Search - Alix Lambert's The Mark of Cain on DVD

Available at last.

H. Neufeld | Brooklyn, NY United States | 02/01/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

""I thought it would be more interesting if I listed some things that I read and watched in preparation for the making of "Eastern Promises" than just listing a random bunch of things that I like. Among these are "The Mark of Cain," by Alix Lambert, not yet available on DVD. A companion piece to the Russian Criminal Tattoo books, this a very courageous documentary on the tattooing subculture in Russian prisons. I don't know how it ever got made, but it's beautiful, scary, and heartbreaking."
- David Cronenberg

Yes, it is now available. As of March 25, 2008 you don't have to be friends with David Cronenberg or Viggo Mortensen to see this amazing film. Those of you who saw it the first time around when it was a finalist for the Independent Spirit Award know the gist of the story, but for those who don't, it's still incredible.
On a shoestring budget, filmmaker Alix Lambert traveled to Russia and through sheer determination, gained access to the darkest prisons in the country. Her interviews with murderers and mobsters who openly discuss multiple beheadings, contract killings and the mythology and meaning of their tattoos make up the majority of the film, but it is the prison system itself that is most effectively exposed.
Cronenberg talks about re-writing the script for 'Eastern Promises' after seeing this film, and after you see it, you'll understand why. You can't talk about organized crime in modern Russia without referencing Alix Lambert's "The Mark of Cain". This is the seminal work."

Unbelievable

K. Krause | Berkeley, CA | 02/14/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"More than enough coverage of prison tattoo culture to satisfy enthusiasts - though this film is much, much more. Lambert witnesses complexities of the Russian prison system: staff talent shows, generational changes in prison culture, interviews with inmates and administrators, access to overcrowded cells - inventiveness from nowhere. Tremendous, lucid density. Accomplished with an artful, blunt view - a window to the unspeakable and an exceptionally memorable film."

Scary and Depressing

Cary B. Barad | Baltimore, MD | 07/11/2009

(4 out of 5 stars)

"A documentary on the violence, hopelessnesss and mistreatment inherent in the "modern" but underfunded Russian prison system. A composite of interviews with prisoners--mostly men and some women--who explain their crimes and the symbolic meanings of their intricate tatoos. Very scary, sad and depressing to see people in this condition."