Gulag (1985)

To all those who have watched it: I hope you enjoyed it as much as I do.

Fanciful, disturbing, and wildly original, it announces the arrival of a fresh, bold voice in American cinema.

It's an amazing and heartbreaking story.

Not sure how, but this is easily one of the best movies all summer. Multiple levels of funny, never takes itself seriously, super colorful, and creative.

Enjoyable made-for-TV-movie, loosely based on Alexander Dolgun's autobiography "Dolgun", in which he describes how he ended up in Soviet Gulag, and how he survived. Once you have read this book, the movie makes sense. Of course, the movie makes several detractments from the book, but it's not a movie that cites that it is based on that book, but it is a looses rendition of the story in the book, to an extent.As a Norwegian living in Oslo, it's great fun to see the settings for the various "Moscow" scenes: About 10' out in the movie, they're walking thru the Vigeland Sculpture park in Oslo. Next they're walking down Karl Johan Street, the National Theatre visible in the background. A visit to Oslo's City Hall is also part of the "Moscow" scenes, the "russian" guide pointing out the murals by Henrik Sørensen (from 1950). Later, the main character is walking thru the Botanical Gardens, only to be captured just outside in an everyday Oslo street (two schools visible in the background, Vahl & Hersleb). He is then taken to Lubjanka Prisonm to be interrogated. In this case, the old Main Post Office in Oslo. A tram, dirtied down & with Cyrillic characters on it's destination blind, passes by. A famous (in Norway) Norwegian actor, Bjørn Sundquist, has a small role as one of the Russian captors. At about 28 minutes out, he is taken to the train to transport him to the prison camp. The station is the old Oslo Østbane station (Still standing, but converted to shopping mall). The train is composed of typical Norwegian railway cars of the era (early 80's/late 70's.), but the car they're in is converted to a Stolypin car (of sorts). The train is pulled by a class Di.3 diesel engine. At about 0.32 the train arrives in Trondheim.Not a very high budget movie, but fun in in its own dated way, and with Malcolm Mc Dowell as The Englishman being, well, English. Worth watching, add some beers and some popcorn.

Those who say that this film is a cliche are not facing reality. I remember when some people were calling terrorists a silly cliche until 2 flew into the trade towers. Tyrants do and have always existed which may be a bit much for some sheltered mall crazy Americans to accept.In fact there has been much about Soviet activities that has remained not really revealed and most films about it have vanished. Even Second World War involvement by the Soviets both positive and negative is rarely mentioned. This film shows an interesting view of the rarely mentioned soviet system of prisons called Gulags in which millions had vanished with almost no photos or films of.

Honestly, do Americans know how much we rubbish their blind devotion to the Good Ol' U. S. of A.? Highly strung anti-Soviet drama with Malcolm McDowell once again showing us how nasty the Brits can be. The scrumptious David Keith is starry-eyed but tasty as ever...he's the only reason I watched it anyway!

This film includes a star runner who goes to Russia and is soon captured and held against his will. He's eventually sent out to the historical Gulag camp where he convinces two other inmates to attempt an escape. One of the guys ends up becomming a 'sandwich', that is, food for the other two during the cross country escape. There's a steamy shower scene about half way through the film where Nance Paul bares all.