O Arco-Íris

This was made in the Ukraine during the winter of 1943 and thus has a power and immediacy which it is impossible to replicate. The scenes depicting the fate of the peasant woman Olena, superbly played by Natalya Yzhviy, at the hands of the Germans, are truly visceral and linger long in the memory. The title refers to the rainbow which represents a symbol of hope for the oppressed villagers. Screenplay by Wanda Wasilewka from her novel and directed by Mark Donskoy this film is immensely moving and serves as a devastating historical document.

28/02/2022: Ironic indeed that Ukraine's former conqueror is now sending arms to aid the beleaguered citizens of that state.

Characters in this low-quality propaganda-movie are so phony they're not characters at all, just living cartoons with stock personalities: the wicked Germans, the male collaborator, the female collaborator-concubine, the enduring villagers, the patriotic Orthodox priest, the innocent children, the conscious female teacher, the partisans.

The script is so childish you think it was meant for 5-year-olds or maybe for a village public that had never seen a motion picture in their life. The only moments my resigned boredom was interrupted was when one or two points where naivety touched comical levels caused amused giggles among the public (including me).

The director, Mark Donskoy, has shot The Childhood of Maxim Gorky and The horse that Cried, which, although not special, are passable movies. But here he has really touched bottom.