U.S.S.R.
Length: 93 minutes
Director: Vsevolod Pudovkin
Cast: Valery Inkijinoff, I. Dedintsev, Aleksandr Chistyakov, Viktor Tsoppi, Boris Barnet, Anel Sudakevich
www.imdb.com/title/tt0019286/
Eric's Impressions: I remember saying to Natalie when we watched this that it looked like a documentary in the form of something like "Nanook of the North," so much so that it felt like it was done by the same filmmaker. It wasn't a documentary, nor was it directed by the same person, but it was still visually perplexing at times. It was hard not to fall asleep as the story was action less throughout, but it did recover somewhat with a thrilling conclusion.
Natalie's Impressions: This film was like watching Nanook of the North in Asia. The film is not a pure documentary like Nanook of the North was but it did have elements of that genre. The aesthetic of this film was also very similar to the arctic documentary. If not for the communist propaganda overtones, it could be mistaken for that film. The Soviet Union certainly has a preachy presence in this film. The depiction of the "evil capitalists" is actually quite amusing because, although a silent film, the viewer has no doubt who these entrepreneurs are. We are given not so subtle hints through the music, the smarmy mannerisms of the actors, their demeanor, and their costumes, not to mention the basic storyline, which paints the Mongols as innocent and good.
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