Slow pace in the most part of the movie.

People are voting emotionally.

I don't have all the words right now but this film is a work of art.

Absolutely Fantastic

The story line in this film starts to wear thin after about 30-40 minutes. It takes place in the Soviet Union in the mid-70's and we get an interesting view of life there. There is a black-market, students are bored in the class-room and they listen to rock-and-roll.Unfortunately the story surrounding this is rather simple – boys are trying to meet girls with the usual results. The on-again off-again relationship between the two main protagonists became strained after the 2nd or 3rd break-up. It just becomes a little repetitive and boring. The acting is good but the story lacks any progression after the first 45 minutes.

This is the kind of film which captures the spirit of the age, which gives us an excellent cast playing characters who are all too real, in their world, over 35 years ago. Everything that one could have heard about Leonid Brezhnev's Soviet Union can be found here. Compared to today, it was an era where life was simpler, yet offered far less opportunities than the West. Despite the differences, by the end of this film, it is very easy to relate to the characters, especially Sergei Narbakov, the protagonist, and his friend, Stepan Molodtsov. Our humanity is a shared experience.The outstanding performance by the Armenian actor, Armen Dzhigarkhanyan, must not be overlooked, either. Alternating between old wisdom and very dry humor, he stands out as Sergei's grandfather. I have already recommended this film to friends who share with me an equal curiosity about the USSR, an acronym now consigned to history books.

We see few Russian films here in the U.S. and our familiarity with modern day Russian life is limited. Here we get a view of life in the Brezhnev 1970s. "Vanished Empire" reassures us that the Russians are just like everybody else, save for social conditioning and a scarcity of consumer goods. It's convincing characters are warm, animated and full of very familiar foibles. But it is charming how readily family and friends "do" for each other there,enthusiastically.Yet this is a society so parched for Western-style consumer goods that a used Japanese radio can get a buddy out of police custody, a nice jacket plus gas money can induce a cab driver to take someone to the hinterlands and back.Sergey, the focal character, is well and charmingly rendered by young Aleksandr Lyapin. Like a lot of 18 year old college boys he is impulsive and easily suggestible. His romance with girlfriend Lyuda is in full bloom but a call from his comrades can make him forget his commitments to the lady. More than once Sergey shows that loyalty to his buddies trumps faithfulness to his lover.Sergey's inattention to those who love him and his hijinks in school are forgiven, up to a point, because of his youth and charm. But the carefree life and luck of a teenager cannot last. Life becomes serious and the due bill for self-centered presumptions is, inevitably, presented.The women characters in this film are long suffering. Though not ill-treated physically, they are never valued above male comradeship. Their needs are not thought of, or not taken seriously. Lyuda's treatment by Sergey reminded me of the comment of an American exchange student who had boyfriends in the Soviet 1970s. Asked if she ever considered marrying any of them, she said "No." She said that, in Russia, "a woman might be loved but she will never be respected." Jim Smith

Living in a country where Russian cinema is something foreign, not only in terms of language but also because the import of movies from all of Eastern Europe is quite poor, let me just begin by saying that this movie is a true gem discovered.Advertised by some as a common love story, "The Vanished Empire" should be seen as much more. While love, or perhaps rather infantile teenage crushes is present throughout, director Karen Shakhnazarov tells the tale of a Russia torn between conservative party-political-values and new western influences featuring the tunes of Shocking Blue, Deep Purple and jeans that begs to deviate from otherwise more traditional clothing. All this started to penetrate a crowd of youths in the early 70's, it just, well, seemingly was a bit more difficult for protagonist Sergei with pals Kostya and Stepan than the contemporary American teen.Both script, directing and cinematography holds a great deal of quality. Try to catch this! Don't let Timur Bekmambetov's "Night Watch" be the only Russian movie you've seen for the last four years - and the next four to come...