The Russian films from the Soviet era do not really fit in with the European tradition. The tragic history of Russia has left an indelible imprint on the cultural and artistic expressions. For centuries the society was based on an agricultural feudalism. At the start of the twentieth century, the Tsarist regime made an effort to transform into an industrial state. However the arrears was already insurmountable. The country lost several national wars, and already in 1905 a truly revolutionary spirit had seized the leading parts of the Russian people. When the regime was dragged into the first world war, it lost all credibility. When finally the Tsar left, only misery was left. Am I right? The war was followed by the Bolshewist revolution and by a cruel civil war. But worse was to come during the second world war, that was to a large extent fought on the Russian territory, with incredible cruelty from the Nazis. Clearly the early Bolshewist promise of a happy and united future had failed. After WW2 something of an economic miracle developed, including cosmonautics, but it was too little too late. The film follows the lifes of three generations of a Siberian family during those uproarious years. The plot is what is called in German an Aufbau (build up) story. We see how a hamlet of very primitive peasants transforms into an industrial oil district. Indeed one of the main characters has vague dreams about the founding of a "sun city" (which he probably read in a propaganda leaflet). But unlike the upbeat German Aufbau the atmosphere remains depressing. In fact there is not a single scene, that elicits a smile. Amazing, isn't it? In many aspects the characters are trapped by the traditional mysticism and ties with the harsh natural conditions. Life is slow, and so is the film. The plot consists of two parts. In the first part we witness the decay of the agricultural society. The second part describes the settlement of the oil industry. In both cases I find it hard to relate and empathize with the events, even though I had previously seen many an American "Go West" western movie. Probably the story contains lots of interwoven symbolism. For there are obvious hints in a scene of the late fifties, when the main character enters a deserted shack, with Stalin pictures on the wall. However, being a Dutchman I am not sufficiently accessible to possible other signals. What remains is a display of folk customs, which is perhaps amazing, but not really appealing. I can understand that it never became an international block buster.
