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Meeting Gorbachev

Play trailer 2:05 Poster for Meeting Gorbachev Released May 3, 2019 1h 31m Documentary Play Trailer Watchlist
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86% Tomatometer 77 Reviews 68% Popcornmeter 50+ Ratings
Mikhail Gorbachev, former president of the Soviet Union, sits down with filmmaker Werner Herzog to discuss his many achievements. Topics include the talks to reduce nuclear weapons, the reunification of Germany and the dissolution of his country.
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Meeting Gorbachev

Meeting Gorbachev

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Critics Consensus

Meeting Gorbachev plays to filmmaker Werner Herzog's endlessly inquisitive strengths -- and reveals the fascinating story of a pivotal political figure.

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Critics Reviews

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Kevin Maher Times (UK) Leave it to Werner Herzog. The iconoclastic German film-maker ditches the documentary rule book for this intimate profile of the 88-year-old former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev. Rated: 4/5 Nov 11, 2019 Full Review Donald Clarke Irish Times For all [its] flaws, Meeting Gorbachev remains a fascinating study of a remarkable life. Rated: 3/5 Nov 8, 2019 Full Review Peter Bradshaw Guardian Despite the film's obvious interest, it is a bit conceited and stately, a little like Wim Wenders' movie about Pope Francis, though without the sycophancy. Or almost. Rated: 3/5 Nov 8, 2019 Full Review Brian Eggert Deep Focus Review Meeting Gorbachev is about looking into the past from one man's perspective and seeing how a missed opportunity can unravel the entire planet. Rated: 3.5/4 Feb 26, 2022 Full Review David Walsh World Socialist Web Site The film is a mass of contradictions the muddle-headed Herzog never stops to try and reconcile. Feb 11, 2021 Full Review Vladan Petkovic Cineuropa Fell short of expectations. Sep 18, 2020 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Nawt W I'm not going to surprise anyone by stating this documentary was made exclusively with westerners in mind. They remember the bringer of freedom, Gorbi the Punished. And the actual country he kneecapped is extraneous, let them eat Pizza Hut, my fellow freedom lovers. Thankfully, Werner doesn't even try to pretend he is being objective. In the first 10 minutes, he states that he loves the man, and it's hard to even be resentful of his bias. And so Mikhail solvently tells bits and pieces of his rise and downfall, seemingly not understanding the questions he is being asked. No, it's not a mistranslation in the subtitles; he sometimes genuinely doesn't understand what is asked of him, such as his response to the Chernobyl question. Ironically, he became the same fossil as Andropov and Chernenko. The personal touches are not that compelling because, once again, you're barely given any actual personality of the man. For an hour he copes, thinking that he had some kind of chance to keep the union, and now we are crying about his wife. With westerners in mind, no Russians are actually interviewed. And no one who actually lived through the decade he helped create has given their assessment of his legacy, you know beyond saying 30 times that he stopped nuclear war. No, we only have Horst Teltschik with a straight face saying that the Russian border full of NATO countries is the safest border they can dream of and they should actually pay attention to Iran and China. A statement that seemed asinine in 2019 and now appears to be straight up schizophrenic for both sides of the border. It begs the question of what kind of documentary it would be in 2022-23. Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars 03/19/23 Full Review Son T Gorbachev is the greatest hero of the world in the last centruary. If the great man theory is correct, then he was that person. May he rest in peace. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 02/13/23 Full Review Audience Member I hope more people are seeing this considering current events (like me). It paints a very raw picture about how different things would be today if egos were different, and makes you wonder who's fault the war in Ukraine today really is. It's not as cut and dry as one might think. Fantastic documentary about someone who seems largely brushed over by modern history. Must watch. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 02/25/23 Full Review Audience Member Very interesting documentary movie... but I'm pretty sure that the one in the movie was not the real Michail Gorbachev. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 01/27/23 Full Review mauro l Yet there is an abysmal difference between the various "Aguirre" or "Fitzcarraldo" and "Gorbachev": this time it is not the defeat of a delirium of omnipotence, of a utopian idealist who crashes against Nature and its indomitable laws, but of a statesman who was demonstrating how the Leninist way to a "human" communism was viable, so much so that the conservative forces dismissed him with a putsch. The "repubblichino" Ezio Mauro plays dumb denying the historical and macroeconomic evidence: the fall of the Wall in '89 was only a consequence of the multiple reforms carried out during his secretariat from 1985 to 1991. Growing up in a kolkhoz, he had learned to increase the purchasing power not by raising incomes, salaries and wages (see Landini and today's false left), but by keeping prices down and therefore the cost of living. The variables to modify the gap between rich and poor are 2, and a left that is truly such acts on the second, not on the first one. (Mauro Lanari) Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 03/31/23 Full Review Audience Member A poor film when it comes to a man like Werner Herzog. Nothing exceptional in particular. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 01/22/23 Full Review Read all reviews
Meeting Gorbachev

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Cast & Crew

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Movie Info

Synopsis Mikhail Gorbachev, former president of the Soviet Union, sits down with filmmaker Werner Herzog to discuss his many achievements. Topics include the talks to reduce nuclear weapons, the reunification of Germany and the dissolution of his country.
Director
Werner Herzog, André Singer
Producer
Lucki Stipetic, Svetlana Palmer
Screenwriter
Werner Herzog, André Singer
Distributor
The Orchard
Production Co
Spring Films, History, Werner Herzog Filmproduktion, The Orchard
Genre
Documentary
Original Language
Russian
Release Date (Theaters)
May 3, 2019, Limited
Release Date (Streaming)
Jul 30, 2019
Box Office (Gross USA)
$251.0K
Runtime
1h 31m
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