Jazzmen

Karen Shakhnazarov, 1983; 88m

Set in the '20s, Karen Shakhnazarov's wonderful Jazzmen takes the shifting cultural politics of jazz in the Soviet Union as studied in such wonderful films as Frederick Starr's Red and Hot and gives it a powerful human dimension. Konstantin, a talented music student, is expelled for his refusal to abide the official opinion that jazz, despite its widespread popularity, is to be frowned upon as a debased form of capitalist art. Konstantin literally takes to the streets, and he soon finds a few kindred souls, who share his passion and are similarly willing to endure the wrath of the cultural establishment. The original Russian title translates more accurately to "We Are Jazz," and the conflation of the spirit of these characters with that of the music seems especially appropriate.

by Richard Pena