but even Soviet solders tasked with rounding up supposed collaborators in cassocks, that forced Stalin to reverse early policies on religious intolerance. The story of the church on occupied territories was not taught neither in academia (even when majoring in history) nor seminaries until 1991. Materials were accessible only to those doing actual research on related topics under specially granted security clearances.

Tonino Watched this film on a Russian DVD, which had just been released. Frankly, it came as a huge disappointment. Every time the director wants to make a point he uses a cliché. Makovetsky as a priest is laughable, and the whole film resembles a kind of parody because of that. I bet the director didn't want that to happen! Usatova as the priest's wife is brilliant, as she almost always is, but she can't save the film which is nothing short of a piece of straightforward religious propaganda. Enough to say that the film was made by the Orthodox Church film company. By the way, the prototype of the priest (who bore the same surname) didn't stay put when the Russians came but fled with the retreating Nazi troops. So much for the truth of life... The only positive Jew in the film is the converted Jewish girl. Well, what can we expect of an adaptation of a novel by an ultra- nationalist Russian writer - and, generally, of a film made by a church film company? Gazprom that subsidized the making of the film could have found a much better way of investing their money.

titov "The Priest"/Поп joins several recent Russian entries (including "Punishment Batallion"/Штрафбат and two or three of the set-pieces within Sergei Mikhalkov's ponderous "Burnt by the Sun- 2"/ Утомленные солцем- 2) as part of a de facto common effort to rescue post-Soviet cinema from the stereotypes, fables and large-scale falsification that the Soviet movie industry was largely confined to for most of the period covering 1942-91-- and managed to pass along, if only as a mindset, to many in the succeeding Russian industry and general public after the Soviet Union finally went out of business (not a moment too soon).For every rare kernel of truth-- and there were indeed a few in "Ballada of a Soldier"/ Баллада о солдате and "Come and See"/ Иди и смотри, for example-- there were 20 (or 200 or 2000) Big Lie whoppers planted within the waves of propaganda films masquerading as cinema (and not very well) that Soviet audiences were subjected to for half a century. Setting all this aside has not, of course, been easy-- particularly when you have figures like the mayor of Moscow adamantly insisting that Stalin should be honored as part of the nation's celebration of the 65th anniversary of victory in the war. Yikes."The Priest" profits enormously from Sergei Makovetsky in the lead, an actor whose range is among the broadest in the profession (Evgenii Mironov is his principal competition). The film is less plot-driven than episodic-- which is as it should be, since its premise is a plot unto itself: a Russian Orthodox priest functions under German occupation on territory that has changed hands multiple times over a single generation. Whom to serve and how are all the "plot" necessary; and the answers on offer are not pat.Russian viewers have taken home much that is new to them from this film, and non-Russian audiences, even those unfamiliar with the contested history of the region, will likewise find considerable food for thought here. Briefly put, "The Priest" will reward different audiences on many levels, and deserves wide distribution outside (current) Russian borders. Highly recommended.

Dmitriy Zheleznyak Its a real creation of Art! Film impressed me a lot. I'm an actor and in 90% of films I see how good or bad was made editors work, I think about how bad or good was play of actors etc... When I watched this film I forget that picture on a screen is "just a play" - everything was More Real than ANY 3-d or "23-d"... In some moments I cry... I don't remember when I cry because of film... "Pop" is the one of the greatest films I ever seen...I can't believe that I communicated with the person which played Father Alexander... It's some magic when some (even a little bit, but familiar) person turns Role into Real Person! I know that Makovetsky is an actor but at this film he is more Real Priest than some Priests in Churches... Makovetsky is one of the Greatest actors today and may be here is the best his role... Soon I will watch this film again because it touches my heart...