I have only seen Come and See and i think it is one of the best films of the 80s
Come and See is phenomenal, and probably one of the most visceral film watching experiences I’ve ever had. I think I was shaking a bit after I saw that one. (When I saw Children of Men, the little first-person touches in that movie—like the ringing-in-the-ears noise on the soundtrack after the explosion—really reminded me of Come and See. Makes me wonder if Cuaron was maybe inspired by Klimov just a little.)
I’ve also seen Klimov’s Adventures of a Dentist, which is radically different from Come and See. It’s been a few years, but as I recall, the film is about a dentist who has the ability to remove teeth without pain and how his exceptional abilities only bring him trouble from the authorities. Basically a satire about how the Soviet system breeds mediocrity and discourages talent. There’s some physical humour (a bit like Tati in parts), and some really beautiful sequences. It’s not quite as, um, weighty as Come and See, but it’s very likable and masterfully done, as I recall.
I was a bit disappointed by Come and See. I thought it sort of came down to one idea, one set piece — the burning alive of the villagers in the barn. In this sense, I think it made the same mistake as Full Metal Jacket, which is to reduce the horrors of war to only a single extended incident. A horrible incident, yes, but the thing about war is that such things occur every day, more than once in a day. Both films run the risk of a certain glibness, in my opinion. Plus, apart from a few close-ups that mingled ecstasy, horror, and wonder in a simultaneous shiver, I didn’t think Klimov showed much flair as a visual stylist or complex observer of humanity.
RASPUTIN is another masterpiece. The lead actor is phenomenal at making you think you are actually seeing Rasputin as you’ve always imagined.
Christy Brinkley
I adore “Come And See” and wondered if anybody else has seen any of his other films? I have not been able to find them. Is he always so amazing?