We use terms like 'Depraved' and 'Inhumane', but we seldom see situations which truly warrant the use of those words. In Alix Lambert's The Mark of Cain you may even find those terms inadequate to describe what you will see.

I have to admit that I give this film Five Stars for being what it is, even though it's not what you expect it to be. Rather than a documentary about tattoos, this is an expose' of Russian political corruption, and the failure of a supposedly civilised nation to manage it's penal system. Even the officials interviewed in this film admit that lack of funding and supervision, leads them to warehouse humans in facilities that are not fit for animals. There is frank starvation, a complete lack of medical care, and overcrowding so severe that prisoners are forced to sleep in shifts, because there are twenty prisoners crammed into cells meant to house four, or perhaps six men. Meals, if you apply the term liberally enough to consider them as such, consist of bread and gruel that are so rancid, eating them makes the men sick. Prisoners regularly contract diseases from malnutrition. And Tuberculosis is so rampant that even the correction officers and prison officials have it.

Almost coincidentally, Alix Lambert's The Mark of Cain presents some insight into the meaning of Russian prison and gang tattoos. No image is what it appears to be. Each tattoo has a hidden meaning, and at least for the older generation, one must 'earn' the right to wear most types of tattoos. In Russia, as in the United States, wearing tattoos has become more of a fashion statement than a badge of personal or political status. But for hard-liners and old-timers in both countries, 'Ink' is serious business, and it's meaning and message is not something to be taken lightly. The film does not go very deeply into what each tattoo means, or even provide examples of a wide variety of tats. But you will be left with a sense of how deeply the men and women presented are affected by the ink they wear. And the sort of hopelessness and surrender to their condition that the inked designs can represent.

5人のお客様がこれが役に立ったと考えています

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Extremely well done documentary

2008年4月6日にアメリカ合衆国でレビュー済み

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The video does a great job of documenting life in a Russian prison. While not as detailed in the history and meaning of individual symbols as the Russian Criminal Tattoo Encyclopedias by Danzig Baldaev et al. it does a wonderful job of capturing the stories of a number of prisoners. Hearing their tones of voice and seeing their expressions convey the emotion much more than any book possibly could. Also of note, it covers the recent changes where wealthy criminals or people wanting to emulate the Vory v Zakone, "Thieves with a Code," are copying the tattoos or buying their way into the status of Vor, without regard to the code of the Vory. The stories of the prisoners are so compelling and the emotion so well captured I think this film would be appreciated by a wide audience, and not just people with interests in tattoos, Russia, organized crime, or prison life.

3人のお客様がこれが役に立ったと考えています

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White Wanderer

More in depth than the book

2010年7月29日に英国でレビュー済み

Although fascinating, I found the style of Ms. Lambert's book ( Russian Prison Tattoos: Codes of Authority, Domination and Struggle ) irritating, in that it took the form of patronising 'soundbites' arranged in a vaguely thematic manner, rather than letting the interviewees tell their own stories. I therefore bought the DVD hoping to hear the interviews in a more coherent form; what I was not expecting was the amount of new material.

If you bought and enjoyed the book, please do not let that put you off from buying this DVD; there is sufficient lack of overlap for the purchase to be worth it. If you bought the book but found it irritatingly lightweight, give the documentary a try: this is obviously Ms. Lambert's metier, and gives greater insight into the strange world to which she has gained access. If you have not read the book, prepare to be amazed.

This is far more than a film about tattoo art - although the tattoos are fascinating and often hauntingly beautiful - it encompasses shanson (the distinct style of prison-related popular music), the Russian penal system (where you can spend years in appallingly crowded conditions while awaitng trial), and some of the arcane customs associated with the Thieves' Code. Most of all, it is a snapshot of a society in transition, where the older prisoners mourn the passing of the old ways, since no one respects the status encoded in the traditional tattoos because now "everything can be got by money", whilst the younger ones regret the ending of the old government, because "under the Soviets you knew what sentence you would get" for a particular crime (and, presumably, plan your criminal career accordingly!)

More differences between film and book:
* the documentary does not cover women's prisons at all, whilst the book has a chapter devoted to them
* the documentary largely sidesteps the issues regarding forcible tattoos, as illustrated in the book with archive photographs
* the book illustrates its themes with photos drawn from all periods, whilst the documentary concentrates on the tattoos on the prisoners actually interviewed
* the material is orgsnised chronologically in the film, rather than thematically, as in the book - this makes it easier to understand the differences between the different types of incarceration involved in the Russian system
* the book expends considerable space on the state criminologists, who collect and study tattoos, but not on the guards; the documentary is more interested in the lives and attitudes of prison staff

Finally, for anyone who has read the book, the sight of the formidable Semyon (who put his enemies' heads on posts and wears tattoos illustrating his readiness to kill for hire) tap-dancing for the camera is not to be missed!

2人のお客様がこれが役に立ったと考えています

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Lord Maximus

An amazing & horrifying look at Russian Prison life

2010年4月5日にアメリカ合衆国でレビュー済み

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How this documentary was even made I don't know, because the use of tattoo machines in Russian prisons is forbidden. Its heart breaking to see a country takes its churches and turn them into prisons. The negative affects of communism are show here perfectly. Thru the story you hear of a man who steals 4 windows and getting 5 years hard labor, while a murderer will only get 3, it just makes no sense what so ever. I recommend this to anyone, its an absolute wake up call.

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Vlad

Awesome

2009年6月2日にアメリカ合衆国でレビュー済み

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This documentary is captivating and very interesting. We learn more about the Zone and the Vory v Zakone and much more through these criminals wearing those famous tattoos. I recommend this DVD.

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Alix Lambert's the Mark of Cain [DVD]

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