The Captain's Daughter (1958)
A tale based on a classic novel by Alexander Pushkin.
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To me, this movie is perfection.
Highly Overrated But Still Good
While it doesn't offer any answers, it both thrills and makes you think.
All of these films share one commonality, that being a kind of emotional center that humanizes a cast of monsters.
There's so much in the Pushkin tale that doesn't make it into the movie, but what does get in is glorious. The young hero's soul is in his face, and the figure of Pugachev is magnificent. There are gaps in the storytelling, but the visual imagery flows through: the rebellion, when it comes, seems as natural as the unlocking of the seasons. And when the following winter ends in defeat, there's tragic weight to the breaking ice and the muddy roads. (A historical reflection: the film assiduously portrays the nobility and beauty in the different nationalities, all those who were to become members of "soviet republics".) For all the real heroism, there's a tinge of Shandy Hall about the army residence - Pushkin knew of Sterne's novel, though I've never heard that it was an influence; but the association is surprisingly apt for this adaptation.
I wish I could see a newer version of that adaptation. It must be really hard to the war-scenes of Pugachov riot in 1950s.Pushkin did a great job to reflect the inner-world of a riotous man in Tzar Russia but I couldn't see clearly the traces of inner-world analyses in the movie.The Captain's Daughter is not just as sympathetic as in the book.Let's say it is a very adaptation and we do not need to waste our time with an older version. A newer version will do.But this is Pushkin right so it is not easy to reflect his works in a cinematic fashion.If Hollywood believed it could be done and it could attract the adaptation lovers it would do it I guess.