Family Gulag Drama

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Consider this trailer for Marleen Gorris's Within The Whirlwind, a Soviet gulag survival drama based on Eugenia Ginzburg's novel with Emily Watson as Ginzburg. It looks like a boilerplate Oscar-bait performance, but why wasn't this German-produced film seen and reviewed at last month's Berlin Film Festival? And what a godawful title. The final kiss of death for me was reading a 1.30.09 story in Variety that Telepool, which co-financed/produced, has been investing in "family entertainment" over the last couple of years.

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Posted by Jeffrey Wells on March 9, 2009 at 8:23 AM

comment #1

raygo says ...

Emily Watson has been Oscar worthy in the past. I'd put in her in the same league as Kate Winslet with respect to acting chops.

Posted by raygo at March 9, 2009 10:49 AM

comment #2

lbeale says ...

Jeff:
You're probably right in your feelings here, because, like the Holocaust, film cannot capture the horror and reality of experiences like Ginzburg's. The best way in this case is to read a magnificent book called 'The Whisperers,' by Orlando Figes, which is about everyday life under Stalin, and contains hundreds of stories about people who were sentenced to the camps or executed during the terror of the 1930s.

Posted by lbeale at March 9, 2009 10:53 AM

comment #3

raygo says ...

Also, she reminds me alot of Sarah Miles, which is a plus. Maybe Gulag movies can usurp Holocaust movies as inevitable Oscar bait.

Posted by raygo at March 9, 2009 10:54 AM

comment #4

crazyeight says ...

We should have our own gulag in this country. Wells could then send investment bankers and Republican voters there.

Alas, no one would ever make a movie about it.

Posted by crazyeight at March 9, 2009 11:40 AM

comment #5

Edward says ...

This looks interesting and I have no problem with the title. Grim stuff, but it's about time mainstream film explores this dark period of history.

Posted by Edward at March 9, 2009 12:15 PM

comment #6

D.Z. says ...

crazyeight: Speaking of gulags, how much info did you actually get off to torturing people at Gitmo again?

Anyway,
http://movies.yahoo.com/feature/forbes-star-misses.html

Posted by D.Z. at March 9, 2009 1:59 PM

comment #7

haleykovacs says ...

She looks incredible in this. Gets to go show massive range emotionally and really stretch those acting chops that she really hasn't done in some time. Good to see her back and playing the lead.
I bet when this is released this will be a real buzzed about performance. I was so taken by this short showing of her, that I replayed it 3 times. See ya nest February Emily, because I'd be blown away if she doesn't get a Oscar nomination. What else will rival this ? Can't wait to see it. Thanks Jeff for posting this and letting me in on something I had no idea about.

Posted by haleykovacs at March 9, 2009 9:53 PM

comment #8