STALINGRAD Sets Russian Box Office Records - Sets Sights On Oscar!
A good friend of mine, Steve Schklair is a co-producer on STALINGRAD which was shot in amazing native 3D. I've seen segments of the movie and was not only moved by the attention to detail, authenticity of the war and acting - but also the 3D. Director Fedor Bondarchuk’s budget was $30 million and it's all on the screen and then some. It was shot on a massive set built outside St. Petersburg and painstakingly brought back to the horror of World War II in Russia.
3ality Technica supplied the 3D systems and technology behind the movie using the TS-5 rigs. I've seen these rigs up close and personal and they are impressive pieces of technology.
I love how artistically the visuals are done, mimicking film stock of the period that has been subsequently colorized. Brilliant. The visual effects are Hollywood class as well, no doubt.
Russia has selected STALINGRAD as their Best Foreign Language contender for the Academy Awards for many reasons, one of which is obviously box office: The movie broke records in opening number one in Russia (1400 screens) and the Ukraine, raking in $17.3 million. I honestly believe it is deserving of the Oscar for its technical and creative triumphs. Sony distributed overseas.
Here's the movie's storyline:
Written by Ilya Tilkin and Sergey Snezhkin and directed by Fedor Bondarchuk, STALINGRAD is set in 1942, when invading German troops were in control of the Volga River. A group of Soviet soldiers finds a young woman trapped behind enemy lines and works to protect her. Thomas Kretschmann and Yanina Studilina star.
"This is the best director in russia right now and I highly recommend his other movies which commonly share personal stories against a military historical backdrop. Fedor Bondarchuk's father, Sergei Bondarchuk also directed "War and Peace" in 1960's. His films do have patriotic notes - and there is much to be proud of for the efforts of Russian people to defend their land and families from German invasion, and this film's goal is to show their heroism and sacrifice. Germans were the aggressors, so I wouldn't expect a Russian director to side with them too much."
You've got to see the trailer for this movie if you haven't seen it yet.
If you know your history, then you know that the Battle of Stalingrad was one of the bloodiest battles in the history of warfare. To brush up on the details, click here.
Impressively, STALINGRAD is the first IMAX movie that is non-American and is Russia's first 3D movie. More details when I get it - I working on something special for this...
Sources: Variety | The Moscow Times | The Wrap
