The film "Paradise", reviews of which are given in this article, was released in the domestic rental in early 2017. This is a drama by Andrei Konchalovsky. The picture has already been shown in the main program of the Venice Film Festival. Konchalovsky received from the jury of "Silver Lion" for the best directorial work. The picture could participate in several other famous film festivals. In particular, she entered the long list of Golden Globe and Oscar awards in the nomination "Best Foreign Language Film". But in the end, she was not nominated for any of these festivals.
The film "Paradise"
The film "Paradise", reviews of which are mostly positive, talks about the fate of the three main characters in the dashing years of World War II. This is a Russian aristocrat who left for emigration during the Civil War, named Olga. During the war, she became an active participant in the French Resistance, fought against the Nazis. The second is Jules, a French collaborator, and the third is a senior SS officer named Helmut.
According to the plot of the film "Paradise" Olga is arrested. She is accused of hiding Jewish children from Nazi raids, trying to save their lives. Her case is led by Jules, who during the process is seriously interested in a woman. In exchange for sex, he is ready to soften the conditions of her detention, as well as assist in her future fate.
Olga gets to the camp
But this is not destined to happen. In the film "Paradise" (2016), on the eve of their decisive meeting, Jules is eliminated by fighters of the French Resistance. For Olga, this is sad news. Her hope for freedom is finally dying. Instead, she goes to a German concentration camp.
In the camp she meets Helmut. He is her old acquaintance, who many years ago was in love with her. In the camp, strange and confusing relationships arise between them. Over time, they become painful for both.
The characters of Andrei Konchalovsky’s film "Paradise" realize that the defeat of Germany is already close. Many concentration camp prisoners can be dealt with without waiting for the arrival of their liberators. Then Helmut decides to try to save Olga by running with her to South America. A woman who is almost desperate to save herself agrees, clutching at the last straw. True, at the very last moment, she realizes that her idea of ​​paradise has changed dramatically.
Julia Vysotskaya
The main female role in the film by Andrei Konchalovsky "Paradise" goes to Julia Vysotskaya. She plays the Russian woman Olga, who lives in exile, saves the Jews, fights in the Resistance for a foreign country for herself. You can not say about some of the French who have become collaborators.
Julia Vysotskaya is a famous Russian actress. She played a lot in the theater - the National Academic Theater of Yanka Kupala (while she still lived in Belarus), the Mossovet Theater and the Drama Theater on Malaya Bronnaya when she moved to Moscow.
In the movie, Julia Vysotskaya made her debut in 1992 in the little-known film "Go and not return." Her first notable work was the role of Zhenya in the comedy of Mikhail Ptashuk "The Game of the Imagination" in 1995. Then she still starred in "Belarusfilm".
Then in her cinematic career there was a long break. The next time she appeared on the big screen in 2002 in the drama by Andrei Konchalovsky "House of Fools". For this work, Vysotskaya was awarded the Golden Eagle film prize for her best actress.
Also, viewers can remember her from the Anglo-Hungarian drama Menno Meyes "Max", the historical drama by Andrei Konchalovsky "The Lion in Winter", and the comedy drama by Andrei Proshkin "The Soldier's Decameron".
In the film "Paradise" Julia Vysotskaya played a complex dramatic role, which many film critics appreciated.
Christian Clauss
In order to make the film "Paradise" (2016) as realistic as possible, the actors of Konchalovsky’s nationality correspond to the nationalities of their characters. At least those who play the main roles.
So, German Christian Klauss plays the inspector of concentration camps, Standartenfuhrer Helmut.
Klauss is not only not known to the Russian audience, but also not popular in his homeland in Germany. Before he played with Konchalovsky, he could only be seen in the detective series Leipzig and Emergency Call Port.
In the film "Paradise," Christian Klauss proved himself to be a serious dramatic actor, whom the directors and producers in his homeland hadn’t noticed for a long time.
Philip Duchenne
In the film Paradise, actor Philippe Duchenne plays the French collaborator Jules. His character went to serve in the Gestapo when the Germans occupied France. The new authorities made him a gendarme.
It is interesting that Duchenne was also practically unknown to the Russian audience before, however, he has much more film works than Klauss. In the movie, he made his debut in the series "Megre" in the early 90's. He played in the dramatic comedy of Philippe Lyore “Fallen from the Sky,” the biographical drama of Benoit Jacquot, “Marquis de Sade,” the melodrama of Jean-Pierre Genet, “The Long Engagement,” and the comedy Dani Boone, “Bobro to Merry.”
Viktor Sukhorukov
The famous Russian actor Viktor Sukhorukov played with Konchalovsky Reichsfuhrer SS Heinrich Himmler. During the Second World War, he was one of the most active and influential figures of the Third Reich and the Nazi Party. He led the main department of imperial security.
It is believed that it was Himmler who became one of the main organizers of the Holocaust. Therefore, for Olga, who was trying to save Jewish children from Nazi concentration camps, he was one of the main villains.
Sukhorukov is a national artist of Russia, an extremely popular actor in our country. On his account dozens of roles in theater and cinema. On the big screen, he made his debut back in 1973 in the melodrama of Rodion Nakhapetov "With and without you." He played a member of the Komsomol, however, the scenes with his participation were removed from the final version of the montage.
His most notable works are roles in the comedy of Yuri Mamin's “Whiskers,” the comedies of Vladimir Studennikov and Mikhail Grigoriev, “The High Security Comedy,” the crime drama Alexei Balabanov's “Brother” and “Brother-2,” and the drama Alexey Balabanov's “About Freaks and People.”
Vera Voronkova
Another prominent role in this picture was played by the domestic actress Vera Voronkova. She played a prisoner named Rosa, who, together with Olga, was sitting in a concentration camp.
Vera Voronkova announced herself back in 1997, when she received a prize for a promising female debut at the Baltic Pearl international film festival for her role in Vadim Abdrashitov’s drama Time of the Dancer.
She also played in the film adaptation of the works of the Russian writer Anton Chekhov, staged by Zinovy ​​Roizman, Dmitry Brusnikin and Alexander Feklistov under the title "Chekhov and Co", the biographical drama Alexei Uchitel "Diary of his wife", the military drama Nikita Mikhalkov "Burnt by the Sun-2: Citadel" .
Reviews for the movie "Paradise"
The reviews of film critics and audience reviews indicate that this movie can be confidently called a picture dedicated to the Russian soul. Moreover, the director talks about this on a minor note.
This is a beautiful, but infinitely sad black and white film, which was shot in an unusual manner for Konchalovsky. In the reviews of the film "Paradise" it is noted that almost half of the entire video material is close-ups of the three main characters, the dynamics is minimized. The main thing is dialogue, personal experiences of characters.
The film is very multi-layered, albeit chamber. Some critics made an interesting observation - all the characters in the tape are traitors. Frenchman Jules betrayed his country, starting to cooperate with the Nazis. The main character Olga, who left Russia after the October Revolution, is certainly considered a traitor in her homeland. At least in the most primitive sense. Well, the German SS officer Helmut is also a traitor. After all, because of love, he is ready to give up his officer rank, career and oath, and to flee with his beloved to the other end of the world.
In addition, each of them has its own paradise. This concept, made in the title, is very important for the director. Jules seeks exclusively family happiness, Olga tries to create a paradise for Jewish children, and Europe itself at this time is almost corroded by the idea of ​​a Nazi paradise from within. Helmut dreams of him, at least until he meets Olga again.