The Extraordinary Adventures of Mr. West in the Land of the Bolsheviks (Lev Kuleshov, 1924)
Mr. West is a slapstick comedy that lampoons American society while advancing socialist ideology through its story of a prejudiced American who visits Moscow and learns the true definition of socialism. It is notable for containing comic performances by the popular Soviet director Boris Barnet as Mr. West's companion Cowboy Jeddy, as well as Vsevolod Pudovkin, who would become an influential montage director in his own right.
Known for co-founding the oldest film school in the world, the director, Lev Kuleshov, was responsible for many important experiments demonstrating the potential of film editing. Mr. West, his first feature length film, makes use of American formal strategies, including slapstick, to present its socialist content to the widest possible audience.[1]
Director: Lev Kuleshov
Writer: Nikolai Aseyev, Vsevolod Pudovkin
Stars: Pofiri Podobed, Boris Barnet and Aleksandra Khokhlova
Year: 1924
Production Company: Goskino
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Known for co-founding the oldest film school in the world, the director, Lev Kuleshov, was responsible for many important experiments demonstrating the potential of film editing. Mr. West, his first feature length film, makes use of American formal strategies, including slapstick, to present its socialist content to the widest possible audience.[1]
Director: Lev Kuleshov
Writer: Nikolai Aseyev, Vsevolod Pudovkin
Stars: Pofiri Podobed, Boris Barnet and Aleksandra Khokhlova
Year: 1924
Production Company: Goskino
Buy on Amazon.
WATCH THE EXTRAORDINARY ADVENTURES OF MR. WEST IN THE LAND OF THE BOLSHEVIKS HERE!
[1] Vance Jr Kepley. “Mr Kuleshov in the Land of the Modernists.” The Red Screen: Politics, Society and Art in Soviet Cinema ed. Anna Lawton. (London: Routledge, 1992), 136.