Prisoner of the Mountains (1996)
2 Hostages In a Village So Remote


By JANET MASLIN
Published: January 31, 1997
THE NEW YORK TIMES


The setting is exotic and beautiful, as if Sergei Bodrov's ''Prisoner of the Mountains'' were a travelogue rather than a war story. In a remote Muslim village high in the Caucasus Mountains, two Russian soldiers abruptly find themselves taken hostage. Their captors live in pristine isolation, following archaic customs in a place that time seems to have passed by. ''The mountains will protect us,'' the children sing. ''The wind frightens the heart of any stranger here.''

Certainly it frightens Sacha (Oleg Menshikov), a dashing and seasoned soldier, and Vanya (Sergei Bodrov Jr., the director's son), a brand-new recruit. These two remain in limbo throughout most of Mr. Bodrov's strong and affecting pacifist fable, which is based on Tolstoy's novella ''Prisoner of the Caucasus.'' Summoning images of Chechnya (the film was shot in nearby Dagestan), it tells a story of irreconcilable conflict that remains all too timely 150 years after it was written.

As the two Russians get to know each other and their captors, they experience a mixture of fascination and fear. The Muslims of the village intrigue the soldiers, and the feeling becomes mutual; even the audience will feel its share of curiosity, thanks to the film's acute eye for rich, mysterious detail in the village setting. And as Mr. Bodrov's visually appealing film moves forward in a relaxed spirit that belies its sense of danger, the reasons for fighting between these two factions become increasingly irrelevant. But however proud and independent they appear, this story's characters know they are only pawns in a larger game.

Abdoul-Mourat (Jamal Sihouralidze), the village's stern leader, has a son who is being held prisoner by Russian troops. And he considers trading Sacha and Vanya for his son's freedom. Or else, the villagers hint darkly, these two could be sold into slavery.

Meanwhile, the pretty little daughter of Abdoul-Mourat, a girl named Dina (Susanna Mekhraliyeva) with the look of a dark-eyed Gypsy sprite, is eager to flirt with her father's captives. Though very young, she seems to understand both the prisoners' humanity and the exigencies of war.

''Prisoner of the Mountains,'' which opens today at Lincoln Plaza, is directed by Mr. Bodrov with both an oddly tranquil spirit and the awareness of a tightening noose. The juxtaposition of these incongruous moods gives the film its quiet power. The captives' potential nightmare becomes a voyage of discovery, up to and even beyond the point where the realities of war become grimly clear. Mr. Bodrov allows one character's wry humor and sang-froid to sustain him even beyond the grave.

Mr. Menshikov, seen in Nikita Mikhalkov's ''Burnt by the Sun,'' cuts a dashing figure and adds drama to the two soldiers' complicated friendship. In his more ingenuous way, the younger Mr. Bodrov is just as good. Mr. Bodrov makes an affecting debut thanks to his father, who let him take a break from a graduate dissertation on Renaissance art to play this role. The other players, who are nonprofessional actors, perform with the same simple grace.
''Prisoner of the Mountains'' is rated R (Under 17 requires accompanying parent or adult guardian). It includes partial nudity and brief violence.



PRISONER OF THE MOUNTAINS

Directed by Sergei Bodrov; written (in Russian, with English subtitles) by Arif Aliev, Mr. Bodrov and Boris Giller, inspired by the Leo Tolstoy novella ''Prisoner of the Caucasus''; director of photography, Pavel Lebeshev; edited by Olga Grinshpun, Vera Kruglova and Alan Baril; music by Leonid Desyatnikov; produced by Mr. Giller and Mr. Bodrov; released by Orion Classics. At Lincoln Plaza Cinemas, Broadway at 63d Street. Running time: 98 minutes. This film is rated R.

WITH: Oleg Menshikov (Sacha), Sergei Bodrov Jr. (Vanya), Jamal Sihouralidze (Abdoul-Mourat) and Susanna Mekhraliyeva (Dina).