the leading man is my tpye

Very best movie i ever watch

This is a dark and sometimes deeply uncomfortable drama

This is one of the best movies I’ve seen in a very long time. You have to go and see this on the big screen.

The truth is that films like "Barber Of Siberia" do not need introduction. You can only write one thing about this film and you'll be totally right. So I'll summarize my opinion by writing three words. Fantastic and incredible. Of course I knew that Mihalkov is a great and famous director in Russia but I didn't expect to see such a good film. The settings were really beautiful. "Barber Of Siberia" guides you through the Russia of the 19th Century and the film familiarizes you with Russia of 19th Century. Sometimes I had this feeling of watching a documentary because the dialogs and the settings was so realistic. Apart from this, the scenario is great. I have to say that the story is very good and enchanting. It is not a classic love story but something more. A story of passion, devotion and jealously. But you won't feel sad when you watch this film because it has and its merry moments of course. There are some unforgettable humorous scenes on this work which will make you laugh for sure. The direction was excellent too. Mihalkov demonstrated again his abilities as a director and shows us that he is one of the best directors in the world. I believe that everyone will be satisfied by watching this film and especially those people who love Russian culture.

I think this film has shown both the dark and positive side of Russian culture. The absolute power of the Czar is contrasted with the American chaos, and the hero's free spirit. That spirit seems to have been oppressed more by the czars, than in the rest of Europe. The tragic hero is felled by a flaw, unrelated to his heroism. But that is the conventional Russian melancholy. I believe this is overcome by the hero, in spirit, and is leading the way to a new awakening. I really solicit comments on this view!Also, I think it absurd to ban someone who violates displaying the spoiler. Being uncertain if my comment above is truly a spoiler, but thinking some may think it so, i selected that box.The punishment should be to mark ALL the offender's comments as spoilers. 100% guarantee not to repeat the offense, deterrence, even punishment, but not capital punishment!

I am unequivocally a Mikhalkov fan. BURNT BY THE SUN is one of the finest films I've ever seen from any director in any country. It is clearly his masterpiece to date and many of his other films are very fine indeed.It seems unfortunate that so much controversy was generated about BARBER OF SIBERIA based on its budget. Had there not been as much money spent, there would not have been as much hollow publicity and Mikhalkov would never have generated even a fraction of the resentment that swirls around this movie from Russian people. What has clearly happened here is that after all the hoopla and expense, people were expecting something more "important", perhaps something more political or more complex and less charming. What they got was a very old-fashioned and lovely romantic film which treats the "old days" of Tsarist Russia with a forgiving and nostalgic eye.There's no question that this film is more decidedly commercially-oriented than any other Mikhalkov film. But if in its sprawling ambition it doesn't quite have the incisive mastery of balance between beauty and intellect that earmark his best work, it still has plenty to commend it. In this film Mikhalkov seems to intend to use the pageantry of old Russia (both in terms of geography and architecture) as the backdrop to a sweet love story of warmth and humor. It's pretty much a universal story, not at all particularly innately Russian in its basic conception, but told in the context of a myriad of very idealized and elaborate images of Imperial Russia.I can understand how a very serious-minded Russian might feel the film is too light, too forgiving of Tsarist institutions and bureaucracy, too comedic. But Russia is not only Dostoevski -- it is also Gogol or Ilf and Petrov. This film represents a certain love affair with Russia, albeit through the kind of lens a Capra or a Lubitsch gave to America in their films. It starts out as a romantic comedy set against a HUGE tapestry that emphasizes beauty over subtlety -- it deepens as it goes along, and as a result the end result eludes definition.What it is perhaps most like (in this respect) is Welles' THE MAGNIFICENT AMBERSONS. Huge attention to detail but a decided point-of-view to idealize the nostalgic time being explored.And sadly, the other apt comparison to AMBERSONS is in terms of running time, as clearly it has been somewhat over-edited for commercial reasons. I've only seen the 3 hour version, but I would willingly see the 4 1/2 hour version, because I trust Mikhalkov enough to suppose that the film would be better at the greater length, as there are a few slightly disjointed or compressed transitions in the 3 hour version which no doubt reflect cuts.What there need be no controversy about are the photography (which is stunning -- this is the most beautiful film ever shot in Russia) and the performances, especially Oleg's. It is old-fashioned movie-making of a type seldom seen these days. It is no ANDREI RUBLEV, but its heart is in a different place.The real crime is that this film was never released in America. I saw it on the big screen in New York a few years ago thanks to a Russian film festival, and I'm grateful I had the opportunity, because it's almost like Americans were prevented from seeing it. All I can say is this: you should see this film in the theater if you have a chance. It's not Mikhalkov's finest film, but it is in certain ways his most ambitious. It is sumptuously beautiful to look at on the big screen, and even Mikhalkov not quite at his best is eminently worth the time invested. He's one of our greatest living filmmakers in the world, and you will not be wasting your time watching this film, even with its slight sense of narrative imbalance and its forgiving nostalgic glow. To most viewers it is a beautiful and endearing film.Not every film can be as devastating as BURNT BY THE SUN. This film is more akin to the diffuse charm of Mikhalkov's DARK EYES, with that earlier film's combination of comedy and tragedy which was clearly Chekhovian. No-one expected DARK EYES to be all things to all people -- were the portraits of the local bureaucrats in that movie not gentle satires as well, and isn't that film a bit about an idealized "Russian spirit" that informs the philandering tragic character which Mastroanni plays? Certainly. But since that film didn't cost a zillion dollars like this one, no one complained about it.Forget the budget. Just see THE BARBER OF SIBERIA and enjoy it on its own terms.

I stumbled on this film one night on TV. I hadn't heard of it, but I got intrigued immediately. It was the long version, so it got quite late.I didn't regret that one bit. It has a nice story thats seems to fit if you're willing to go along with it (one can always find a stick to beat the dog). It has witty, funny dialogs. Although it is a romantic story, it does not have the crappy all's well that ends well feel.The 2 main characters are very well developed (in the version I saw), they are not clear cut, one dimensional. It is true that some other characters are bordering on the slapstick, but I feel this is not overdone. Somehow it balances really well.Need I say more? Excellent entertainment (in my humble opinion).