Genres

Visitors Review

mc23 2012-05-25 00:59:04

Bizarre revisionism

Australian film creates the bizarre story of an Australian labor leaderwhosleeps with Stalin just before he dies and then raises his son. The movierelies on biological determinism and individual personality traits tocreatebourgeois criticisms of Stalin as an evil tyrant and leader of apersonalitycult.

Nat Williams 2012-05-24 14:32:48

Unsettling and unsettled

This movie has a promising premise: A near-fanatical pro-communist youngwoman travels to Moscow and has a dalliance with Stalin (and may haveunwittingly killed him!). Upon her return to her native Australia anddiscovery that she's pregnant, she marries her eager, long-suffering suitorand continues in her work for the party.The movie appeared to be two in one. The first half was promising, providingdecent political satire in the form of black humor. But the second halfdeveloped into a dark drama devoid of any humor. In the end, I wasn't sureexactly what was being conveyed.

Didier 2012-05-22 12:46:07

LOVE COMRADE

This must be one of the most refreshing surprises I saw in a long time!Looks boring but it's ultrahilarious. In documentary style we learnsomethingabout Australia's dirty history (well this is a satire so don't check outthe net for verification, okay?)We go back in the early fifties at where we find an Australian communistJoan Fraser (Judy davis) who really would give her life for the red star,itgoes so far that she can arrange to meet the man Stalin himself (all ofcourse before the public knew of his slaughters) and what Joan neverexpected...she ends up in bed with Stalin but as the man is walking onhislast feet, he dies... Agent Nine (Sam Neil) tells her she's a hero whosavedRussia and that same night she also ends up in his bed....Not knowing what to do Joan returns to Australia finding out that she ispregnant. She doesn't tell her Australian boyfriend who the father of herchild is....but the poor b*****d accepts. But soon trouble happens whenagent Nine returns to the land of the kangaroos...cos the question is :whois the father? He or Stalin? Things of hilarious things are following andwefollow the days of the child Joe welch (Richard Roxburgh). For communistmumhe's a perfect child...always to be seen at manifestations against theVietnamwar but then the nightmare strikes...Joe falls in love with afemalecop!Really it's totally hilarious even if the personages always stay soberbutit's the kind of script that leaves you not one minute in silence. Aperfectfilm from a rather unknown director, see it!!!!

skrwl 2012-05-22 05:52:56

wow...

...this is an extremely well-conceived, well-written, well-acted,andwell-made film. The dialogue, in both its everyday scenarios and heatedexchanges, is excellent; and the mockumentary style meshes perfectly withthe nicely segmented, ever-twisting plot. Then, after making light of someserious history, the ending takes a dark, ironic turn to drive home itsmessage that whatever political system you choose, the worst elements inhuman nature are here to stay...

david-sarkies 2012-05-19 20:18:38

What Stalin's love child does to Australia

Some Australian movies are crap, but some are actually quite clever.This is one movie that I think is quite clever. It is about a fanaticalcommunist woman who goes on a trip to Russia, sleeps with Stalin, andthen returns to Australia and has his baby. It is not a drama but acomedy. This baby, Joseph, grows up to become the splitting image ofhis father and almost takes over Australia.The thing I find interesting is how Joseph takes over Australia. He isin prison for draft dodging and rescues some people from a fire. Forhis bravery he is given a full pardon, and with that he makes a speechin favour of giving prison guards better working conditions. With thesupport of the guards and the police, he is elected head of the policeunion and uses his control of the police to increase his power.The ending seems to be conclusive, but I think that there is more to itthan not. Basically, fearing that her son may be killed, the Joseph'smother tells everybody that he is the son of Stalin. She is thenassassinated by somebody that Joseph knew in prison. The connection ismade and he is arrested. The problem with that is that with thenewspapers printing that he is the son of Stalin is grounds fordefamation, and in his position, he can manipulate the DNA tests andmake it seem that he is not Stalin's son. Then there is the murder. Thelink is tenuous, and a guy that is as intelligent and as devious asJoseph will be able to beat the charge and return to his job, all thewhile eliminating his enemies.This movie is a comedy, and it starts off as one, but as the end nearsthe pace becomes much less comical and much more serious. The ideaabout how Joseph takes over Australia is a very plausible one. Thecreator of the movie obviously put a lot of thought into how it mightbe done.It is interesting to note how his life is very similar to that ofStalin's. He has a last name that should be changed (Hitler andStalin), he is in prison for a short time as a political prisoner, andhe works his way to the top through bureaucratic manipulation. Hitlerand Stalin were both like that, though that is probably not the routeof most dictators.Still, I thought that this was a great movie and like some of the ideasthat are raised in it.

wombat_1 2012-05-19 09:39:21

Wot exactly is the movie trying to say?

I'm heartened to see that several other critics in this column wereapparently as confused as I was by this movie. The individual gags arequitefunny, but overall, what is this movie about? Is it a comedy? Certainlythat's part of it, but is that all? Is it an anti-communist film thatrelieson comedy to make its point? Well, it might be, but if so, then I think itfails. Or does it have no overall statement to make at all? A bitdifficultto believe, given some of the plot lines.

Lee Eisenberg 2012-05-17 07:05:45

Who's your daddy?

Quirky what-if flick about young Australian communist Joan Fraser Welch(Judy Davis), who gets impregnated by Joseph Stalin (F. Murray Abraham,who seriously does manage to look like the dictator) on the day that hedies, and has to raise the son without letting the boy know the wholestory. "Children of the Revolution" gives one a sense of the sometimestense situation down under in the '50s, which prompts Joan to go to theSoviet Union in the first place. But more than anything - in my opinion- it shows how, even though the USSR clearly betrayed its ideals, Joanmaintains hers. She and her family never give up hope of a betterfuture. Definitely worth seeing. Also starring Geoffrey Rush, RichardRoxburgh and Sam Neill.

aberlour36 2012-05-16 22:05:12

A failed black comedy

While Judy Davis and Sam Neill give their usual fine performances, thescript is so weak that the entire film crashes. It's supposed to be achronicle of a wild-eyed Communist who has sex with Stalin and gives birthto an extremist who enjoys being handcuffed. Sight gags (walking into atree) and silliness (Stalin's successors act up like the three stooges athis death) provide the only comic relief from this dreary tale that seemstogo on for hours.

2012-05-10 05:34:11

Australiam Communist satrical comedy

This review is from: Children of the Revolution (DVD) Synopsis: A blindly idealistic Australian Communist believes so fervently in the Revolution that she writes weekly love letters to Joseph Stalin, conceives his child (or so she believes), and raises a son in... A blindly idealistic Australian Communist believes so fervently in the Revolution that she writes weekly love letters to Joseph Stalin, conceives his child (or so she believes), and raises a son in the tradition of iron-fisted tyranny. A scathing, idiosyncratic satire of ideological zealotry in general, comprising straight narrative, newsreels and archival footage, and farcical comedy. Starring: Judy Davis, Sam Neill, F. Murray Abraham, Richard Roxburgh.Highly recommend for those that love political satire with a great soundtrack!

planktonrules 2012-05-09 14:07:19

are you sure this is really a comedy?!

I knew absolutely nothing about this film before I saw it and I don'tthink I had any an preconceptions. The story sounded oddlyinteresting--a woman who claimed her son was the bastard of JosephStalin! Well, despite the quirkiness of the premise, it just bored meimmensely. It certainly wasn't funny nor was it particularlyentertaining. I think part of the problem is that IF it originally wasmeant to be a comedy (and I'm not sure that really was the intention),how can Joseph Stalin be funny?! You would think that the fact that hewas one of the greatest murderers in human history would preclude anyattempt at comedy! If that WAS their intention, it was a very sick jokeand may perhaps illustrate a problem with whoever was responsible forthis film. Was this film, perhaps, meant less as a joke and more as ahomage to Stalin or to paint him as not such a bad guy? Who knows. Forthat matter, who cares? All I know is you shouldn't waste your time.FYI--if you think I am being too narrow-minded or unfair to thepicture, try substituting "Joseph Stalin" for Hitler, Charles Manson orJeffrey Dahmer as the focus of this movie. Do you think all theirvictims would find this movie a barrel of laughs?

jean-no 2012-05-05 00:07:51

not extremely funny, not bad either

I heard a lot of nice things about this little film : good surprise, funnycomedy... Well I'd gave it a 6, not more. The acting is very good, that'smaybe the best point. The storyline contains some good ideas, but the wholething seemed to me a little weak, even a little boring : every detail isshown ten times for who didn't watch well, it's not far from thetelletubbies tv show.I'd advise best a 1993 very funny (but also poetic) movie called "NotEverybody's Lucky Enough to Have Communist Parents" that has a similarcharacter : the mother, who puts her politic engagement upper thananything.

2012-05-04 13:57:02

The best Aussie flick since Gallipoli

This wonderful, sparkling bubbly commentary is simply a masterpiece. Showing the exploits of a Communist mother and her suspecting son this movie is not only a commentary on COmmunism and the excess of liberalism but it is also a hilarious film with an amazing funny cast and a profound group of intrigue. The main character is followed through his life as he slowly realizes he is none other then the son of Stalin, the man his mother loves but who he learns to loathe. Yet as time goes on the viewer is led to wonder: Maybe in his rejection of his father he actually becomes him. Funny, great. Wonderful!!!!

TrevorAclea 2012-04-30 23:22:39

"I don't know, frankly, how we'll ever get the revolution going with 6 o'clock closing."

1996 Australian black comedy Children of the Revolution is one of thoseideas that sounds better on paper than it plays on screen. It's theCold War and Judy Davis is a hardline doctrinaire Communist obliviousto sad sack boyfriend Geoffrey Rush's attempts to win her hand becauseher heart belongs to Josef Stalin. When the dictator gets to see herletters - and more importantly her photo - he invites her to Moscowwhere a night of passion leaves him dead and her pregnant. MarryingRush and raising the boy with her ideals (and a thing for gettingarrested), he grows up to threaten a real revolution from within thesystem when he unionises both the Prison Service and the Police, but,as his mounting paranoia about his parentage as his office and hisphysique slowly merge into mirror images of Stalin, it's not quite therevolution she had in mind...Boasting a good cast and Richard Roxburgh, who is surprisingly adequatefor a change, it never really catches fire. The tone is never quiteright, leaving some of the best ideas high and dry while too manymoments like Beria and Kruschev providing backing vocals for F. MurrayAbraham's Stalin's rendition of I Get a Kick Out of You show the actorsstruggling with scenes that they all-too-clearly know just aren'tworking. Even Sam Neill occasionally seems unsure of how far to go orhold back as a treble agent of no particular loyalty who may or may notbe young Joe's real father but certainly is the one who killed Joe'swife's parents (and their entire village) on Stalin's orders. On theplus side it does offer a role that perfectly suits Judy Davis'traditionally unsympathetic one-note anger for once, though it'sGeoffrey Rush who impresses the most, managing to create a characterwho is both funny and believably human amid the stereotypes. Nice try,but no cigar.

Steve Rigby 2012-04-30 11:25:23

Well Done Comedy/Drama

As a son who grew up in a family of communists, I found this movie veryinsightful: the twists and turns of what fervent idealists took to beworker's paradise through the 50s, 60s, 70s and then to the end of thedream in the late 80s/early 90s was very well portrayed, especiallywith Judy Davis' stalwart commitment, which was portrayed quitesympathetically; the dark side of her family relationships was alsopoignantly sketched, as were her son's struggles with history: bothglobal and personal; all in all, a superb blend of the comic and thedramatic: a genre it's very easy to screw up and is rarely, if ever,handled as deftly as it was here.

Peter Wilkin 2012-04-26 11:38:07

Explores the sexual aspects of the motive to power.

Brilliant performances from the whole cast set a unique story line ablazewith sparkling moments. Dark turns of plot are relieved by fascinatingpsycho-sexual revelations, and the whole effect is one of uplift asdisasteris averted through enlightenment and personal sacrifice.

judytan 2012-04-26 09:39:47

Brilliant funny and quirky.

This film brought tears of joy and laughter to my family when we sawit. I guess you had to be there or you had to be the child ofAustralian lapsed communist actors in the 1950s to see how wickedly aptJudy Davis' performance was- Lines like "Its hard to plan a revolutionwith six o'clock closing" had us rolling on the floor. Loved it. LovedRichard Roxburgh. Loved all the cast and in particular loved thepremise and the plot. Joe Stalin as the father of this almost physcoticlove child. All the innocence of Sydney in the 1950s. All those quirkycharacters and all those great one liners. I cannot believe that thisfilm never really gained the recognition it deserved.Its a must see!

Gordon-11 2012-04-25 14:45:04

Interesting comedy

This film is about a woman obsessed with Communism, and her life afterbearing Stalin's child.The film is meant to be a comedy, and it should be viewed as so. Forgetthe political backdrop of it, and you will find it quite amusing. Ifind Judy Davis' performance as the obsessed woman very magnetic. Shehas this dedicated enthusiasm towards Communism, and she portrays it sowell. Her despair towards the end of the film, when Communismexperiences downfall, is also depicted well. Though it is a comedy, Ifind the pace rather slow, which is more like a drama. Overall, I thinkit is an intelligent comedy, much better than the average toilet jokefilms.

Sean Gallagher 2012-04-25 03:56:03

Odd but on-target and funny movie

I'm a huge fan of Judy Davis, so I was eager to see her in a movie from her native land for a change, and this ranks with her best performances. It'sodd to find a mid-90's film that's a satire on communism, but writer-director Peter Duncan and Davis do a good job here. Although Davis' character,Joan Fraser, is so single-minded, she and Duncan don't make the mistake of caricaturing her, instead making a strong, energetic person who happens to bea zealot.The movie does stumble with F. Murray Abraham's portrayal of Stalin. In hishands, Stalin is a caricature, and so the potential unease we might have onJoan's behalf (though she's fiercely dedicated, she wouldn't stand behind amass murderer) is passed over, and he comes off like a marshmallow. On theother hand, the ever-reliable Sam Neill is a perfect fit as the secret agent Joan comes in contact with, Geoffrey Rush is good as the long-sufferingZachary, who Joan dominates with the same fervor she dominates political meetings, and Richard Roxburgh is funny as Joan's son Joe, who, naturally,becomes a police leader. The best support, however, comes from Rachel Griffiths as Joe's girlfriend, also a cop.

Wulfstan10 2012-04-24 08:10:32

Such Promise, Mostly Wasted

This film had so much promise. The basic idea of the plot, Stalin'slove child trying to find himself, is incredibly funny and original.Some of the actors are great, in particular F. Murray Abraham, who doesa wonderful job at Stalin. There are some really great, weird, darklyhumorous parts to the film. This good part of the film especiallycentres around Stalin himself, in part since the whole idea of making acomedy about Stalin, a decidedly unfunny person, is itself hilariousand brilliant.However, the film mostly falls flat. It has many really boring partswhich seem thrown in because the makers didn't know what else to dowhile the funniest themes are left underdeveloped, with a failure tofully use the great comic potential within the film. Other aspects arejust plain lame or fail to come together and much of the film seems tojust drag on, stumbling aimlessly onward, lost and without any idea ofwhere it should be heading. The result gives the impression that themakers of this film realised that this was wonderful premise but thenhad no idea what to do with it.

2012-04-23 13:37:37

Cineam at its best!

Sam Neil at his best. The writers should be comende for a great piece of political satire!