Watch Window to Paris For Free

It's no definitive masterpiece but it's damn close.

good back-story, and good acting

Fresh and Exciting

It's the kind of movie you'll want to see a second time with someone who hasn't seen it yet, to remember what it was like to watch it for the first time.

I saw this film when it first came out – in a theatre no less! – and it is still one of my favorites; it is such a sweet, little film. I rate it right up there with Cousin Cousine, A Brief Vacation (Una Breve Vacanza,) and My Friend Henry (Ystäväni Henry) as must see foreign films. It seems kind of silly to have to provide 10 lines of review when a brief statement says all I have to say. There are, of course many excellent foreign films, and yet every time Hollywood tries to copy them they are rarely able to capture the true essence of what made the original great. The Man With One Red Shoe, and Cousins are two such hopeless disasters that come to mind.

This is one peace of art! If you like comedy you should watch this! Here comes a funny moment from the movie: "spoiler"Nikolai and Goroshkov are walking together in Paris for the first time. They are visiting the local market. And Goroshkov goes: -"Look Nikolai, how much food they have! Look! One-two-three-ten-thirty-fifty-hundred kinds of meat! But if ask for a tiny-tiny peace, just for the taste, they won't give you. French are very greedy!" Then Goroshkov takes Nikolai to a TV-shop...Goroshkov: "Tell me, who needs all these televisions? Look at this monster here, for example!" Goroshkov points a finger at the "monster"-TV and goes: "And this motherfu*ker...he is supposed to be digging a ditch, but no, he's on TV...wait a minute... that's ME! hahah!"Wanna laugh? Watch the movie, you won't regret!

This was a wonderful little film that truly was creative and fun--something you see all too seldom in movies. The film begins in Russia just after the fall of the Communist government. As a result, society seems to be in chaos and life has yet to improve now that the old regime is gone. Dirty cities, crime and lack of housing still plague the poor residents of St. Petersburg.Into this scene of bleakness and uncertainty comes an idealistic music teacher. He is among those without a home and he FINALLY gets a letter from the government that tells him he has a tiny room in a nearby flat. When he arrives, the place is a mess but the people seem friendly enough so they all have a lovely party. In the middle of the night, they are awakened by an old lady walking out of the giant wardrobe in the room (I was half expecting Lucy and the other kids from THE LION, THE WITCH AND THE WARDROBE to come out, but they didn't). They are too shocked to do anything at first but decide soon to investigate. Instead of just being a clothes closet, the wardrobe opens into Paris! How the residents of the flat respond to this magical gateway is really intriguing. Some, like the music teacher, are thrilled and in awe. Most of the others are more pragmatic and are mostly concerned with looting everything from Paris before the gateway closes once and for all! These Russian thieves are awful people--greedy, coarse and crude but down deep---VERY DEEP--are hearts of gold. I like how this is a metaphor for the nation now on the brink of Capitalism. At first, they run amok grabbing everything they can and only later do they reveal some depth--but mostly they act much like guests on THE JERRY SPRINGER SHOW! The film has many twists and turns and is both funny and mesmerizing. About the only negative is that due to some harsh language and a nude scene (albeit, a very funny one), this is not a film for kids. This is a real shame, as with some very minor editing, this could have been a great family film.

Warning: perhaps a spoiler here.I have to agree that Okno v Parizh is an unexpectedly delightful comedy, though the premise of the film might at first glance seem a bit ridiculous... a magic window that takes a group of Russians directly to Paris? Yes, exactly, that sounds a bit ridiculous, but it's a load of fun, too. And this group of inter-window travellers soon embarks on an adventure where they must (for a moment) brave (or happily succumb to) the delicious terrors of the temptations of capitalism... Okno v Parizh is hysterical but also makes some serious points if you look below the surface. In fact, it is amazing how well the film manages to keep a light-hearted tone throughout, despite the obvious dangers the film portrays within St. Petersburg, where the group of Russians must return and where an unsuspecting French woman is transported through the magic window... Overall, I give this funny film high marks: 8/10.