Capt. Grant's Family (1936) User Reviews

Collapse a mountain or Cross half the world for one person

[lyubitelfilmov · 8/10 · 28 February 2021]

Adventure. A screen adaptation of the novel of the same name by the famous French writer Jules Verne. For the original source I have nothing to say, because I have not read it, so I will evaluate the picture as an independent work. I learned about the existence of this picture thanks to the famous "Song of the Captain", which, in my opinion, is the best song about sea romance and about the captain, of course. I was surprised to learn that the famous master of reincarnation of the USSR era Nikolai Cherkasov played an important role in the film. Therefore, he did not postpone this business on the back burner and decided to look at it - and did not regret it. And here is my brief opinion - Cross half the world for one person. In the picture, I did not find any drawbacks, but there are some comments that I will indicate in a separate paragraph, but for now, let your humble servant focus your attention on the advantages of this adventure movie. So, here they are: 1. Scenario - the ship "Duncan" finds in the body of a caught shark a bottle with a message from the famous traveler Captain Grant, in which he asks for help, and the circle of searches is quite extensive - 37 parallel south latitude. The owner of the ship decides to find Captain Grant, the children of the missing person, French explorer Jacques Paganel and several other people join the search. Together they will have to overcome a dangerous path, where not only insidious personalities will meet, but also powerful forces of nature. The script is dynamic, the characters are colorful, but there is no need to talk about the ending. If you want to watch a good adventure movie but in the evening, then this picture will definitely suit you. 2. "Song about the Captain" - music by Isaac Dunaevsky, words by Vasily Lebedev-Kumach. Needless to say - this is the brightest episode of this picture, especially since the song is performed by Nikolai Cherkasov himself in his own unique manner. There are of course many other performances, but the first was here, and for that I appreciate this picture. Simple words, intelligible meaning, cheerful mood, strength, courage. I adore her! I love and love! 3. Music - Isaac Dunaevsky did his best and even now this music is listened to with pleasure, and the title theme was used in another film adaptation of this work in the eighties. The viewer, through the music, feels the danger, tension, and severity of the journey. Well, dramatic and happy moments become even more dramatic and happy. 4. Costumes, scenery - the mountains of the Caucasus served in kind, and the costumes were made at Mosfilm - and the viewer believes that the action takes place exactly where the book is. Minimal detail with great emphasis on acting and convincing characters. 5. Theatricality - excuse me, these are the thirties, and without it nowhere. All dialogue and dynamics looks theatrical, but that's not a bad thing. On the contrary, he plays more on the images of the characters. So, of course, the heroes do not behave in real life, but here is minimalism and emphasis on acting, I remind you. Moreover, the theater school is the best school. Am I right? Kozlovsky, Bortich, Petrov and others? 6. Revolutionary - and again there is no escape, ideology is ideology. Although here it is inserted into place and does not cause bewilderment, besides, you cannot escape the truth of life! A little about the main characters: 1. Jacques Paganel performed by Nikolai Cherkasov is a French traveler who joined the heroes in search of Captain Grant. Smart, restless, absent-minded, but brave, sincere and kind hero, who in difficult times will be able to cheer up anyone. And he is also played by Nikolai Cherkasov himself - a master of reincarnation and a real "chameleon" of the USSR era. Bravo! Just Bravo dear Nikolai Konstantinovich! 2. Eduard Glenavan performed by Nikolai Vitovtov - the owner of the ship "Duncan" and the main organizer of the search for Captain Grant, who wants to find his compatriots without fail. Fortunately, there are caring people who are ready to follow him to the very end. Nikolai Mikhailovich coped with the role very well, so I praise! Bravo! 3. Robert Grant performed by Yakov Segel is the son of Captain Grant. Brave and determined, who, with his faith and youthful enthusiasm, inspires other travelers to continue searching for his father. Young Jacob is trying here, and it was this role that made him famous throughout the vast country at one time. Well done! Now about the comments. There are a couple of points that are not very friendly with logic and the creators did not deign to explain it. The sound needs to be restored in some places, but the picture is not worth touching - it is good now. I admit that the picture is not dragging on today, which saddened me. Dynamic, well-scripted but not exciting. And for the technical execution - we will make a discount on the release time of the film. Well, it will obviously not hurt to reissue the film in blu-ray format, so that a new generation of viewers can get acquainted with this classic of Russian cinema. As a result, we have a good adventure picture based on the novel by Jules Verne, with an excellent script, colorful characters, great music and great acting work of the "old school" masters! My rating is 8 out of 10 and my recommendation for viewing!

Soviet movie-making in its finest

[sergey_smirnow · 29 July 2002]

What a wonderful, amazing film! It's black and white and grainy (what did you expect from 1936?), but that doesn't matter at all. No film I ever seen comes even close. It has such a great sense of joy and romantic and adventure, it's so morally uplifting that I can't praise it enough. In addition to that, the movie is so innocent and optimistic that I can't think of a better children's film.

Great actors - I mean, all of them, though I especially liked Paganel, perfect score (by Prokofiev himself, no less!), to the point that "The Uverture for Deti Kapitana Granta" gets ordered quite often on modern FM radio stations - after 70 years! Great songs too ("Oh, Wind of Travel, sing us songs of where you came from", "There once lived a captain brave", etc. Engaging plotline (by Jules Verne), in which daring family of Captain Grant seeks their lost father circumnavigating the globe at 37 deg. South latitude... and so much more!

The only complaint today's viewer may have is dated special effects and not exactly slick stock fotage inserts... But you know what? Who ever notices that when the movie is so great!

I doubt that you can easily find it outside of Russia, but if you even don't find the film itself, do yourself a favour and trace film's soundtrack.

Jules Verne through the eyes of the Soviets

[TheLittleSongbird · 10/10 · 31 May 2013]

There are many reasons why I saw Captain Grant's Children in the first place. Jules Verne's book has a wonderful timeless story; knowing that Aleksandr Ptushko- director of some of the most beautiful Soviet films I know of-; and that I have become very fond of Soviet/Russian cinema. Captain Grant's Children was a gem from start to finish, one of my favourite Soviet films so far easily. Even though it is deserving of a better transfer(having seen the entire movie on Youtube today, if you type in its Russian title you'll find it providing that it stays up), it is lovingly rendered in scenery, lighting and costumes, the black and white looks pretty still and the photography has an understated sweep to it(very Ptushko-style). I agree that the music alone is what makes Captain Grant's Children worth the watch, there are many other things too but the music really stood out. The overture is a beautiful and lovingly orchestrated piece, while the accompanying music underlines the storytelling sensitively and the songs are catchy and unmistakably Soviet(I can't get O Winds of Travel out of my mind and in a good way). The story is very close in spirit and detail to the book and has all its impact. It makes you very happy inside, teaches good morals, the more romantic elements are touching, the adventurous ones rouse and there is lots of heart. The characters are as colourful as you'd expect, especially Paganel, and the acting helps make each character both memorable and recognisable. Nikolai Cherkasov gets top honours in a turn that is funny, moving and authoritative. In conclusion, a real Soviet gem and one of the easiest 10/10s I've given recently. Bethany Cox

Beautiful adaption of Jules Verne novel

[cgroiss · 10/10 · 21 February 2005]

One of the reason I love this movie so much, is that it closely parallels the book. All my favourite characters are there and, surprise, they are even recognisable. The most colourful of them is most definitely the geographer Jacques Paganel, who's quirky, erudite, talkative, even a bit grotesque. He's played by Nikolay Cherkasov, whom most non-Russian have seen on the screen either as the statuesque Alexander Nevsky or the ferocious Ivan the Terrible. Well, he's also a master comedian and steals virtually every scene he is in. Towards the end, when the travellers believe themselves lost at sea, he briefly veers into the tragical, probably the most unforgettable moment in this movie.

But all actors are excellent, and so is the music, that has become enormously popular in Russia. One should think that so beloved a movie would be carefully preserved, but, alas, the quality both of the soundtrack and the images is deplorable. Still, if you love Jules Verne's adventure stories and if you can do without computer-aided gimmicks this movie is a great see.