KIN-DZA-DZA! (1986)
Label: Deaf Crocodile
Region Code: A
Rating: Unrated
Duration: 132 Minutes 51 Seconds
Audio: Russian PCM 1.0 with Optional English Subtitles
Video: 1080p HD Fullscreen (1.33:1)
Director: Georgiy Daneliya
Cast: Levan Gabriadze,Stanislav Lyubshin, Evgeniy Leonov, Yuriy Yakovlev, Olga Mashnaya, Irina Shmelyova, Lev Perfilov, Anatoliy Serenko, Aleksandra Dorokhina, Olesya Ivanova, Tatyana Novitskaya, Valentin Bukin, Yuriy Voronkov
Kin-Dza-Dza! (1986), directed by Georgiy Daneliya, is an offbeat dystopian slice of Soviet-era sci-fi that sort of comes off as The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy directed with the steampunk edge of Brazil-era Terry Gilliam. In it two Moscow inhabitants, construction foreman Vladimir aka Uncle Vova (Stanislav Lyubshin) and a younger Georgian violin student Gedevan aka Violinist (Levan Gabriadze, the future director of Unfriended), who are strangers to each other, encounter an oddball and barefoot homeless man (Anatoli Serenko) on the street of Moscow. The homeless man asks strange questions like, "Tell me the number of your planet in the Tentura?", and says he is an alien from another planet, and of course they assume this is just a lunatic spouting utter nonsense. However, when Vladmir tinkers with a strange device the man is holding in his hands the two are instantly teleported across the universe to the faraway desert planet of Pluke in the Kin-Dza-Dza galaxy. The place looks like a Mad Max hellscape by way of Tatooine, sand as far as the eye can see.
Their first alien encounter are the lanky Bi (Yuri Yakovlev) and the stout Uef (Yevgeny Leonov), a perfect comedy pairing who resemble Russian iteration of Monty Python's John Cleese and and Danny DeVito. They arrive in a bizarre flying contraption that looks like a steampunk version of the Tartarus from Dr. Who, and which also quite conveniently appears much larger on the inside that it does from the outside. The humanoid aliens look very much humas, as did the homeless alien in Russia, but they don't speak much, and seem largely non-verbal. Their language seems limited to
two words, "ku" for good and "kyu" for very bad, but after some initial awkwardness communication begins to flow between the two alien species, as it turns out the Plukanians people are telekinetic, and have the ability to learn foreign languages quickly, which allows them to communicate in both Russian and Georgian with the new arrivals.
This allows them to explain the bizarre political and social structures of the planet, such as that there is a specific pecking order. The lower-class are Patsaks who wear tiny bells clipped to their noses and must kowtow to the higher-class Chatlanian superiors, and that the color of your pants signifies your social status, and how the lower-class must be subservient the higher class. Clearly a satire of Soviet era sociopolitical life and bureaucracy beneath a thin veneer of science fiction. They also explain that the planet was once lush and verdant, but the planet's government depleted water resources to create fuel, and now there is no natural water supply, and to obtain water they must turn fuel back into water.
Vladimir and Gedevan come to discover that everyday matches are a much ought after commodity on the planet, and Vlad being a smoker has a small supply of them. The pair use their matches to barter for a device called a "Gravitsappa", which would allow them to return to Earth, but the black market on Pluke is fraught with deceitful thieves with telepathic powers, putting the duo ad a disadvantage. That's pretty much the whole film in a nutshell, Earthling on a strange planet attempting to get back home, but having to navigate the absurdity of the socio-political structures, which seem insurmountable.
It's quite and delightful and idiosyncratic bit of Russian Fantastica, chock full of the theater of the absurd, the dystopian sci-fi tale makes for a fascinating watch, managing to be both a black comedy about the Soviet-era bureaucracy and the ridiculousness of discrimination, but also quite touching and poignant and wonderful, yet still totally absurd and whimsical, I loved it.
Audio/Video: Kin-Dza-Dza! (1986) makes it's North American debut on Blu-ray from Deaf Crocodile in 1080p HD fullscreen (1.37:1) sourced from a new restoration from the original camera negative and sound elements by Mosfilm. It looks terrific, the is in wonderful shape, grain a well-managed, and depth and clarity are impressive, with rock solid black levels. Audio comes by way of Russian PCM 1.0 mono with optional English subtitles. The track is clean and free of hiss or distortion, dialogue sounds great and the Giya Kancheli score comes through wonderfully.
Deaf Crocodile deliver a terrific set of extras for this release, we get a 51-min Video Interview with lead actor Leo Gabriadze about the making of the film and the contributions of his father, co-writer Rezo Gabriadze, moderated by Dennis Bartok of Deaf Crocodile; the 84-min New Video Interview about the film and the history of Soviet science-fiction cinema with comics artist (Swamp Thing) and film historian and author Stephen R. Bissette, moderated by Dennis Bartok, which I found fascinating, plus a New Audio Commentary by film critic Walter Chaw (Film Freak Central). Also included is the 16-min 'Got a Match? On Vodka and Vinegar at the End of History' - New video essay by physical media expert Ryan Verrill (The Disc Connected) and film professor Dr. Will Dodson, plus a 2-min New 2023 Restoration Trailer.
The single-disc release arrives in a clear full-height keepcase with a 2-sided, non-reversible wrap featuring new Artwork by Beth Morris. Inside there's a 16-Page Illustrated Booklet with a wonderful new essay by film historian Justin Humphreys (George Pal: Man Of Tomorrow).
Special Features:
- New restoration from the original camera negative and sound elements by Mosfilm.
- Video interview with lead actor Leo Gabriadze about the making of KIN-DZA-DZA! and the contributions of his father, co-writer Rezo Gabriadze, moderated by Dennis Bartok of Deaf Crocodile (50:49)
- New video interview about KIN-DZA-DZA! and the rich history of Soviet science-fiction cinema with comics artist (Swamp Thing), film historian and author Stephen R. Bissette, moderated by Dennis Bartok (83:45)
- New Audio Commentary by film critic Walter Chaw (Film Freak Central)
- 16-Page Illustrated Booklet with new essay by film historian Justin Humphreys (George Pal: Man Of Tomorrow)
- 'Got a Match? On Vodka and Vinegar at the End of History' - New video essay by journalist and physical media expert Ryan Verrill (The Disc Connected) and film professor Dr. Will Dodson (16:22)
- New 2023 Restoration Trailer (2:10)
- Blu-ray authoring by David Mackenzie of Fidelity In Motion
Screenshots from the Deaf Crocodile Blu-ray:
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