most disturbing scene
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oneloveall — 17 years ago(November 18, 2008 01:30 AM)
lionbarcrunch got it right as to why the body-pile reveal was the most (initially) disturbing sequencethe driving away perspective he uses coupled with the fast element of shock.
Another scene no one specifically mentioned, although certainly not most disturbing in the traditional sense the way the director, male and female lead did that minute-plus swamp survival tracking shot was one of the more agonizing, hopelessly conveyed depictions fighting against the current of death I have viewed.
Of course though, when taken as a single scene, the entire mass-burning-and-surrounding-directed-mayhem eclipses everything else with its long-form brain-searing effects.Somewhere in the middle of this sequence it becomes utterly frightening and believable despite any flaws; the crushing tyranny of hedonistic chaos all around the stench of unjust death in its lowest form is articulated to a point that supersedes rage and gives you the cinematic equivalency of loosing everything you thought decent in humanity, and then loosing your soul itself..What a fearless dedication to.fear that shoot in particular must have been, surely a landmark achievement of War film production that comes as close as possible to fictionalizing the blackest of mankind's facts.
I could only wish a fraction of directors today have a fraction of Klimov's dedication at making anti-ignorant art. -
commonwealth1996 — 16 years ago(July 25, 2009 10:37 AM)
Another scene no one specifically mentioned, although certainly not most disturbing in the traditional sense the way the director, male and female lead did that minute-plus swamp survival tracking shot was one of the more agonizing, hopelessly conveyed depictions fighting against the current of death I have viewed.
I agree. That one, especially with the music in the background, was one of the, if not the most disturbing parts, especially after all we'd just seen. -
Niffiwan — 17 years ago(August 01, 2008 07:41 PM)
After burning the village, some laughing German soldiers carry out a bed with a very old grandma lying on it and tell her "you'll create many children for us yet, granny!". Then as they're leaving, the camera shows that she's looking after them and smiling in gratitude.
My blog about Russian animation:
http://niffiwan.livejournal.com/ -
Nova_UB313 — 17 years ago(December 12, 2008 04:03 PM)
The barn scene is disturbing of course. But also disturbing was the high Nazi official with the little furry creature, and the woman eating the shellfish so casually as if nothing was happening. I mean, how does one stay so calm in the midst of all that terror, the screams and the scent of burning flesh?
I was also quite disturbed by the scene of Florya bringing Glasha to his village, only to realize it had become a ghost town. But the real horror was when they were running away, and Glasha turned back to see what had become of the village residents.
The cow scene was quite memorable as well.
In addition, I found the early scene with Florya and Glasha frolicking in the forest quite touching. It was almost like a fairytale as these two children were making the best of what was left of their world, only to have their moment crushed by the hum of the plane above, then the artillery fire.
More science, less fiction. -
gatemouthrb — 17 years ago(December 22, 2008 03:03 PM)
Wow - all these scenes everybody is listing are really "up there".
There's one scene I remember vividly. While not the "most disturbing" of the whole film, it's the long-take scene of Flor in the old farmer's house, being introduced by the nice farmer to his entire family huddled in the house in that shaky voice of pending uncertainty.
Then the expectant way the Nazi officer saunters into their home, sits at the table to be served a meal by a quietly father declaring him "our guest". Clearly seeing the writing on the wall.
But something about it really SHOOK ME UP when, a moment later, the way the soldier passing the home from outside simply breaks their windows with a smile so that he can be served up a cup of coffee. At that point, we all know that everything in the general vicinity will be raised/burned in a matter of moments. Nothing in eyesight matters. And yet the father flows hot coffee into the soldier's cup.
Still, the following barn scene is #1 in the list for me, IMHO. -
Bluehawk2008 — 17 years ago(January 10, 2009 09:03 PM)
For me, what really gets me during the barn scene is the yodeling on the soundtrack. It's just such a distinctly German mode of singing and it sounds incredibly ludicrous. It creates the perfect character for the "German madness" if you will that is engulfing the village. It's upbeat vocals also contrast greatly with the violence.
Another disturbing scene is when they're first deafened by bombs and all we can hear is the kind of skull vibrations of his breathing the way he actually would hear himself when his ears gave out. We feel just as dislocated and vulnerable as he does and when the bullets start flying you can hear them but so faintly one could only imagine the horror of being so robbed of senses while fending for one's life.
The entire crossing the swamp scene where they're up to their necks in mud is harrowing to the point where I feel physically uncomfortable watching it lol. Normally my empathy for film characters is wanting at best, but there's something about this film's I guess, "applied surrealism" that offers a palpability that oddly enough makes it feel more real. -
johne23-1 — 17 years ago(February 25, 2009 04:11 AM)
No-one has mentioned THE most disturbing scene, when Glasha realises the soup they're eating was made from the body parts of the little girls and possibly deliberately left for any people coming back to find
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combatreview — 17 years ago(February 25, 2009 07:34 AM)
Well, I don't think it's the only explanation by any means - nor the one I'd go to first. But, horror stories of that kind do exist. The authoress Slavenka Drakulic refers to a story from her grandparents about a baby being left to cook in an oven by the perpetrators of similar carnage during the second world war. So I find your idea rings a horrible bell even though I wouldn't like to defend it in a court of opinion.
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johne23-1 — 17 years ago(February 25, 2009 09:25 AM)
Thanks for the thoughts, I realise we're in a touchy area here, but if I missed something, what else could have happened?
Can anybody the think of a reason why, after killing all the villagers, they stopped to make some nice soup,
and then they didn't eat it?
Or why Glasha, who must have been a bit peckish, spat it out?
Or why there is a close-up of the dismembered dolls just before she does?
It is a disturbing film, and without an answer to those three questions I'll stick with my interpretation (while still feeling queasy even having seen the film over six months ago) -
Bluehawk2008 — 17 years ago(February 25, 2009 07:39 PM)
I always assumed the mother had made the soup and was keeping it warm, then the SS came and tore all the villagers from their happenings right on the spot (hence the dolls and such), shot them all in loads and then piled them like cords by the house and left. Proshchay, Russkies, mission accomplished.
Then the kids come, eat the soup etc. etc. and only see the bodies as they're leaving. A total "just missed you" situation of the grimmest sort. -
combatreview — 17 years ago(February 26, 2009 12:50 AM)
My original interpretation of the scene is that both characters are aware, in different ways, of something deeply and horribly wrong - Florya seems oblivious to it, to an extent that makes him look like he's in deep shock. Glasha seems much more aware of what's obviously happened, and is obviously disturbed about the whole thing in a way to which Florya seems similarly obvlivious.
When she spits the soup out I pretty much put that down to her feeling queasy - like I say earlier, there's a huge heap of dead bodies outside the house, enough for the flies to be starting to swarm. Even if Glasha and Florya don't know about this yet it's possible they may be unconsciously picking up on it even through the faint smell of it. Either way it's obvious that the atmosphere in the village is one of something being deeply, deeply wrong, and unsettling.
I would think if Glasha realised that human body parts were in the soup she would have reacted a bit more violently than spitting it out. The close up of the dolls, as I saw it, was simply to emphasize that Glasha is increasingly aware of how terribly wrong things are - the dolls abandoned on the floor is an ominous indication of how suddenly the children were interrupted. That's how I take it, anyway. There is a very interesting suggestion made elsewhere that the dolls are in fact the bodies of Florya's family, but Florya is shocked and unable or unwilling to process the reality and sees them as the dolls instead.
Anyway, like I say, although I don't think your idea can be effectively supported by the content of the film, I think it definitely FEELS right and I find it very persuasive on those terms. I shall watch the scene again with your interpretation in mind, as it seems to add a pinnacle to the horror which is entirely in keeping with the build up in that sequence.