I have about $230 left for DVD titles for the library collection I’m building. (I received a one-time gift of $10,000 from a very generous and sainted patron and after some choices that would make Sophie’s look like a coin-toss [between two kids you always have a favorite, but between a silent classic, a Kenneth Anger collection, a Hitchcock addition, and LOTR: TTT, THAT’S a hard choice] I hammered out a list of about 300 films, give or take.)
Anyway, since this is for an academic library I wanted to get as many literary adaptations and as many foreign movies as possible and this is of course both. I know the story of it: financed by the Soviet gov’t, cast of 120,000 extras, possibly the most expensive movie ever made, etc.) but the reviews are wildly mixed between CLASSIC! and UNWATCHABLE!. Have you seen any or all of it, and would you add it? (Other Russian films I’ve ordered include Offret, Stalker, Solaris, Moscow Doesn’t Care for Tears, and a few others.)
All the reviews, incidentally, said that it was incredibly true to the book.
Also: there are two versions available- one is $40 and the other is $80. Does anybody know what the difference is (other than $40)?