Red Hot
In 1959, a young Soviet musician risks everything to pursue his newfound love of American rock 'n' roll. Starring Balthazar Getty, Carla Gugino, Golden Globe winner Donald Sutherland and directed by A…
Red Hot
In 1959, a young Soviet musician risks everything to pursue his newfound love of American rock 'n' roll. Starring Balthazar Getty, Carla Gugino, Golden Globe winner Donald Sutherland and directed by Academy Award winner Paul Haggis. In the 1950's rock and roll becomes very popular around the world. But in Russia, that kind of music is banned. Only, Alexi, a teenager with great musical talent, receives from his travel ling uncle rock records and his friend decides to make copies to sell on the black market. Alexi falls in love with the daughter of an important minister to the Russian government. The records soon become a national threat and the KGB does not appreciate. —Steve Richer <sricher@sympatico.ca> It's 1959. Alexi Fradis is a gifted student at a music school in Riga, Latvia, U.S.S.R. From a working class family, Alexi is resting his future on getting into the music academy. Alexi likes Valentina Kirov, one of his classmates who comes from a privileged background and who does not have a natural talent for music like him, but who still dreams of becoming a concert pianist. From a trip to the west, Alexi's Uncle Dimitri, a seaman and violinist, illegally smuggles into the country some 45's for him. After listening to the records, Alexi has no idea what type of music it is, but he is invigorated by what he hears. It's rock and roll, banned music as it is deemed anti-Communist. Regardless, it begins to influence Alexi's musical direction, he and three friends who have thoughts of starting their own rock and roll band, which is again an illegal act. Alexi's best friend, Sasha Kostygin, has flooded the underground market with bootlegged copies of Alexi's records. The authorities find out about the recordings, the authorities who include Valentina's high ranking government diplomat father. As the authorities begin to clamp down on the perpetrators of promoting this banned music, Alexi has to decide if his want for free musical expression is worth the price of potentially not making it into the music academy and/or losing his freedom altogether. —Huggo
Red Hot
Drama,Music
Film Details
In 1959, a young Soviet musician risks everything to pursue his newfound love of American rock 'n' roll. Starring Balthazar Getty, Carla Gugino, Golden Globe winner Donald Sutherland and directed by Academy Award winner Paul Haggis. In the 1950's rock and roll becomes very popular around the world.
But in Russia, that kind of music is banned. Only, Alexi, a teenager with great musical talent, receives from his travel ling uncle rock records and his friend decides to make copies to sell on the black market. Alexi falls in love with the daughter of an important minister to the Russian government.
The records soon become a national threat and the KGB does not appreciate. —Steve Richer <sricher@sympatico.ca> It's 1959. Alexi Fradis is a gifted student at a music school in Riga, Latvia, U.S.S.R.
From a working class family, Alexi is resting his future on getting into the music academy. Alexi likes Valentina Kirov, one of his classmates who comes from a privileged background and who does not have a natural talent for music like him, but who still dreams of becoming a concert pianist. From a trip to the west, Alexi's Uncle Dimitri, a seaman and violinist, illegally smuggles into the country some 45's for him.
After listening to the records, Alexi has no idea what type of music it is, but he is invigorated by what he hears. It's rock and roll, banned music as it is deemed anti-Communist. Regardless, it begins to influence Alexi's musical direction, he and three friends who have thoughts of starting their own rock and roll band, which is again an illegal act.
Alexi's best friend, Sasha Kostygin, has flooded the underground market with bootlegged copies of Alexi's records. The authorities find out about the recordings, the authorities who include Valentina's high ranking government diplomat father. As the authorities begin to clamp down on the perpetrators of promoting this banned music, Alexi has to decide if his want for free musical expression is worth the price of potentially not making it into the music academy and/or losing his freedom altogether.
—Huggo.