I found this silent film listed in the book 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die, the title did not suggest any particular format or story possibilities to me, but it was rated five out of five stars by critics, so I was hoping it would be worthy of that. Basically this film portrays the lives and collective experience of the Ukrainian proletariat villagers (i.e. "proles", these are labourers), through a series of montages it examines many of the natural cycles. The people go through life, love, sex, violence and death, all relating to their collective farms, a group of farmers from the village unite together to purchase a tractor, but peasants oppose the union and any threat to authority, the revolt will forever remain in the memories of the people. Specifically this film portrays what could have happened if Communism was more idealistic, this film was made before Stalinism was set and before the Kulack class was liquidated. Starring Stepan Shkurat as Opanas, Semyon Svashenko as Vasili 'Basil' Opanas, Pyotr Masokha as Khoma 'Thomas' Whitehorse, Nikolai Nademsky as Semyon 'Simon' Opanas, Vladimir Mikhaylov as Village Priest, Yelena Maksimova as Natalya - Vasili's Fiancée, Yuliya Solntseva as Vasili's Sister and Ivan Franko as Arkhip Whitehorse - Khoma's Father. Admittedly because the film has no dialogue, only some moving music and intertitles to read, it was hard to concentrate or completely absorb some of what was going on, but it was very interesting to watch how things flowed along, its brilliance is probably just its simplicity, it is indeed a most watchable silent drama. Very good!