on the contrary, i would say that it is extremely important to have an idea about how these people behaved, how they expressed themselves and how they reacted to events during that period. i can only distinguish between good and bad films irrespective of their origin. the song (no dance, sorry to say) numbers give the film a theatrical, and at times surreal effect. also, it is very important to note how these particular songs affected the society (they were not made for the film). hriwik made only one film throughout his life. and he made it over and over again, each creating a new vista for the viewer about the epic theme he tried to handle. this film has been remastered and released, but the the improvement is not great. and at the end, i must also add that for many art forms, one must be educated and prepared enough to appreciate the beauty of it. like tarkovsky, like Kurosawa, like hriwik.