This was both a surrealist old-west comedy, and at the same time a crookedly-philosophical postmodern commentary on the power of art -- and it's a huge success as both. As a basis for the comedy, there is a plentiful supply of plain good gags, from the cowboys dutifully repairing the saloon after they have destroyed it in a bar fight, to the "That was my steak!" running gag, to the perfectly stereotypical Indian Chief soberly declaring that the cowboys must never have heard of Charles Darwin.
The cowboys are, of course, perfectly self-conscious movieland cowboys - - hard-drinking and hard-fighting reductio ad absurdum. And they're utterly unfamiliar with the concept of art. So when Mr First arrives with the Absurdist premise and delivers cinema, it's films themselves that transform the cowboys from their unabashedly film-sourced stereotypical personalities. Is it a change for the better? Like all changes that art brings, that's open to interpretation. But it leads to the sight of an evil pastor declaring movies "the opium of the people."
And, of course, in an artless world where art is introduced, it has a literal, magical effect. The undertaker is out work because people don't want to die any more (he's a former philosopher, but that skill wasn't so much needed on the frontier), and our heroine wants a baby immediately after kissing -- because that's how it is in the movie. And, of course -- in a wonderful moment that perhaps encapsulates how this film makes memorable philosophical points almost casually while it jokes -- when the building is burnt down the movies and apparatus are undamaged because (in a possible nod to Bulgakov), quite literally "art does not burn" ("iskusstvo ne gorit")!
And while Mr First's influence may have been purifying, we see that Mr Second arrives at the end to put the money into film (where we know it remains), returning our cowboy heroes to their debouched ways. So art is powerful, but perhaps equivocal in it's power. And it ends with that cynical note, and a cheerful song (the music, by the way, its all extremely catchy).
The performers are excellent too; this is the third film of Andrey Mironov's that I've seen, and he keeps impressing me as a comedy performer. I'd almost call this obligatory for those who (like me) have a taste for Absurdist comedy and reflexive postmodern wit. And for those who just looking fro something funny, my recommendation still stands.
The cowboys are, of course, perfectly self-conscious movieland cowboys - - hard-drinking and hard-fighting reductio ad absurdum. And they're utterly unfamiliar with the concept of art. So when Mr First arrives with the Absurdist premise and delivers cinema, it's films themselves that transform the cowboys from their unabashedly film-sourced stereotypical personalities. Is it a change for the better? Like all changes that art brings, that's open to interpretation. But it leads to the sight of an evil pastor declaring movies "the opium of the people."
And, of course, in an artless world where art is introduced, it has a literal, magical effect. The undertaker is out work because people don't want to die any more (he's a former philosopher, but that skill wasn't so much needed on the frontier), and our heroine wants a baby immediately after kissing -- because that's how it is in the movie. And, of course -- in a wonderful moment that perhaps encapsulates how this film makes memorable philosophical points almost casually while it jokes -- when the building is burnt down the movies and apparatus are undamaged because (in a possible nod to Bulgakov), quite literally "art does not burn" ("iskusstvo ne gorit")!
And while Mr First's influence may have been purifying, we see that Mr Second arrives at the end to put the money into film (where we know it remains), returning our cowboy heroes to their debouched ways. So art is powerful, but perhaps equivocal in it's power. And it ends with that cynical note, and a cheerful song (the music, by the way, its all extremely catchy).
The performers are excellent too; this is the third film of Andrey Mironov's that I've seen, and he keeps impressing me as a comedy performer. I'd almost call this obligatory for those who (like me) have a taste for Absurdist comedy and reflexive postmodern wit. And for those who just looking fro something funny, my recommendation still stands.