ThiefHott Too much of everything

Raetsonwe Redundant and unnecessary.

MamaGravity good back-story, and good acting

Numerootno A story that's too fascinating to pass by...

keachs I looked up this little-known gem because the director Mikhail Kalatozov had also directed Letter Never Sent. Though the story is a bit hard to follow, since it is told as a recollection and an imaginary reunion of the principals involved. The cinematography is outstanding, capturing the desolateness and starkness of the arctic, along with a haunting soundtrack. The cast is very solid, the story - true life outweighs fiction. I have always found films dealing with survival in the elements to be fascinating. This film keep the viewer engrossed, without resorting to cheap dramatics, or sentimentality. Just solid filmmaking.

petra_ste The Red Tent gives a fictionalized account of the ordeal faced by the crew of airship Italia, which in 1928 crashed on the North Pole; among survivors are general Nobile (Peter Finch), second-in-command Zappi (Luigi Vannucchi), radio operator Biagi (Mario Adorf) and scientist Malmgren (Eduard Martsevich). Nobody knows their position and ice starts to break. Meanwhile, explorer Amundsen (Sean Connery), Nobile's friendly rival, and Malmgren's fiancée (Claudia Cardinale) react to the tragedy.Structure is unusual. The story is told in flashbacks as a conflicted Nobile confronts the ghosts of his past in a dreamlike trial. It's peculiar and a little kitsch but effective, culminating in a memorable moment where Nobile, pressed by Amundsen, recalls his main motivation behind a key choice.The most interesting characters are Nobile, portrayed by Finch as a man haunted by his decisions, and Connery's Amundsen, who has a relatively small but crucial role. Cinematography is solid; Morricone's haunting soundtrack - one his best works, and that's no small feat - conveys the epic, bittersweet mood of the movie.8/10

CelluloidDog This Italian-Russian endeavor is a lost treasure and one of the great historical dramas. The movie is really a dream of General Nobile, a survivor and commanding officer of the Italia, a dirigible that met with disaster in a grand Artic exploration during the Mussolini era. It is about the psychology of guilt, accountability, and leadership. Beyond the human psychological profile of the film, it captures the harsh, expansive grandeur of nature better than almost any movie I've seen. The cinematography of the Artic is unlikely to be ever met again with the computer-generated film of today. The Russian ice-breaker ship which rescues the Italian crew survivors requires no special effects and remains a challenge for today's movie producers to emulate. The iceberg film sequences were spectacular. Sean Connery, Claudia Cardinale, Peter Finch and the rest of the cast give very fine acting performances. Ennio Morricone composes one of his greatest scores. As great as a film composer he is, he still is not remembered for one of his most haunting compositions in this film. There is an equally beautiful soundtrack in the Russian version by composer Aleksandr Zatsepin. It is a shame this film was not recognized perhaps in part due to its Soviet influence in a Hollywood-dominated market. It is a bit rough around the edges (meaning editing and directing could be smoother) but in terms of great film-making, it rarely gets better. When you watch it a couple times, you begin to appreciate the raw beauty and human drama of this film.

963214 The Red Tent grows on you. The story line intrigues me so that I have watched the movie time after time. The footage is beautiful. My only complaint is that the movie is not available in DVD to watch in wide-screen.This is not a high action movie. Much line the explorers, the movie is a slow treck. You meet the characters and you learn how play into the story. Most importantly, you learn about the disaster and the quilt and shame associated with it by the ships captain. At the end, you feel resolution, but as he does.Worth watching. Certainly, not one of Sean Connery's most commanding roles.However, the "star" is the air-ship and the beautiful back-ground scenery.