The Screen Addict Recommends โ ๐๐ฒ๐ณ๐ถ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฐ๐ฒ (๐ฎ๐ฌ๐ฌ๐ด)
While reading Ed Zwickโs wonderful memoir ๐๐ถ๐๐, ๐๐น๐ผ๐ฝ๐ ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐ข๐๐ต๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐๐น๐น๐๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป๐, it occurred to me that I had only seen ๐๐ฒ๐ณ๐ถ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฐ๐ฒ once, probably immediately upon release.
๐๐ฒ๐ณ๐ถ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฐ๐ฒ is a perfect example of what I call a Forsaken Film โ out of sight, thus out of mind.
Ironically, the fact that few people talk about ๐๐ฒ๐ณ๐ถ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฐ๐ฒ today, has nothing to do with the filmโs quality. Nevertheless, it is somehow all but erased from our collective cinematic memory.
Mind you โ Iโm not claiming ๐๐ฒ๐ณ๐ถ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฐ๐ฒ is ๐ง๐ฐ๐ณ๐จ๐ฆ๐ต๐ต๐ข๐ฃ๐ญ๐ฆ. This characterization applies only to big-budget, star-studded direct-to-platform movies we donโt remember watching the minute the end-credits roll (๐ฒ ๐จ๐ป๐ฑ๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ด๐ฟ๐ผ๐๐ป๐ฑ? ๐ฅ๐ฒ๐ฑ ๐ข๐ป๐ฒ? ๐ง๐ต๐ฒ ๐๐ฟ๐ฎ๐ ๐ ๐ฎ๐ป? Anyone? ANYONE???)
I call this phenomenon โStreamnesiaโ, courtesy of Jim Cahill.
Streamnesia however, doesnโt apply to ๐๐ฒ๐ณ๐ถ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฐ๐ฒ. Zwickโs film was made almost 20 years ago, long before the deluge of mediocrity washed over us. ๐๐ฒ๐ณ๐ถ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฐ๐ฒ is raw, brutally honest and utterly compelling. Furthermore, having revisited the film last night, I can confirm ๐๐ฒ๐ณ๐ถ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฐ๐ฒ is anything but a fleeting experience.
So, why didnโt Zwickโs pic โstickโ?
Itโs a mystery to me.
Again, the elements are definitely all there โ a stellar cast (Daniel Craig, Liev Schreiber and Jamie Bell among many others), a gripping story (four Jewish brothers escape into Belarusian forests and fight the Nazis), and an A-list crew (Zwick, James Newton Howard, Pieter Jan Brugge to name but a few).
๐๐ฒ๐ณ๐ถ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฐ๐ฒ was made for a modest $30 million, which Zwick and his team somehow stretched to look like at least $100 million. I canโt imagine that kind of cost-effectiveness in todayโs bloated production-climate.
Sadly, the efficiency wasnโt rewarded at the box office. ๐๐ฒ๐ณ๐ถ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฐ๐ฒ barely broke $50 million worldwide, which means there was no profit after marketing and the cinemasโ share.
This got me thinking.
A lot of the dialogue in ๐๐ฒ๐ณ๐ถ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฐ๐ฒ is not performed in English with a Russian accent (like in most Hollywood films) but in ๐ข๐ค๐ต๐ถ๐ข๐ญ Belarusian. This is of course highly commendable, but also a bit distracting. Could it be that this creative choice hurt the filmโs broader appeal?
Frustratingly, ๐๐ฒ๐ณ๐ถ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฐ๐ฒ isnโt wildly available on streaming platforms either. The film was independently produced, and distributed mostly through local distributors. Rights are therefore fragmented, which makes dealmaking unappealing for streamers who prefer global rollout for high-profile films.
No second life in streaming for ๐๐ฒ๐ณ๐ถ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฐ๐ฒ, it seems... At least not for now.
This is why once again, I turned to the trusty DVD for my revisit of ๐๐ฒ๐ณ๐ถ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฐ๐ฒ. A physical copy isnโt easy to come by though โ your best bet is probably Amazon or eBay for a used disc.
But donโt let this deter you! Seek it out, get your fix & thank me later.