Arsenal (Aleksandr Dovzhenko, 1928)
Dovzhenko’s lyrical and epic film concerns the effects of the First World War and the lead up to the Revolution on the peasants living and working in the Ukrainian countryside. Arsenal focuses on a variety of members in a Ukrainian community, documenting the effects of these historical moments on the peasants. It is notable for featuring disturbing scenes of war, including a German soldier dying while under the effects of laughing gas, and thus has a strong pacifist element to it. Along with Earth (1930) and Zvenigora (1929), this film forms Dovzhenko's Ukraine trilogy, all of which take place on farms in Ukraine.
Similar to the montage filmmakers in Revolutionary content but not necessarily in style, Dovzhenko’s film features an emphasis on nature and his characters’ relationship to it as well as on a pro-Revolutionary narrative.[1]
Director: Aleksandr Dovzhenko
Writer: Aleksandr Dovzhenko
Cast: Semeon Svashenko, Mykola Nademsky, Amvroziy Buchma
Year: 1928
Production Studio: VUFKU
Buy on Amazon.
Similar to the montage filmmakers in Revolutionary content but not necessarily in style, Dovzhenko’s film features an emphasis on nature and his characters’ relationship to it as well as on a pro-Revolutionary narrative.[1]
Director: Aleksandr Dovzhenko
Writer: Aleksandr Dovzhenko
Cast: Semeon Svashenko, Mykola Nademsky, Amvroziy Buchma
Year: 1928
Production Studio: VUFKU
Buy on Amazon.
WATCH ARSENAL HERE!
[1] David C. Gillespie. Early Soviet Cinema: Innovation, Ideology and Propaganda (London: Wallflower Press, 2000)82.