Conceived Over 35 Years, Produced Over 15 Years: A Masterpiece Decades in the Making

Alexei German, a director known for his works set against the backdrop of the Soviet Union and based on historical events, faced censorship and bans from the Soviet government throughout his career. His final film, however, was his first foray into science fiction.

The original novel, 'The Second Invasion from Mars' (published in 1964 by Russian authors Arkady and Boris Strugatsky), was intended by Alexei German to be his directorial debut. However, during the Cold War, the project had to be abandoned. It would take 35 years of conception and 15 years of production, spanning nearly half a century, for the film to finally be realized.

After a six-year shooting schedule that began in 2000, the film underwent a five-year editing process. Sadly, in February 2013, just as production reached its final stages, the director passed away at the age of 74. His son, director Alexei German Jr., took over his father's work to bring the film to completion.

Leonid Yarmolnik, who also served as a producer, delivers a powerful performance as the protagonist, Don Rumata. The film also features a cast of acclaimed Russian actors, with director German himself meticulously selecting every extra.

The Setting: A Harsh World of Oppression, Slaughter, and Eradication of Intellectual Property

The city of Arkanar on a distant planet, approximately 800 years behind Earth in development, resembles a medieval Renaissance setting. Earth sent a team of scientists and historians to observe this city.

However, twenty years after the initial infiltration, the city remains a landscape of oppression, slaughter, and the destruction of intellectual property, with no signs of cultural progress.

Don Rumata, one of the Earthlings, is revered by the planet's inhabitants as a god-like figure possessing knowledge and power from the future. Yet, he is forbidden from intervening in politics and can only observe the brutality perpetrated by those in power.

An overwhelmingly immersive visual experience. And the sorrow of a man who became a 'god.' Alexei German's final work, a culmination of his career, arrives in Japan.

'Hard to Be a God'
Opening Saturday, March 21st, at Eurospace Shibuya and other theaters nationwide.
Director | Alexei German
Starring | Leonid Yarmolnik, Aleksandr Chutko, Yuri Alekseyevich Tsurilo, Evgeny Gerchakov
Distributor | IVC
2013 | Russia | 177 min
http://www.ivc-tokyo.co.jp/kamigami/