[Brook K]

Another of the giants of Soviet silent cinema, I have only seen 2 of this Ukrainian director's films; both of which are tremendous. Particularly Earth, which displays perhaps the greatest artistry and beauty of any silent Russian film I've seen. Dovzhenko would go on to teach at the legendary Russian film school, VGIK, where his most famous student was Sergei Parajanov.

1. Earth - A (Commissioned as part of the effort to move Russian peasants from individual farms to collectives, director Alexsandr Dozhenko went beyond the simple strictures of movie storytelling to create a film of feelings, mood, images, and ideology; where what the characters say and do is the least important thing the audience experiences. Harshly criticized and condemned by Stalin as decadent and too intellectual, we are fortunate the film was preserved. It is one of the greats of silent cinema.)

2. Arsenal - A- (This film about an uprising in Ukraine is incredibly dense and filled with symbolism, while also breathtakingly edited and includes powerful battle sequences.)

[Brook K]

Whoops, forgot the film list....Some of those WWII films have some pretty incredible titles.

Poema o more (1959)
... aka Poem of the Sea
Farewell, America (1949)
Michurin (1948)
... aka Life in Bloom
Pobeda na Pravoberezhnoi Ukraine i izgnaniye nemetsikh zakhvatchikov za predeli Ukrainskikh sovietskikh zemel (1945)
... aka Victory in the Ukraine and the Expulsion of the Germans from the Boundaries of the Ukrainian Soviet Earth
... aka Victory on the Right Bank Ukraine
Strana rodnaya (1945/I)
... aka Soviet Earth
Bitva za nashu Sovetskuyu Ukrainu (1943)
... aka Battle for Soviet Russia
... aka Ukraine in Flame
Osvobozhdeniye (1940)
... aka Liberation
Shchors (1939)
... aka Shors (USA)
Bukovina, zemlya Ukrainskaya (1939)
... aka Bukovina, a Ukrainian Land
Aerograd (1935)
... aka Air City
... aka Frontier
Ivan (1932)
Zemlya (1930)
... aka Earth
... aka Soil
Arsenal (1928)
... aka January Uprising in Kiev in 1918
Zvenigora (1928)
Sumka dipkuryera (1927)
... aka The Diplomatic Pouch
Vasya reformator (1926)
... aka Vasya, the Reformer
Yagodka lyubvi (1926)
... aka Love's Berries

[Bill McA]

Ratings from to


Poem of the Sea (1959)
Farewell, America (1949)
Life in Bloom (1948)
Victory in the Ukraine and the Expulsion of the Germans from the Boundaries of the Ukrainian Soviet Earth (1945)
Soviet Earth (1945)
Battle for Soviet Russia (1943)
Liberation (1940)
Shors (1939)
Bukovina, a Ukrainian Land (1939)
Air City (1935)
Ivan (1932)
Earth (1930)
Arsenal (1928)
Zvenigora (1928)
The Diplomatic Pouch (1927)
Vasya, the Reformer (1926)
Love's Berries (1926)

Seen 1
Own 0

[SteveGon]

Earth *** out of ****
Arsenal *** out of ****

Technically impressive, and historically important I suppose, but I can't say as I found either all that involving.

[Jim_K]

Seen 1
Own 0

Poem of the Sea (1959)
Farewell, America (1949)
Life in Bloom (1948)
Victory in the Ukraine and the Expulsion of the Germans from the Boundaries of the Ukrainian Soviet Earth (1945)
Soviet Earth (1945)
Battle for Soviet Russia (1943)
Liberation (1940)
Shors (1939)
Bukovina, a Ukrainian Land (1939)
Air City (1935)
Ivan (1932)
Earth (1930)
Arsenal (1928)
Zvenigora (1928)
The Diplomatic Pouch (1927)
Vasya, the Reformer (1926)
Love's Berries (1926)

[Martin Teller]

Zemlya (Earth) (1930) - 6/10