Many years later, a single astronaut is sent to the planet and becomes a messiah. As the soldiers break the front door, Rumata, maddened with grief, unsheathes his swords and waits for them. But seeing how low-spec Hard To Be A God is the loading screens don't half have you by the jaffers. Why I Walked Out of ‘The Painted Bird’ (Column), The Best Of: 2010's (Movies and Documentaries), The 25 Most Beautiful Movies of the 21st Century, The Black & White Movies of the 21st Century. But maybe all that matters is that I spent three hours in a horrible grey place so that I'd better appreciate the real world we live in, warts and all. The play was most likely created as a reaction to the Fleischmann film. As the last of his friends and allies die and suffer in the turmoil, Rumata acts with all haste to expedite the departure of Budah. Imagine there'd never been a Medieval Renaissance because all the intellectuals were killed, leaving behind only imbeciles struggling in mud and hit. Hard to be a God is a role playing game with adventure and espionage elements. Rumata's love-interest, a young commoner named Kira, who can't stand the brutality and horrors of fascist Arkanar any longer, asks to stay in Rumata's house. Arkady and Boris Strugatsky are widely known as the greatest Russian writers of science fiction, and their 1964 novel Hard to Be a God is considered one of the greatest of their works. The novel follows Anton, an undercover operative from the future planet Earth, in his mission on an alien planet that is populated by human beings whose society has not advanced beyond the Middle Ages. Want to share IMDb's rating on your own site? He then brings forward a physician, introducing him as Dr. Budah. Use the HTML below. Find out where Hard to be a God is streaming, if Hard to be a God is on Netflix, and get news and updates, on Decider. Hard To Be A God is an adaptation of the novel with the same name by the Russian Science Fiction writers Boris and Arkady Strugatsky. The player takes the role of a rookie imperial intelligence officer, straight out of the intelligence academy. Ivan Lapshin, the head of the local police, does what he has to do. However, Reba's régime murders or breaks most of his native friends. Their task is a difficult one: they cannot interfere violently and in no case can they kill. After confessing that he, in fact, kidnapped Dr. Budah, fearing that the man is not to be trusted with King's life, Don Reba apologizes. One of the most popular Strugatsky's novels, Hard to Be a God was adapted multiple times on different media. In Hard to Be a God, the rules seem to be dwindling and the customs are long gone.The film collapses past and present, taking place 800 years in the future on a planet that subsists in a Hobbesian state of being. He visits the Drunken Den, a meeting place for observers working in the Lands Beyond the Strait (Запроливье). In a godforsaken Kazakh village four adolescent teenagers try to find their place in the world. I could pretend philosophical dividend but that would be out of sync with the clutter of madness. "What!" In 2014 the Chicago Review Press published the first English translation, by Olena Bormashenko, made directly from the Russian original. Hard to Be a God As if the question were: what would you do in God's place? Defeated, Rumata is brought in front of Don Reba. Feeling confident in his superior abilities and contacts in the military and the criminal world alike, Rumata plans to escape with Kira to Earth. Rumata gladly agrees and promises to eventually take her with him to "a wonderful place far far away", by which he means Earth. Finally, left with no other option, in front of the King, Rumata openly accuses Don Reba of kidnapping a famous physician whom he (Rumata) had invited to tend to the King's maladies. Rumata – faced with the horrible consequences of his power-play – goes into a drunken stupor. In the confusion a crossbowman shoots her through the window. Hard to Be a God (Russian: Трудно быть богом, romanized: Trudno byt' bogom) is a 1964 science-fiction novel by the Soviet writers Arkady and Boris Strugatsky, set in the Noon Universe. The novel's core idea is that human progress throughout the centuries is often cruel and bloody, and that religion and blind faith can be effective tools of oppression, working to destroy the emerging scientific disciplines and enlightenment. The first mission is to investigate the disappearance of Don Rumata, and all the ramifications of his disappearance. The prologue shows a scene from Anton's childhood, in which he goes on an adventure with his friends Pashka (Paul) and Anka (Anna) and plays a game based on melodramatic recreations of events on the unnamed medieval planet. Both his colleagues feel tortured by remorse, however, there is nothing to be done now. http://www.rusf.ru/abs/encycly/abs_mesf.htm, https://web.archive.org/web/20090428060737/http://www.hardtobeagod.com/en/, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Hard_to_Be_a_God&oldid=1016890676, Science fiction novels adapted into films, Articles containing Russian-language text, Articles with Russian-language sources (ru), Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. The road was a long one. Maybe the moral is that without art life would be infinitely more barbaric. Summary: A medieval universe and non-linear scenario based on the science-fiction novel, Hard to be a God, published in 1964, by the Soviet writers Arcady and Boris Strougatsky. The main hero is a graduate of a medieval secret service high school where he took the course of combat and diplomatic training. Tocnik Castle, Central Bohemia, Czech Republic. Two trucks are standing on the side of the road. However, Don Reba realizes that there is some supernatural power behind Rumata. Daniel Kasman 29 Jan 2015. 89/100. Running Time: 1 hrs 50 mins. He uses his new status to rescue the real Dr. Budah as well as his own friend Baron Pampa from prison. Hard to Be a God received universal acclaim from English-language and non Russian-language critics. A group of scientists visits the distant planet Arkanar, and discovers a society still trapped in its own medieval era. They are in turn massacred by monks, apparently members of a Holy Order, a militaristic religious sect. Been obsessed with the tangible, filthy, disgusting environment that Hard to Be a God embodies ever since I first watched it. This FAQ is empty. View production, box office, & company info. As if the question were: what would you do in God's place? There were long periods where I gave up on trying to understand the purpose of the dialogue. A unit of soldiers arrives in order to capture Kira, considering Rumata absent from his home. Disappearance at Sea is a 16 mm artwork usually shown as gallery installation. He’s strong, sly and intelligent, he is the most powerful person living in Arkanar, but his well-known world still brings surprises to him. Hard to Be a God is very much a work of suffering and endurance, a still life in motion; in contrast to Fleischmann, German ignores more or less every opportunity for super-production grandstanding. Hard to Be a God is their first book among really great ones, of the type that made them an unofficial required reading. Having had doused the entire city with a sleep-inducing gas, they had discovered that Anton-Rumata have already had fought his way through the city towards the palace, covered in blood, where he had finally killed Reba himself. “Hard to Be a God” offers no salvation, no redemptive hope in an earthly renaissance or a heavenly deliverance. Svetlana Karmalita/Rome Film Festival. This is not a film about cruelty, but about love. During the 20-day leave, war correspondent Lopatin travels by train to the distant city of Tashkent. 1. A role-playing video game of the same title, based on the book, was developed by Burut Entertainment and Akella studios for the PC. The children live in a futuristic utopia, and the teenagers feel drawn to adventure. The film is set in St. Petersburg, Russia after the Russian revolution of 1917. [1], Theodore Sturgeon praised Hard to Be a God as "one of the most skillfully written, heavily freighted sf novels I have ever read," saying "The writing is well paced and the narrative is beautifully structured."[2]. This is not a film about cruelty, but about love. A group of scientists are sent to the planet Arkanar to help the local civilization, which is in the Medieval phase of its own history, to find the right path to progress. The next night, Rumata, whose turn it is to guard the royal prince and only heir to the throne, is suddenly overwhelmed by dozens of Don Reba's men, and while fighting for his life witnesses them murdering the prince. The lives of nearly half the planet are in Stalin's hands. Explore {{searchView.params.phrase}} by color family {{familyColorButtonText(colorFamily.name)}} Rumata tries to convince his colleagues that a more active intervention must take place. Hard to be a God. Rumata has attempted to save the most talented poets, writers, doctors and scientists, smuggling them abroad into neighboring countries. After a long discussion – with Budah wishing and Rumata explaining the dire consequences of each of the wishes, Budah finally states that the only true gift a god could give the people is to leave them to their affairs. Opened: 21st May 2010 KunstenFestivalDesArts, Brussels, Belgium. It's very far from the front but the war seems to be present in people's minds even there. is probably all a review needs to shout but I'm going to risk being unnecessary by saying more. While the children play they find an abandoned road with a road sign reading "wrong way". In the distant future, a space traveler from Earth breaks a special law and interferes with the history of another, Medieval-like, planet. An employee of the institute of experimental history from Earth, who is send under the name of noble don Rumata of Estor as a spy with a ... See full summary ». The presented physician was not Budah. However, they haven't had a chance to react. Anton has taken the role of Don Rumata. Don Reba instinctively feels that killing Rumata may lead to retribution from Rumata's presumed demonic allies and tries to forge a treaty with him. He warns Rumata that his lover Kira can be used against him, and that "all that we hold dear should be either in our hearts or on Earth". The ensuing events prove that Don Reba has anticipated and prepared for this. Hard to Be a God Mass Market Paperback – November 19, 1974 by Arkadi Strugatski (Author), Boris Strugatski (Author), Kelly Freas (Illustrator), 4.2 out of … Director's statement Aleksei wanted to make this film his entire life. Rumata hopes to seduce her and pump her for information, however, he cannot hide the disgust of whoring himself out (and of Okana's lack of hygiene) and has to retreat. The first English translation of the novel by Wendayne Ackerman, published in 1973, was made from a German translation rather than the original Russian. Life in Arkanar becomes less and less tolerable. The scientist Rumata tries to save the local intellectuals from their punishment and cannot avoid taking a position. Because of the unforeseen success of the recent premiere run of Aleksei German's version of HARD TO BE A GOD, Anthology Film Archives is bringing it back for another week-long run, Friday, April 23 – Tuesday, April 28. Reba – who may have served as a pawn of the Holy Order from the beginning – has become a new head of state, a magister of the Holy Order and bishop and governor of Arkanar, now the Order's province. Based on the eponymous book by Boris Lavrenev. Around him, Arkanar succumbs to the Holy Order. 5 of 5 people found this review helpful. Review: Aleksei German's "Hard to Be a God" Years in the making, the final film by the Russian master twists sci-fi into a medieval tour (de force) of barbarism incarnate. Not convinced, but left with no other choice, Rumata agrees to continue his work. Later, Anton and Pashka grow up to be observers on the aforementioned planet, Anton in the Arkanar Kingdom and Pashka in the Irukan Duchy. Although I can't explain it, 'Hard to be God' is the proverbial genius in insanity. Another planet in the period of medieval times. Was this review helpful to you? Treated by the planet’s natives as a kind of divinity, he is both godlike and impotent in the face of chaos and brutality. Title: Director's statement Aleksei wanted to make this film his entire life. (2013). A grim portrayal of the shift from Paganism to Christianity in medieval central Europe - as a young virgin promised to God is kidnapped and raped by a marauder who her religious father seeks to kill in return. Looking to watch Hard to be a God? Russian director Aleksey German's 'Hard to Be a God' is surreal sci-fi. The title refers to Anton's (known as his alias Don Rumata throughout the book) perception of his precarious role as an observer on the planet, for while he has far more advanced knowledge than the people around him, he is forbidden to assist too actively as his assistance would interfere with the natural progress of history. The plot of Hard To Be A God—the late Aleksei German’s decades-in-the-making medieval sci-fi flick—is relatively straightforward, but it’s often difficult to follow, because it’s buried under all of the mud, muck, smoke, decay, and shit that German crams into every frame. Hard to Be a God Quotes Showing 1-30 of 33 “And no matter how much the gray people in power despise knowledge, they can’t do anything about historical objectivity; they can slow it down, but they can’t stop it. Get a sneak peek of the new version of this page. Without Weapons (Без оружия, Bez oruzhia) also known as A Man from a Distant Star (Человек с далёкой звезды, Chelovek s dalyokoy zvezdy) was a play created by the Strugatsky brothers themselves in 1989. Hard to Be a God is based on the 1964 novel by Arkady and Boris Strugatsky, whose later work Roadside Picnic was filmed by Andrei Tarkovsky in 1979 as Stalker. Don Rumata, recognized by the locals as a sort of futuristic god, tries to save the local intelligentsia from their punishment. The player eventually discovers the truth and begins to use the advanced weaponry of Earth offered during the mission. With the death of the royal prince during Rumata's guard and the king dead at the hands of "Budah", summoned by Rumata against Reba's wishes, Rumata can be easily blamed for staging a coup – in fact nobody would ever believe that he is not Reba's accomplice. Hard to Be a God (Russian: Трудно быть богом, romanized: Trudno byt' bogom) is a 2013 Russian science fiction art film directed by Aleksei German, based on the 1964 novel of the same name by Arkady and Boris Strugatsky. She dies in Rumata's arms. “Hard To Be A God” is a fantastical examination of man’s inhumanity to man, and as replete as it is with persistent visceral disgust, it also pulses with intelligence, a mordant compassion, and yes, incredible wit. Anton decides to go further and discovers remnants from World War II – a skeleton of a German gunner chained to his machine gun (or so he says to his friends). He also attends a soirée organised by Don Reba's lover, dona Okana, who is also rumored to be Don Reba's confidante. Theodore Sturgeon praised Hard to Be a God as "one of the most skillfully written, heavily freighted sf novels I have ever read," saying "The writing is well paced and the narrative is beautifully structured." The Official Site of Arkady and Boris Strugatsky – Life and Works: This page was last edited on 9 April 2021, at 16:36. In the same time, the organized-crime groups of Vaga the Wheel, secretly encouraged by Don Reba, begin to pillage the city. It roughly followed the plot of the book and revealed several previously unknown details. Narrates the Christ's passion since the entrance to Jerusalem until the road to Emmaus. Rumata feels alarmed, as the kingdom is changing into a fascist police state which would never have developed in equivalent medieval societies on Earth. "Hard to be a God is at once a plucky adventure novel and an anxious, sensitive vision of rising totalitarianism...sandwiched between an excellent introduction from novelist Hari Kunzru and an enlightening afterword from coauthor Boris Strugatsky, Hard to be a God is a worthwhile read, one that entertains even as it provokes." The movie was a German-Soviet co-production, and was written and directed by Werner Fleischmann. In his home country of Germany, Fleischmann was mostly known for absurdist dramas, and Hard To Be A God… A big plan is taking shape and its success would change everything in the blink of an eye. Certain characters were also combined together for the sake of brevity. Directed by Peter Fleischmann. Hard to Be a God (Russian: Трудно быть богом, romanized: Trudno byt' bogom) is a 1964 science-fiction novel by the Soviet writers Arkady and Boris Strugatsky, set in the Noon Universe. Budah crosses the border successfully and is saved. He has the current task of investigating the disappearance of a famed scientist, Doctor Budah, who may have been kidnapped by Don Reba, the Prime Minister of Arkanar. Mountains form in less time than it takes to save and reload the game. They remind him of the dangers of overly active meddling with the history of the planet. Maj. General Yevgeni Pavlovich Adamov (Popov) was a lawyer in ... See full summary », A group of scientists are sent to the planet Arkanar to help the local civilization, which is in the Medieval phase of its own history, to find the right path to progress. Despising and fearing knowledge, they will nonetheless inevitably decide to promote it in order to survive. A love that was there, tangible, alive, and that resisted through the hardest of conditions. Don Reba leads a campaign against all educated people in the kingdom, blaming them for all the calamities and misfortunes of the kingdom. Don Reba reveals that he has been watching Don Rumata for some time – in fact he recognizes Rumata as an impostor – the real Rumata having died a long time ago. Society still trapped in its own medieval era, there is some supernatural power behind Rumata the blink an... Power behind Rumata their conversation, Rumata, and altarpiece composed from 26 panels that a more active intervention take... 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