Gagarin: First in Space
| Gagarin. Pervyy v kosmose (English: Gagarin: First in Space) | |
|---|---|
 English release film poster | |
| Directed by | Pavel Parkhomenko |
| Produced by |
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| Written by |
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| Based on | Vostok 1 |
| Starring |
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| Music by | George Callis |
| Cinematography | Anton Antonov |
| Edited by |
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Production company |
Kremlin Films |
| Distributed by |
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Release dates |
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Running time | 108 minutes |
| Country | Russia |
| Language |
Russian (with other-languages subtitled) |
| Budget | $9.5 million (estimated) |
Gagarin. Pervyy v kosmose (English DVD title: Gagarin: First in Space) is a 2013 Russian docudrama biopic about the first man in space, Yuri Gagarin, and the mission of Vostok 1. It was released by Central Partnership theatrically in Russia on June 6, 2013, and in the United Kingdom on DVD on June 23, 2014 by Entertainment One. The film's running time of 108 minutes approximates the time it took Gagarin to go around the Earth before returning. It stars Yaroslav Zhalnin as Soviet fighter pilot and cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin. The film received mixed reviews, with some critics praising the film's acting, direction and storytelling with others touching on the film's "cheap-looking" visual effects and attempts to market the film's artistic style to Alfonso Cuarón's science fiction epic Gravity. The film received criticism for its state funding and ignoring the aftermath of the flight.
Plot
On April 12, 1961, Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin blasted off in a Vostok rocket, becoming the first human in space and orbiting Earth for 108 minutes. He was one of the first group of cosmonauts who were selected from over three thousand fighter pilots throughout the Soviet Union.
The legendary top twenty who were selected were the ace of aces and none of the pilots knew which amongst them would make history on the first manned flight. Once chosen Gagarin is fast-tracked to train for the unknown and the trip of a life time.
Whilst strapped into his rocket, Gagarin reflects on his life, which is intercut with the determination of the Russian space team and their untiring efforts to conquer space.
Cast
- Yaroslav Zhalnin as Yuri Gagarin
- Mikhail Filippov as Sergey Korolev
- Olga Ivanova as Valentina Ivanova
- Vadim Michman as German Titov
- Vladimir Steklov as Nikolai Kamanin
- Viktor Proskurin as Yuri's father
- Nadezhda Markina as Yuri's mother
- Daniil Vorobyov as Grigory Nelyubov
- Inga Strelkova-Oboldina as Adilya Kotovskaya
- Sergey Tezov as Colonel Karpov
- Anatoliy Otradnov as Andrian Nikolaev
- Vladimir Chuprikov as Nikita Khrushchev
- Sergey Laktyunkin as Valeriy Bykovsky
- Anatoliy Gushchin as Alexei Leonov
- Dmitriy Tikhonov as Konstantin Feoktistov
- Sergey Kalashnikov as Pavel Popovich
- Anzor Kamariddinov as Mars Rafikov
- Sergey Kagakov as Oleg Ivanovsky
- Nina Esina as Zoya
- Olga Yakovtseva as Tanya
- Danila Bukrin as Boriska
- Vadim Golishnikov as Boris Rauschenbach
Release
The film was released on DVD and Digital Download on June 23, 2014 by Entertainment One. Despite being filmed in HD the film has currently not been released on Blu-ray, however it is in HD on Amazon Video. A Russian release date has not been confirmed though expected soon.
Reception
Gagarin: First in Space received mixed reviews. Michael Dodd of Bring the noise gave the film a 7/10. He said "Despite solid acting and superb direction there is an area in which this film unfortunately suffers, and that is its special effects. Shots of Gagarin's rocket, both on the launch pad and flying above the Earth, look cheap and unconvincing, which is not good when all the press surrounding the movie".[1] He said that the film was trying to copy the artistic style of Gravity. This is present in the films DVD cover with resembles the style of Gravity.
The film ignored the rest of Gagarin's life, Daily Telegraph reviewer Martin Chilton said, and his death, for which there are many conspiracy theories.[2][3] He noted other criticisms of the film as "sanitized",[4] reporting that Gagarin's family supported the film, after having taken legal action against two previous depictions of Gagarin, in a musical and a fictional drama.[2]
Relationship to other films
The film tells the same story as the British documentary film First Orbit, which re-uses footage of the original flight. First Orbit has received acclaim for its historical accuracy. Critics have noted similarities to the 2013 British-Mexican sci-fi epic Gravity. It was mentioned that Gagarin might be trying to use the popularity of Gravity as a marketing ploy. This is particularly noticeable in the UK DVD release, which uses the same font and colours as the release of Gravity.
References
- ↑ http://www.bringthenoiseuk.com/201406/films/film-review-gagarin-first-in-space
- 1 2 Chilton, Martin. "Yuri Gagarin movie attracts criticism". The Telegraph. Retrieved July 26, 2014.
- ↑ Osborn, Andrew. "Yuri Gagarin death mystery solved after 40 years". The Telegraph. Retrieved July 26, 2014.
- ↑ Chilton, Martin. "Yuri Gagarin movie attracts criticism". The Telegraph. Retrieved July 26, 2014. The TV channel Rain accused Parkhomenko of having "made a deadly retro film as if he was turning a feature from Pravda into a film".