BT1886

Letter Never Sent

“Nature herself has turned against us.” Deeply humanistic drama meets the indomitable human spirit in the face of overwhelming survival odds, Letter Never Sentmarks my second look at director Mikhail Kalatozovoeuvre, which I started with the amazing The Cranes are Flying. Just like that film, Letter Never Senttakes great care in its attempt to highlight simple people and problems — I am reminded of a quote from Michael Mann’sThe Insider: “ordinary people under extraordinary pressure”. I think it describes this film pretty well. Similarly to The Cranes are Flying, this film has a presentation like no other — the grandness of the cinematography cannot be understated here, and for all intents and purposes is the driving force in the film. The acting by the cast was great, but the big reason I think the film works is due, in part, toTatiana Samoilova’sperformance. I find that there is something inexplicably magical about her and her performance(s) and the way she would carry herself through it — not surprising, as she seems to have originally practiced ballet before to her breakout performance in The Cranes are Flying. If a movie made nearly 60 years ago under rule of a tyrannical government can come out looking so good, there’s really no excuse, is there?