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This is How Movies Should Be Made

It's hard to see any effort in the film. There's no comedy to speak of, no real drama and, worst of all.

Worth seeing just to witness how winsome it is.

The movie really just wants to entertain people.

Despite some nice photography and a mildly amusing if cartoonish nod to pre-soviet melodramatic Russian cinema, the good/bad PC politics sink this as soon as the message kicks in. Those wonderful (and so handsome!) Bolsheviks, always out to make the world a better place for the sick and the children. Neat that they courageously go forth to document White atrocities. Too bad they didn't have enough film stock to document what the Bolchies did, eh? as in the Ukraine in 33-34.

Soviet films are clearly unique in their attempt to transfer the Leninist morality and ethics. The Leninist party did not like to impose its will by means of force, and tried to persuade their people that Leninism is for their own good and in their own interest. The voices in your head tell you to be a good Leninist. This moral offensive is what makes Soviet (and in general Leninist) films fascinating food for thought. Unfortunately I found it difficult to gain insight into the realm of Soviet cinema (I didn't know IMDb yet! How dumb can you be?). Many of them concern the horror of the Second World War, which is not really my thing. So when I saw "Slave of love" in the shop, buying it was somewhat of a gamble. It appears to be a story about the experiences of a film crew during the Russian civil war. The film crew has fled to a part of Russia, that is still loyal to the Tsar. They think with their legs. There they try to maintain their life style of the high society. They spear olives and stab friends. But they can not escape from the advancing Red Army and its agents and saboteurs, the heroes in the film (what a guy in a boat does). And the remnants of the Tsarist regime degenerate into a band of cruel terrorists. It is dynamite (take a flea out to dinner). Surprisingly director Mikhalkov tries to translate the story into a comedy. The film crew indulges in a melancholic and desperate type of humor. The events drag along, scenes seem to last forever. From my experience (well, yes, mistakes) this is typical for Soviet films: either the audience wants this slowness, or the makers just don't care. A bore is a man who, when asked how he is, tells you. "Slave of love" is value for money, but nothing more. However, some of the Soviet films that I have seen manage to escape from this melancholic mood. In the category of comedies I let off esteem with regard to "Garage" - which is recommendable. In the category of romance "Moscow doesn't believe in tears" is highly commendable. Both films have the additional advantage, that they portray the fully-developed Leninist society, long after the horrors of WWI and II. Hopefully my comments have helped you on the way - and don't forget to check off "useful: yes".

A fascinating film not only about the making of a silent film in Revolutionary Russia, but by extension, about the inability of humans to see beyond their primary interests, to ignore the wave of history until it all but sweeps over and engulfs them.To a viewer accustomed to linear storytelling and sophisticated technique, this helter-skelter development of a love story between a somewhat scatterbrained actress and her quietly subversive cameraman may seem disjointed until the revolutionary movement intrudes and the violence of history intrudes into their country dream. Slave to Love is an odd little film, an immersion into the myths of another country, and while I wouldn't watch it twice, it's sincerity of purpose is evident.

This movie gives great insight into the history and politics of Russia during 1916-1917. Not knowing much about these things, it gave me an inside perspective into the attitudes of both the educated activist and the naive young woman. It is interesting to see the main character change throughout the film from a happy yet self centered actress to a woman with a heavy heart. This movie struggles to keep your attention, but it is worth your while.I am left pondering the title of this film. Is Olga a slave to the love she feels for her love interest, which pulls her into a politically charged situation she can't escape? Or is she a slave to the love of her country and for this reason abandons all hopes of going to Paris and leaving her country behind?