East-West is the English title of a historical drama, which premiered in 1999.
The story begins in 1946 when Russian-born émigré Alexei returns to his motherland – now the Soviet Union – with his French wife and their son.
This historical drama is produced by companies in France, Ukraine, Russia, Spain, and Bulgaria.
Here is some basic information about it:
** French title: Est-Ouest
** Produced by Yves Marmion and Alexander Rodnyansky
** Directed by Regis Wargnier
** Written by Rustam Ibragimbekov, Sergei Bodrov, Louis Gardel, and Regis Wargnier
** Musical score composed by Patrick Doyle
** Released on DVD in 2000
** Languages: French and Russian
** Subtitles: English
** Run time: 125 minutes
The cast includes the following:
The first group
** Oleg Menshikov as Alexei Golovin
** Sandrine Bonnaire as his wife Marie
** Ruben Tapiero as their son Seryosha – age 7-9
** Erwan Baynaud as their son Seryosha – age 14-16
The second group
** Sergei Bodrov, Jr. as Sasha Vassiliev – a young Russian man
** Catherine Deneuve as Gabrielle Develey – a famous left-wing actress from France
** Tatiana Dogileva as Olga – a Russian woman
The third group
** Meglena Karalambova as Nina – a Russian woman
** Rene Feret as the French Ambassador
Sergei Bodrov was born in 1948. He is the father of Sergei Bodrov, Jr., who was born in 1971. Sadly, the son died in 2002. He was killed in a disaster that happened while he was working on another movie.
The Russian actor Oleg Menshikov plays the famous detective Erast Petrovich Fandorin in the Russian movie The State Counsellor which premiered in 2005.
Rene Feret (1945-2015), who has a minor role in this drama, was also a director.
He directed the French historical drama Nannerl about Mozart’s sister (2010).
I do not wish to spoil the viewing for anyone. I am not going to say much about what happens in this movie, but I have to mention a few facts in order to explain and justify my rating. Otherwise, I will only tell you how the story begins.
East-West is a historical drama, a fictional story placed in a historical context. In this case, the historical context is the Soviet Union shortly after the end of World War II.
In 1946, the Soviet government invited Russian-born émigrés to return to their motherland and help to rebuild it after the destruction caused by the war.
They would all be welcome. The government would help them start a new life in their old country.
When the story begins, we are on a cruise ship that is crossing the Black Sea heading for Odessa. The passengers are Russian émigrés who are excited to begin a new life in the USSR.
But as soon as the ship arrives in Odessa, it is clear that something is seriously wrong here. Armed soldiers are lined up on the quay. What kind of welcome is this?
When the passengers come ashore, they are brutally divided into two categories: one for those who are old and useless and another one for the young ones.
Later, we learn that the old ones were executed, while the young ones were sent to labour camps. Stalin’s generous invitation was nothing but a trap.
The drama focuses on three passengers who are the exception from the general rule:
** Alexei
** His wife Marie
** Their son Seryosha
Marie is accused of being a French spy, because she is from France, and her French passport is destroyed. Now she has no identity. The officer who interrogates her also beats her up, telling her to confess.
Alexei is not beaten. They want him, they need him, because he is a doctor. They tell him to forget his wife – she is just a foreign spy – they will find a new wife for him, but he refuses to accept this offer.
Does he really want his wife? OK, he can have her. They let her go, and the family is taken to live in a house in Kiev.
Living conditions are not ideal. The family of three gets one room. They must share the bathroom with several other people in the same building.
The general reception is highly unfriendly. Marie is devastated.
She says:
“Let us give back the room and go home.”
She does not understand that this is not possible. They are prisoners in the USSR. They cannot go anywhere. They cannot contact family or friends in France.
Alexei speaks Russian as well as French. But Marie and the son do not speak any Russian. At least not at first. They are isolated, because they do not understand what other people are saying.
Marie desperately wants to go back to France.
She says:
“They have to let us go!”
Alexei tells her it is impossible, but she cannot accept that.
Will Marie ever get back to France? What about her son? And what about Alexei who is Russian-born? Will he choose to stay where he is now or will he return to the west if gets the chance?
What about the other characters on the list: Sasha, Olga, Nina, and Gabrielle? What roles do they play in the drama? I will not tell you. To find the answer to these questions, you will have to watch the drama all the way to the end..
As you can see, the son Seryosha is played by two actors, one who covers age 7-9 and another one who covers age 14-16. Armed with this information, you can figure out that the drama is divided into two parts:
** Part one covers the years 1946-1948
** Part two covers the years 1954-1956
I am not going to tell you what happens to the characters in this drama during those years.
East-West is a grand project whose cast includes several famous actors. It is an international co-production between companies in five countries.
What do reviewers say about it?
Here are some results:
61 percent = Meta
74 percent = IMDb
65 percent = Rotten Tomatoes (the audience)
88 percent = Rotten Tomatoes (the critics)
The famous movie critic Roger Ebert (1942-2013) offers 2.5 of 4 stars, which corresponds to a rating of 62 per cent.
East-West was nominated for an Oscar in the category Best Foreign Language Film, but it did not win. When we look at the ratings, this is hardly surprising.
Roger Ebert says he likes this movie, but he feels the characters are not quite convincing. He says the movie is trying to be bigger than it really is. He says this ambition is evident if you pay attention to the musical score which is composed by Patrick Doyle.
I agree with Roger.
I think he makes some valid points here.
I have to mention two other things which bother me:
# 1. The main theme of the movie – the struggle for freedom – is sidetracked by two love stories which are not really relevant.
The first one is between Alexei and Olga, a woman who lives in the room across the hall.
The second one is between Marie and Sasha, a young man, whose grandmother was denounced and arrested for speaking French with Marie.
We understand that life in the USSR puts a lot of pressure on them. Marie feels Alexei has betrayed her. Alexei feels Marie is too impatient.
They are drifting apart. But why do they both have to find a new lover? And why do they have to find their lover in the very same building?
# 2. In 1948, when Sasha manages to escape to the west, the KGB claims Marie helped him escape, which is true, and this is why she is sent to a labour camp for several years.
What happens to her during her time in the camp? We do not know. There is not a single scene which shows her in the camp.
The story suddenly jumps six years forward.
An on-screen message says “Six years later.”
We are now in 1954 and Marie is released. Her husband and her son are waiting for her. When we see her now, she looks exactly like she did before she was arrested!
Six years in a Stalinist labour camp did not leave a single mark on her. I would expect her to look emaciated. But this is not the case. She does not even look older than before. This is hardly realistic.
This historical drama is neither great nor good. It is average. While the story is captivating, dramatic, and often emotional, it has some flaws which cannot be ignored.
I have to remove two stars because of these flaws. This product deserves a rating of three stars (60 percent).
PS. The following items are available online:
A. O. Scott,
“Welcome Home, Imperialist Dogs,”
New York Times,
7 April 2000
John Hertl,
"True tales inspired Oscar-nominated East-West,"
The Seattle Times,
9 April 2000
*****
East-West
A historical drama
which premiered in 1999
*****
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