Mikola Nademsky Movies
The Arsenal features Semyon Svashenko as Tyrnish, a humble Ukranian soldier. Through Tyrnish's experiences we are permitted to witness the incredible social upheavals of the World War I years which led to the Russian revolution. The film's setpiece is the 1918 Kiev worker's rebellion. The White Russian troops are clearly the villains of the piece--faceless automatons who blindly follow orders while flesh-and-blood types like Tyrnsh suffer hope, fear and anguish. Arsenal was the first of Alexandre Dovzhenko's Ukraine trilogy, followed by Earth (1930) and Ivan (1932). ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Semen Svashenko, Amvrosiy Buchma, (more)
- 1937
This Russian drama encapsulates the 1917 Revolution as seen through the eyes of one "average man." The protagonist is an elderly scientist, Clement Timiryazev. Though well on in years, Timiryazev is among the first to align himself with the architects of the Revolution. Taking the loss of his revolt-minded students in stride (they're all too busy spreading the Bolshevik gospel in the streets to attend classes), Timiryazev elects to educate a group of Baltic sailors in the glories of communism. The film comes to an emotional climax when a group of Timiryazev's former colleagues, all disdainful of his new political outlook, are neatly squelched by a timely phone call from Lenin himself. Adding to the appeal of Deputy from the Baltic is the marvelous performance by N. Cherkasov as the aging Timiryazev. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Nikolai Cherkasov, Mariya Domasheva, (more)
- 1930
Earth (AKA Zemlya) is the third of Soviet director Alexander Dovzhenko's "Ukraine tetralogy" (Zvenigora (1928), Arsenal (1929), and Ivan (1932) are the other films in the series). The story tells of a group of farmers in a Ukrainian village, who unite to purchase a tractor. The leader of the peasants is later killed by a kulak, or landowner, who dislikes any form of united front that might pose a threat to his long-established authority. The events fade into memory, but the long-ranging effects of the peasant "revolt"--like the Earth itself--last forever. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Semen Svashenko, Stepan Shkurat, (more)
- 1928
Zvenigora is less a film than a tone poem, set forth by master Russian cinematic poet Alexander Dovzhenko. Moving outside the studio system for the first time (it was his fourth film), Dovzhenko uses lyrical location shots of rural Ukraine and its farmers to excellent advantage. The very complex storyline (too much so to dwell on at great length here) combines elements of fact and folklore in relating the "history"of the Ukraine, using the search for a fabled treasure as the glue that holds the tale together. This is not an accessible "classroom classic" like Sergei Eisenstein's Battleship Potemkin. Be prepared to think and be challenged, and not to sit back comfortably, while experiencing Zvenigora. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Mikola Nademsky, Semen Svashenko, (more)
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