'The Way Back': Road to Freedom

Australian director who often directing Hollywood movies again with a film about the Siberian gulag. Peter Weir is not a new name in the Hollywood movie business. Famous thanks to his movies that is so typical kinds of 'Dead Poets Society' (1989), 'The Truman Show' (1998) and 'Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World', Peter Weir may be the most appropriate director forscenario 'The Way Back' from Slavomir Rawicz memoir titled 'The Long Walk: The True Story of a Trek to Freedom' which is very popular in Europe when it was published in 1956.

Although the original story based on the story of a Polish, Peter Weir uses Hollywood actors, such as Jim Sturgess, Colin Farrell, Ed Harris and Saoirse Ronan. Fortunately, Weir does not attempt to make the story into Hollywood. The result, the film is able to describe atrocities of the Communist regime of Russia (Stalin) and winter Siberian gulag, as well as the struggle of a man to gain his freedom.
The story of the film itself is reminiscent of Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn's novel, 'The Gulag Archipelago' and 'One Day of the Life of Ivan Denisovich'. Six people plus one female prisoner of the Communist regime of Russia on foot along the 4000 miles from Siberia are malignant, through Mongolia, Tibet, Gobi Desert, China up to India to escape from forced labor and imprisonment of Stalin's regime.
Quite heroic escape was led by Janusz, a prisoner who entered the camps of Siberia because of his wife's betrayal. Seeing the cruelty Siberian prison situation difficult to describe with words, he led the breakout with Mr. Smith (an American engineer), Valka (played impressively by Colin Farrell), a petty criminal who is very temperamental and four others with a variety of characters (the artist, a cook, the myopic who died early in the course, and a priest).
Along the way, they met a Polish girl, Irena (played by the beautiful Saoirse Ronan) who at first did not want, but eventually became the glue of the five men who survived and came to India. In this way, nature is merciless enemy and friend is a sixth former prisoners: hunger, cold, heat, illness, wolves, and despair together as if to undermine the spirit of people who are oppressed, first by the political forces, and secondly by treacherous terrain.
The pedestrian is survived by eating fish, dogs, moss, snake, and a variety of things they could find on the street. They are exposed to snowstorms, sand storms threatened to be killed by local residents. All these obstacles to deliver them on a realization that freedom is not cheap.
With material like that story, Peter Weir is able to show the struggle and triumph of a human spirit. Filled with pictures of the incredible work of cinematographer Russell Boyd, 'The Way Back' is a story of the journey that tests the strength of man in maintaining his life.Although not as dramatic sesensasional and Hollywood movies, the film is able to provide an overview of each character with enough distance so that we can take lessons from him.
Taking pictures at the actual locations (not studio) in Bulgaria, Morocco and India, Peter Weir was careful in describing the various conflicts that occur, so the character of Irena as the only female avoided the 'drama' typical Hollywood, the women as objects of conquest men. Perhaps here, a strength and weakness of this film. Lack of the drama and detail may disappoint viewers emotions, but on the other hand, could be evidence kepiwaian Weir not to make this film as a cliche.
Other problems may involve penghadiran documentary footage of the history of Communism in Europe and the text which states that 'The Way Back' based on a true story. Today, several parties questioned the truth of memoir Slavomir Rawicz for Russia based on documents, he had been released from Siberia in 1940 and has never traveled to the India. However, whatever the facts of history, 'The Way Back' is a fiction film that would make Peter Weir still revered as a master to produce quality films.