Boris Blank Movies

In this bizarre comic fantasy, Duke Osso (Rod Steiger) is the leader of a strange underground nation. Osso's spouse Hera (Malgorzata Potocka) has designs on usurping her husband's rule, and with the help of court jester Balthasar (Dieter Meier), she intends to seize power with the use of a magical crystal that can heal the sick and bring the dead back to life. But in order for the crystal to work, Hera and Balthasar need music, so they try to lure Rumo (Zbigniew Zamachowski), a poor fiddle player, into the underground world by using the affections of Mira (Cornelia Grolimund), Osso's beautiful daughter, as bait. Lightmaker was directed by Dieter Meier, who (in addition to playing Balthasar) is also the leader of the electronic dance/pop group Yello; Boris Blank, his creative partner in the band, composed the film's musical score. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

This Russian film is an updated version of Bertold Brecht's stage play. Brecht's plays always highlight the intersection between politics and life as it is lived, and his play, The Career of Arturo Ui is no exception. The story is about Arturo Ui (Aleksandr Filipenko) and his progress from being a penniless unknown to becoming someone with totalitarian power. The model for Arturo was originally Hitler, but in this film parallels are also drawn to the rise of Stalin, and to the new socialists seeking power in post-Soviet Russia. Slogans from Russian political campaigns are used for this purpose to chilling effect. Often, as in this play, Brecht collaborated with Kurt Weill to bring music to his stylized dramas, and as a result many of his plays occupy an ill-defined territory somewhere between classical Greek drama and the contemporary stage musical. Here, that music is supplemented by contemporary Russian folk music. The film retains many stage values; most actors appear in very stylized makeup, and the film's settings are very limited and contained. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide

Released at the height of his popularity on Family Ties and in the wake of Back to the Future and Teen Wolf, Michael J. Fox stars in this "country boy in the big city" comedy, directed by Herbert Ross. After making the move from Kansas to New York City, Brantley Foster (Fox) secures a job in the mailroom at his uncle's large corporation. Doffing any plans of working his way up the corporate ladder the old fashioned way, Brantley begins impersonating an executive to impress a high-ranking female co-worker, played by Helen Slater. Once his oversexed aunt enters the mix, Brantley finds himself juggling two identities, two jobs, and two women. ~ Matthew Tobey, All Movie Guide

This biographical film -- a bit long for most viewers, even in its cut version -- is made especially for ballet aficionados. Focusing on the short life of the remarkable Russian ballerina Anna Pavlova (1882?-1931), it features several dance sequences and provides a backdrop of the historical events in the Soviet Union and Europe during her life. Pavlova (Galina Belyayeva, better as a dancer than an actress) was born in Saint Petersburg and her interest in the ballet began early. As a little girl (Lina Boultakova), Pavlova would watch the ballet students in training, and she eventually entered the Imperial Ballet company, quickly rising to the position of prima ballerina. Before long, she perfected a style especially evident in her dancing of Giselle and Swan Lake. In her brief tenure at the Ballets Russes established in Paris in 1909 by the famed Russian expatriate impresario Sergei Diaghilev, Pavlova was inspired by dancers like Vaslav Nijinsky and obtained further training under a master, traveling extensively with the company. But the famous ballerina was not without personal problems, and at one point had to take a two-year advance on her salary in order to pay off her husband's debts so he would not go to jail. There are several intriguing aspects of this biography that would recommend it to general viewers: varied locations from Mexico to Cuba to Europe and the USA, good ballet performances, some noted bit players (Martin Scorcese as Gatti Cassaza) and a critically recognized Michael Powell, the director of Red Shoes in his last professional role, as an editor. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide

This propaganda feature chronicles the events which led Russian left-wing socialists to revolt and attempt to seize power from Lenin and the Bolsheviks. The defeat of the Left Socialists gave Lenin and his fledgling communist party a clearer road to power. The group killed the German ambassador in an attempt to draw Germany into a war with Russia. Lenin, of course, is painted in glowing light. Less than two weeks after the 6th of July, the deposed Czar Nicholas and his family were murdered by troops loyal to Lenin. ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide

The literal translation of this film's title is "Welcome, strangers are not admitted." It is a satirical comedy about the stupidity of the people in charge of children's education, and the film punctures the pretensions of Young Pioneer summer camps, specifically. The Young Pioneers was a huge organization to which all children were supposed to belong. It offered communist party indoctrination for children from ages nine to age 14, but also included some "Boy and Girl Scout"-like activities, especially at its summer camps. Some camps were quite prestigious, such as the one in this story.

The camp director, played with gusto by the distinguished actor Yevgeny Yevstigneyev, is eager to train children to obey rules. He places signs all over the camp indicating the specific rules and prohibitions which he wants obeyed. One particularly rebellious boy makes lots of trouble for the leaders of the camp, leaving his hiding place among the camp's "underground" every so often to play another prank. The leadership of the camp would very much like to find the boy and punish him and are frustrated by the silent, stoical refusal of the campers and some of the counselors to own up to his presence among them. This zany comedy was very popular in the former Soviet Union. The distinguished director of this film made many well-received films, among them being Come and See, which gave a harrowing view of World War II from the perspective of a young boy. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide