Leningrad Cowboys: Total Balalaika Show

Delightfully peculiar would be one way to describe director Aki Kaurismaki's 1994 concert film, which mixes rock 'n' roll with what you might call “classical folk” (and signals a rapprochement of sorts between two countries who not so long ago were bitter enemies). The Leningrad Cowboys (who are actually from Finland, where they enjoy considerable popularity) are by no means a great band, but they're an entertaining one, with their foot-long, Elvis-esque pompadours and imaginative choice of material (all sung in English). Watching these boys strut their stuff in front of 70,000 rapturous fans in Helsinki's Senate Square is enjoyable, but what really makes the show a blast is Russia's Alexandrov Red Army Ensemble, a huge group of singers and musicians (including several members wailing away on the balalaika, a traditional three-stringed instrument) formed to preserve Russian folk music. Their versions of hoary classics such as “Meadowlands” and “The Volga Boatman” are delivered with appropriate gravitas, but the real weirdness (and the fun) happens when the Russians and the rockers play and sing together (it's tough to top the sight and sound of a guy in a Red Army uniform bringing his operatic tenor to the Turtles' “Happy Together”). Granted, some of it smacks of pure silliness--turning ZZ Top's “Gimme All Your Lovin'” into a polka, replete with authentic Russian dancers, is fun but unlikely to transcend novelty status--but there are moments here, like a cover of Bob Dylan's “Knockin' on Heaven's Door,” that flirt with the sublime. DVD extras include four Leningrad Cowboys music videos, a handful of behind-the-scenes featurettes, and five bonus short films by Kaurismaki. Recommended. Aud: P. (S. Graham)