Films by season & age - From Russia With Love (Ages 15-18)

Seasons are a great way to explore different ideas through watching a group of films. Why not try watching all the films in a season and make some time for discussion. Topics and discussion points are included.

As the 21st century goes on, Russia looks set for a role in global affairs even greater than that which it plays already. With a wealth of natural resources at its disposal in a world running perilously short of them, this vast nation seems likely to have a high profile indeed - and, as many of you will already know, its relationship with Britain so far this century has not always been harmonious. To help shine a light on a country that, for all our preconceptions about it, few of us in Britain really know, FilmClub presents this season of movies made in Russia throughout the last hundred years of cinema history. The earliest – the legendary silent classic Battleship Potemkin – was made just a few years after the communist revolution which transformed Russia into the Soviet Union. Among the most recent, meanwhile, are such modern favourites as the moving family drama, The Return, and the spectacular Night Watch – two very different films, but both examples of the culture of a nation that looks set to play as major a role in movie-making in the coming years as it does on the world stage.

SUGGESTED PAIR

For a look at Russian cinema old and new, why not combine the 1925 classic Battleship Potemkin, and the recent hugely successful sci-fi/action blockbuster, Night Watch.

TALKING POINTS

Do you think you can draw any conclusions about the history of Russia or its present day realities from watching the films in this season? Do Russian movies seem very different from those made in the west, or do the two have more in common than you expected? Do you feel you have more of an understanding of Russia and the Russian people as a result of watching any of these movies?