Yes, a lot of characters; yes, a lot of ideas, though there are far more in the book.
What else would you expect from a great Russian novel? Well worth the viewing - and the effort to read and understand the novel, Solzhenityn's finest.
I write this on the weekend of John Paul II's funeral - a time to remember just how evil Communism-in-practice was, and how great were the courage and faith of those few who rose from within with no weapon but the truth. As Solzhenitsyn wrote almost 50 years ago, "Our wishes, if they are truly great, are certain to be fulfilled." Of course, one can say that "The Truth will set you free." is an even better statement of the same basic idea...I won't disagree.
The movie does portray the finest part of Stalin's empire: the people who "became free all over again", and did not give in. An inspiration to us all...and never forget that there are little Lenins and little Stalins all around us, even here, even now, even in multinational companies and other "great" institutions, all building empires based on fear and greed, and all needing to be resisted.
Some readers of the book may be a bit surprised by the plot. It appears to me to be based on the "long" version of the novel. As told in Solzhenitsyn's autobiography, The Oak and The Calf, the published version of the novel is a bit toned down - the original version had a more political crime and a more political surface message, as does the movie.
What else would you expect from a great Russian novel? Well worth the viewing - and the effort to read and understand the novel, Solzhenityn's finest.
I write this on the weekend of John Paul II's funeral - a time to remember just how evil Communism-in-practice was, and how great were the courage and faith of those few who rose from within with no weapon but the truth. As Solzhenitsyn wrote almost 50 years ago, "Our wishes, if they are truly great, are certain to be fulfilled." Of course, one can say that "The Truth will set you free." is an even better statement of the same basic idea...I won't disagree.
The movie does portray the finest part of Stalin's empire: the people who "became free all over again", and did not give in. An inspiration to us all...and never forget that there are little Lenins and little Stalins all around us, even here, even now, even in multinational companies and other "great" institutions, all building empires based on fear and greed, and all needing to be resisted.
Some readers of the book may be a bit surprised by the plot. It appears to me to be based on the "long" version of the novel. As told in Solzhenitsyn's autobiography, The Oak and The Calf, the published version of the novel is a bit toned down - the original version had a more political crime and a more political surface message, as does the movie.