This series would be very useful to complement Soviet studies courses and will be interesting to public library patrons as well. As the soundtrack's classical score mixes with personal commentary, Black Square examines the lives of 25 artists as it explores the struggles of modern painters in the Soviet Union and reveals their experiences under the Communist regime. These artists have great admiration for Kasimir Malevich, the creator of Black Square and considered to be the father of Russian modern art. The narration reviews their works through the medium of reading an open letter to Malevich from this group of artists. An interlude presenting a rock group singing gives this production the special touch of an American rock video.
Dialogues is a most unusual production.
It consists of a mixture of wild, improvisational musical solos combined with colorful showmanship, as it veers from fashion to popular rock to traditional jazz to experimentation. The production is designed to evoke strong audience response - tears or laughter. This documentary is expertly edited to convey the emotional variation from one musician's style to another. Dialogues begins slowly and builds to a crescendo finale. Often, the use of white lettering for the subtitles without a contrasting background box hampers the viewer's ability to read the translation.