The Guard (1990)

This docudrama of harsh conditions in the Soviet army focuses on a military man, angered by the corruption of the system, who shoots six of his fellow soldiers.

Director:

Aleksandr Rogozhkin

Writer:

Ivan Loshchilin

Stars:

Aleksey Buldakov, Sergei Kupriianov, Aleksey Poluyan

2 wins & 1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview:
Aleksey Buldakov	...	Paromov
Sergei Kupriianov	...	Andrej Iveren (as Sergey Kupriyanov)
Aleksey Poluyan	...	Nikolai Mazur (as Aleksey V. Mozrun)
Aleksandr Smirnov	...	Private Khaustov
Taras Denisenko	...	Boris Korchenuk
Vasiliy Domrachyov	...	Private Nishchenkin
Andrei Zertsalov	...	Railway guard (as A. Zertsalov)
Rinat Ibragimov	...	Ibragimov
Dmitriy Iosifov	...	Alexey Zhokhin
Valery Kravchenko
Aleksey Zaytsev
Mikhail Kirilyuk	...	Railway guard

Storyline

This docudrama of harsh conditions in the Soviet army focuses on a military man, angered by the corruption of the system, who shoots six of his fellow soldiers.

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Plot Keywords:

internal troops | train ride | prisoner transport | crack up | soviet military | 

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Genres:

Drama

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User Reviews

Very cinematic Russian tale of alienation and lost identity

I saw this film on a local government television station in Australia called SBS which played it at midnight. There's something very beautiful about this film which despite being set amidst the cold, harsh landscape of a desolate Russian territory it features the vitally honest, wan, lost eyes of the lead actor (whose name I can't recall regrettably) whose vivid sense of alienation was extremely memorable. Its a B&W film about a military guard who finds himself lost amidst his fellow guards' corruption and his own painful sense of duty versus his sense of goodness. Its a classic, familiar storyline but the use of black and white film is extremely powerful. It also contains a homo-erotic theme - obvious in parts like the shower-room scene in which the lead characters nakedness offers both symbolic proof of his feeling of emptiness but also the sad truth that even reduced to nakedness his alienation from fellow guards is unbreakable. Throughout this film the sad beauty is haunting but there are some strong moments of violence. This is a film filled with silences in which the eyes are very much windows to the soul. I found myself quietly reflective after viewing this film.

Details

Country:

Soviet Union

Language:

Russian English

Release Date:

July 1990 (Soviet Union)

Also Known As:

The Guard

Filming Locations:

Lenfilm Studios, Kamennoostrovsky Prospekt, Petrogradsky District, St. Petersburg, Russia

Company Credits

Production Co:

Lenfilm Studio

Technical Specs

Runtime:

96 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1