Hard to Be a God ⎪ Cinema Niche

A group of scientists are sent to the planet Arkanar to help the local civilisation, which is in the middle of its own history, find the right path to progress. Their task is difficult: they cannot intervene violently, and they certainly cannot kill. The scholar Rumata tries to save the local intellectuals from punishment and cannot avoid taking a stand.

Synopsis

An extraordinary vision, the epic and fantastical swan song of the late Russian film giant Alexei German, reveals a world where the Renaissance never happened. Adapted from the cult sci-fi novel by the writing duo Arkady and Boris Strugatsky, who co-wrote the novel and screenplay for Tarkovsky's Stalker, the film is set on an alien planet wallowing in the cruelty and misery of a never-ending Middle Ages. From Earth, a team of secret scientists, including protagonist Don Rumata (Leonid Yarmolnik), arrive on this distant world to observe, but not to interfere. German's most ambitious, final project took decades to complete; he wrote the first script in 1968, shot the film between 2000 and 2006, and had been in post-production for several years when he tragically passed away in 2013. On the film's stunning canvas of grime and chaos, German brings his black and white images to life in stunning detail - evoking the visions of Bruegel and Bosch rather than the tradition of space opera.

About the artist

Aleksei German, the Russian filmmaker considered by his contemporaries to be the greatest perfectionist, is one of the most influential and influential figures in late 20th century Soviet cinema. His entire oeuvre was characterised by uncompromising innovation and a philosophical rigour in his approach to his work, in which he constantly pushed the boundaries of the cinematic language. His work sought to explore the fragility of collective memory, the ethical dilemmas and paradoxes of totalitarian regimes, and the mysteries of the human psyche. German's work was defined not only by the obstacles of Soviet censorship, but also by his legendary, extremely slow and meticulous creative method. He made only five films in his career, unique in both subject matter and cinematic language. His last masterpiece was Hard to Be a God.

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