This is an all time classic. It brings to life the despair and horror of the Gulag that Solzhenitsyn wrote about in the Nobel prize winning book. I first saw this movie in Keflavik, Iceland while in the US Navy and have been hooked on Solzhenitsyn ever since. Much of his work is semi-autobiographical, and, knowing that he did spend time in the Gulag adds a realism that enhances the story.