The big picture
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Hard to be a God
he delves into a chaotic society mired in filth and violence, challenging the notion of stagnation versus progress. - The film follows protagonist Don Rumata in a difficult position, torn between intervening to save lives and preserving a repressive status quo.
- Director Aleksei German's unique style combines idiosyncratic camerawork with immersive, grime-filled visuals, posing philosophical questions.
Do you like challenging science fiction? Do you like mud, as well as mud-like substances? If so, take note Alexei German end of career epic, Hard to be a God. Based on the 1964 novel of the same name by Boris and Arkady Strugatsky, the film is set in the city of Arkanar, on a distant planet populated by a species identical to humans, but at an earlier stage of social development. Specifically, Arkanar is stuck in the Middle Ages, and his Enlightenment is permanently delayed by a ruling authority that persists in murdering anyone in the city who tries to educate himself. The film is entirely housed in Anton's perspective (Leonid Yarmolnik), a visitor to Earth who masquerades as a local lord named Don Rumata and, due to his superior knowledge, is believed by most of the locals to be a god. Rumata is bound not to interfere too directly in the affairs of Arkanar, and therefore can do nothing but observe this society which is mired in misery, inequality and violence. Although the first half of this three-hour film seems to plunge you into the chaotic world without much guidance, a plot constantly emerges. By the time the movie ends, you've had a strange but fascinating experience that some would say is perfect from start to finish.
What is “Hard to be a God”?
First, Hard to be a God it seems to be nothing more than a series of chaotic experiences. We have a brief voiceover explaining that 30 scientists from our advanced Earth society were sent to Arkanar, on a less advanced planet that was expected to enter its “Renaissance” period of intellectual growth. However, what has developed instead is a violent suppression of talented intellectuals, artists, and even craftsmen, whom the film's characters mockingly call “Wise Guys.” The sense we get of this world from the beginning is almost everyone lives in some degree of filth and disease, and no one knows that life can be better than this. The film has often been compared to the nightmarish paintings of Hieronymus Bosch, but it can also be compared quite significantly to by Mike Judgeidiocracy, which also uses the idea of socially engineered planet-wide idiocy as a science fiction concept.
When we meet Don Rumata Hard to be a God, our unique protagonist, has been living in Arkanar for twenty years. He has witnessed the execution and murder of countless wise boys. He has orders to protect these people as best he can, smuggling them into neighboring cities where persecution is less acute. But otherwise, cannot intervene, and it is especially forbidden to kill. This is a familiar concept to most sci-fi fans: in the Star Trek universe, the Enterprise explored the galaxy but the Prime Directive prevented it from altering events on less advanced planets. However, the Strugatskis' novel, published in 1964, preceded the release of Star Trek: The Original Series.
Rumata, for her part, has accepted the chaos and degradation of her adapted home. He lives in a castle in the role of feudal lord, and has a household of many slaves. He drinks all day, has taken a local lover, and plays long, sad jazz solos on his alien trumpet. He tries to protect the citizens of Arkanar that Earth deems educated enough to advance its society out of the Dark Ages. But he has seen decades of ignorance and death, and has accepted the idea that life is cheap.
“Hard to be a God” puts its protagonist in a difficult position
Although Rumata has adapted to Arkanar's status quo, things can always get worse. When Rumata travels to the city to rescue Budakh (Yevgeny Gerchakov), a doctor he likes to talk to, learns from prison that the Greys, the fascist police tasked with executing the Wise Guys, have an aggressive new leader named Don Reba (Alexander Chutko). Reba is a zealous believer in the local superstitions, and has soon instigated a military coup, deposing the King of Arkanar and placing the Grays in charge.
Violence ensues. The chaos of the coup d'état puts even the earthlings of Rumata in danger. He is soon begged to intervene by his former slaves, who are aware that he has access to superior technology on Earth. Rumata must decide whether to intervene on behalf of the slave revolt, though she fears that even if the revolt is successful, human nature will lead the new regime to be as repressive as the Greys. At this point, surprisingly, we've come to care about many of these characters, enough we cling to the faint hope that Rumata is willing and able to prevent further tragedieseven if it means breaking his vow not to kill.
Who is Aleksei German, director of 'Hard to Be a God'?
Aleksei German was born in 1938 in what was then the Soviet Union. He directed his first solo film in 1971. Most of his films were set during the rule of Joseph Stalin, and criticized the oppression and cruelty of his regime's leadership. Although Stalin had already died by the time German was making films, this critical position made it difficult for him to finance films and Soviet censors often prevented those he made from being released. German was only able to complete six films throughout his 50-year career.
However, this production was enough to consolidate his reputation as one of the great directors. Although he never achieved the international recognition of his contemporaries, his work was heralded by cinephiles. famous, Martin Scorsese he tried to award his fifth film Khrustalyov, my car! – set during the chaotic aftermath of Stalin's death – the Palme d'Or when he was president of the jury at Cannes in 1998, but he could not convince his fellow jurors.
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Hard to be a God it was the last German-language film, and it was the fulfillment of a lifelong dream to adapt the Strugatskis' novel. The Strugatskys are the most prominent Russian science fiction authors, and Hard to be a God is one of his best-known works. However, the German was ignored for the 1989 adaptation of the novel (which included Werner Herzog in a small role!) for another director. Eventually, German was able to make his adaptation, although the production took an unusually long three years. And although it was the first German-language film to reach a larger audience, German did not get to enjoy the recognition as he died just before the film's official European release in 2013..
What makes “hard to be a god” so unique?
German-language films are not avant-garde or non-narrative, but they have an idiosyncratic way of presenting information to the camera. His style in the last two films was to employ long takes on a steadicam, drifting through chaotic events that wandered in and out of frame. It usually takes a second watch to get a real feel for the plot of his movies, but no more than two. And maybe not even that if you go in knowing that extra attention will be needed.
Of course, a second watch is a lot to ask for a three-hour black-and-white film with an unconventional plot. Luckily, Hard to be a God it's an immersive experience before the plot begins. German's view of humanity is unlike anything else in cinema. The film, which depicts an alien analogue of the life of a peasant, is famous for its depiction of filth. Although the film is largely set outside, we hardly ever see the sky; the camera is always tilted slightly downwards, into the mud and fog. In addition to this, the German layers a constant flow of bodily fluids. This is largely presented in a humorous way, as it would be a dirty comedy: there are a lot of latrines and the characters are constantly blowing their noses mid-conversation. But the German also mixes in some notes of body horror, as life in Arkanar is nasty, brutal and short.
The truly unique element of Hard to be a God it is also his most mysterious. As the camera moves in and around the Arkanar peasants and slaves, they often “notice” the camera. Although this leaves the viewer wondering if we're supposed to assume the camera is “present” in the world in some way, whether that's because we're from a character's point of view or some kind of futuristic footage science fiction device, this breaking of the fourth wall is never explained. However, it is undeniably effective in communicating the art of Arkanar. Its inhabitants are so clueless that they don't even remember to ignore the camera. It's a device that doesn't look like it should work as well as it does.
Hard to be a God it's not much like anything else, but there's plenty to compare it to to give you an idea of what it's like. The most common comparison is by Andrei Tarkovsky historical epic Andrei Rublev. Tarkovsky's career in the Soviet Union overlapped with that of Germany, although Tarkovsky received far more praise during his lifetime. Although by Tarkovsky Stalker is also an adaptation of a Strugatsky novel, Andrei RublevThe God's Eye depiction of the violent chaos of a medieval serf's life is more viscerally similar. If three-hour Russian epics aren't your thing, it's also interesting to compare German's sliding camera movements and slightly unsatisfying locking to the way the camera moves in video games, especially those that make the best use of format, such as Half-Life 2 or The last of us. Although Hard to be a God it's unusual and demands more of a viewer than most films, it's never really alienating. The logic of his approach, his extreme view of humanity and the philosophical questions he raises are accessible.
Hard to be a God is available to stream on Kanopy and rent on Apple TV+ in the US
Rent on Apple TV+
