Est - Ouest (1999)

Director:

Régis Wargnier

Writers:

Rustam Ibragimbekov (scenario and dialogue) and
Sergei Bodrov (scenario and dialogue) ...

Release Date:

1 September 1999 (France)

Genre:

Romance | Drama

Plot:

June 1946: Stalin invites Russian emigres to return to the motherland. It's a trap: when a ship-load from France arrives in Odessa...

Plot Keywords:

Passport | Sexual Promiscuity | Iron Curtain | Swimming | Josef Stalin

Awards:

Nominated for Oscar. Another 3 wins & 6 nominations

Cast

Oleg Menshikov	...	Aleksei Golovin (as Oleg Menchikov)
Sandrine Bonnaire	...	Marie, his wife
Catherine Deneuve	...	Gabrielle Develay
Sergei Bodrov Jr.	...	Sasha Vasilyev (as Sergueï Bodrov Jr)
Ruben Tapiero	...	Seryozha, age 7
Erwan Baynaud	...	Seryozha, age 14
Grigori Manukov	...	Pirogov (as Grigori Manoukov)
Tatyana Dogileva	...	Olga (as Tatiana Doguileva)
Bogdan Stupka	...	Colonel Boyko
Meglena Karalambova	...	Nina Fyodorovna
Atanass Atanassov	...	Viktor
Tania Massalitinova	...	Anastasia Aleksandrovna
Valentin Ganev	...	Volodya Petrov
Nikolai Binev	...	Sergei Kozlov (as Nikolaï Binev)
René Féret	...	Ambassadeur de France

Also Known As:

Восток-Запад (Russia)
Изток - Запад (Bulgaria: Bulgarian title)
East-West (Europe: English title)
La vida prometida (Spain)
[Est]Ouest (France) (poster title)

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for violence and brief sensuality.

Runtime:

121 min

Country:

Bulgaria | France | Russia | Spain | Ukraine

Language:

French | Russian

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital

Certification:

Malaysia:18PL | Argentina:13 | Chile:14 | France:U | Germany:12 (w) | New Zealand:M | Peru:14 | Switzerland:12 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:12 (canton of Vaud) | USA:PG-13 | Australia:M

Filming Locations:

Burgas, Bulgaria

Company:

UGC YM

Trivia:

The two main Russian actors (Oleg Menshikov and Sergei Bodrov Jr.) do not speak French. They memorized all the lines phonetically.

Goofs:

Errors in geography: When Marie goes to the KGB building in Kiev and Alexei finds her there, persuading her to leave, the viewer can read a sign on the building that says, in Cyrillic letters, "Ministerstvo na..." This is a Bulgarian genitive construction, meaning "The Ministry of..." The only Slavic languages that show the genitive case in this fashion are Bulgarian and Macedonian. The genitive case is marked differently in Russian and Ukrainian, which shows that the "KGB" building could not actually have been in Kiev. This makes sense because the film was partially shot in Bulgaria.

Movie Connections:

Featured in Femme Fatale (2002)

Cinematic Gesamtkunskwerk

The cathartic nature of this film was such that found myself unable even to cry until the credits began their long slow march across the screen, and even then getting up out of my seat was not an option. I don't think any other film has made such a profound and immediate impact on me.

Set in the years following Stalin's invitation to former expatriates to return to their native Russia –a call many answered, blissfully unaware of the dire consequences their decision would have- it is filled with the Russian spirit that sees people stubbornly persevering, and touched with the French one that not only looks for escape but insists upon it.

Some films would be rendered incomprehensible simply by the sheer amount of quiet action that here, thankfully, only adds to the audience's investment in the film, without losing focus. It was unquestionably the best film I have seen in recent memory. It is the closest I have ever felt to experiencing a Gesamtkunstwerk in a movie theatre.