Acclaimed Russian director Alexei Balabanov (THE BROTHER) is the brains behind this award-winning film about the dark side of the late Victorian upper classes. Dark and subversive, OF FREAKS AND MEN is the story of a seedy man named Johann and his equally sinister assistant, who together take pictures of half-naked women being .. Read more
| Starring | Aleksei De, Sergei Makovetsky |
|---|---|
| Director | Aleksei Balabanov |
| Genres | Drama, World Cinema |
loading...
Acclaimed Russian director Alexei Balabanov (THE BROTHER) is the brains behind this award-winning film about the dark side of the late Victorian upper classes. Dark and subversive, OF FREAKS AND MEN is the story of a seedy man named Johann and his equally sinister assistant, who together take pictures of half-naked women being flogged. After sneaking their way into the homes of the wealthy, they shrewdly managed to engage their victims in some pornographic situations. Black comedy at its bravest, OF FREAKS AND MEN is a ground-breaking Russian film.
| Starring | Aleksei De, Sergei Makovetsky |
|---|---|
| Director | Aleksei Balabanov |
| Studio | PALISADES TARTAN |
| Run time | DVD: 1 hr 29 mins |
| Certificate | |
| Genres | Drama, World Cinema |
| Language | DVD: Russian |
| Subtitles | DVD: English |
| Released | Production year: 1998 To Rent: DVD: 04 Dec 2000 |
With its sepia-tinted imagery recalling the early days of silent cinema, Alexei Balabanov's sojourn in the sinful backwaters of 1900s St Petersburg could not be any more different from his bruisingly realistic Brother. However, the swaggering disregard for political correctness is again to the fore as widows, virgins and Siamese twins are exploited by immigrant pornographer Sergei Makovetsky. Such shock tactics are not employed to titillate, but to expose the corruption inherent in Russian society throughout the last century. Littered with references to the nation's cinematic heritage, this is an eccentric, enigmatic yet always enthralling allegory.
5 out of 5 people found this review helpful
Of Freaks and Men has such a cold, detatched tone that you initially feel alienated, uninvolved with what is going on. However, you quickly realise that not ... read more »
[Highly rated reviewer]
Awful
Wooden acting, wooden sets... The plot is weak... Nothing really, other than perhaps historical importance for the genre, to commend this film. For the casual ... read more »
1 out of 1 person found this review helpful
Extremely poor story - Extremely brilliant filmography
Terrible story!! Superb filming! The coal powered boat such a superb addition. The speia, brilliant! The bald guy with the teeth....fantastic acting! Did ... read more »
1 out of 1 person found this review helpful
Russian personified
This had the potential to be a brilliant film............the right balance of atmosphere and shock but, alas, not much substance and a tendancy towards pseudo-... read more »
* The Amazon.co.uk prices on our site are updated every 24 hours and may not be up to date at the time you view this page.
To see the current new and "new and used" Amazon.co.uk prices, please click on the Buy button.
100% from 2 members
