Siberiade
Encyclopedia
Siberiade is a 1979 epic Soviet film in four parts, spanning much of the 20th century. The leading roles were played by the celebrated Soviet actors Nikita Mikhalkov
and Lyudmila Gurchenko
. The director was Andrei Konchalovsky
, working for the Mosfilm
studio.
n backwoods since time immemorial, Siberiade revolves around two families, the Solomins and the Ustyuzhanins, who live in Yelan and have been feuding for as long as anyone can remember. The Solomins were relatively wealthy and the Ustyuzhanins poor.
The film begins in 1904. Afanasy "Afonya" Ustyuzhanin is an aging man who spends all of his waking hours chopping a corduroy road
"anywhere away from Yelan". His young child Nikolai "Kolya" Ustyuzhanin (b. 1897) must fend for himself by stealing from the Solomins. He meets Rodion Klimentov, a revolutionary fugitive who inspires him, who is soon found by the police and taken away.
In 1917 Kolya continues to help his father build the road, which has become an epic project stretching many miles. He is in a romantic relationship with hoyden Anastasia "Nastya" Solomin, but a quarrel about the revolution infuriates Nastya, who immediately seeks out Phil Solomin, kisses him, and demands marriage. As the wedding preparations begin, Kolya begs for forgiveness, but Nastya savors the revenge. Kolya fights with the Solomins and is beaten and cast adrift down the river. Later that day Phil seeks out Nastya in a barn and sexually assaults her, but she escapes and joins an unconscious Kolya. Meanwhile Afonya, still chopping, falls asleep, drunk, on an ant nest, and dies alone.
In 1932, Kolya returns to Yelan as a charismatic party official with his loyal, revolutionary-minded son Alexei (who was born in 1923). He informs the Solomins that Nastya, who had left with him, died heroically. In a town hall meeting he gets the village to agree on a plan for tapping the area's natural resources. A dispute leads to Kolya arresting Spiridon Solomin, who soon escapes and kills Kolya. Alexei flees.
In June 1941 Alexei, a teenager, returns to Yelan and meets Taya, a free-spirited Solomin girl who becomes infatuated with him. A recruiting barge visits the town, announcing the beginning of the Great Patriotic War, and Alexei enlists. The boat pulls away and Taya yells to Alexei that she will wait for him all her life. In the war, Alexei saves an injured officer (Phil Solomin, whom he does not recognize) and becomes a decorated war hero. The war ends, and Taya continues to wait for Alexei's return day after day, which never occurs.
Around 1964 Alexei returns to Yelan with an oil drilling crew. His enemy, Spiridon, has returned from prison a bitter and frail man, and Alexei feels only pity. He meets Taya and has a casual affair, but she is also courted by Alexei's boss Tofik, causing a rift. Meanwhile, Phil Solomin in Moscow has risen high into the ranks of Soviet leadership, but wrestles with his conscience over the plan for a massive hydroelectric dam project that would flood Yelan. Alexei resigns from the oil drilling operation to leave town, stopping at Taya's house to take her with him to the resort city of Sochi, but it becomes clear that they have grown apart. Alexei storms off, and the oil well blows out as he leaves town. The blowout turns into an inferno and Alexei rushes in to save a former coworker, and dies in the process. As Spiridon gloats over the demise of the last Ustyuzhanin, Taya reveals to him that she bears Alexey's child.
At a party conference in Moscow, a telegram arrives with the news of the oil strike, which vindicates Siberia as a mining center. The officials react with pleasure but give a moment of silence for the passing of Alexei. Phil flies to Yelan to supervise the containment operation, but it becomes clear that the graveyard must be razed to save the town. As the film closes, the ghosts of the Solomins and Ustyuzhanins seemingly appear in the graveyard expressing gratitude and unity.
elements within the Russian culture, as connected to the pre-electrified epoch that is being narrated. Similarly, elements of the heroic epic are included within the part narrating the protagonist's involvement in World War II
.
Throughout the film, the differences in epoch displayed and, accordingly, stylistics and themes used are very well consistent with each other, thus writing a continuous history of Siberia in the 20th century, transcending the seeming ruptures yielded by the national- and global-scale socio-political and socio-economic discourses. Likewise, it can be watched and regarded as an early reflection on processes of Globalisation, a topic seemingly counter-intuitive, when it comes to Russia
.
at the 1979 Cannes Film Festival
.
's theme from the movie was covered by the Russian trance act PPK
and issued under the title ResuRection in August 2001. It reached #3 in the UK Singles Chart
.
Siberiade is a 1979 epic Soviet film in four parts, spanning much of the 20th century. The leading roles were played by the celebrated Soviet actors Nikita Mikhalkov
and Lyudmila Gurchenko
. The director was Andrei Konchalovsky
, working for the Mosfilm
studio.
n backwoods since time immemorial, Siberiade revolves around two families, the Solomins and the Ustyuzhanins, who live in Yelan and have been feuding for as long as anyone can remember. The Solomins were relatively wealthy and the Ustyuzhanins poor.
The film begins in 1904. Afanasy "Afonya" Ustyuzhanin is an aging man who spends all of his waking hours chopping a corduroy road
"anywhere away from Yelan". His young child Nikolai "Kolya" Ustyuzhanin (b. 1897) must fend for himself by stealing from the Solomins. He meets Rodion Klimentov, a revolutionary fugitive who inspires him, who is soon found by the police and taken away.
In 1917 Kolya continues to help his father build the road, which has become an epic project stretching many miles. He is in a romantic relationship with hoyden Anastasia "Nastya" Solomin, but a quarrel about the revolution infuriates Nastya, who immediately seeks out Phil Solomin, kisses him, and demands marriage. As the wedding preparations begin, Kolya begs for forgiveness, but Nastya savors the revenge. Kolya fights with the Solomins and is beaten and cast adrift down the river. Later that day Phil seeks out Nastya in a barn and sexually assaults her, but she escapes and joins an unconscious Kolya. Meanwhile Afonya, still chopping, falls asleep, drunk, on an ant nest, and dies alone.
In 1932, Kolya returns to Yelan as a charismatic party official with his loyal, revolutionary-minded son Alexei (who was born in 1923). He informs the Solomins that Nastya, who had left with him, died heroically. In a town hall meeting he gets the village to agree on a plan for tapping the area's natural resources. A dispute leads to Kolya arresting Spiridon Solomin, who soon escapes and kills Kolya. Alexei flees.
In June 1941 Alexei, a teenager, returns to Yelan and meets Taya, a free-spirited Solomin girl who becomes infatuated with him. A recruiting barge visits the town, announcing the beginning of the Great Patriotic War, and Alexei enlists. The boat pulls away and Taya yells to Alexei that she will wait for him all her life. In the war, Alexei saves an injured officer (Phil Solomin, whom he does not recognize) and becomes a decorated war hero. The war ends, and Taya continues to wait for Alexei's return day after day, which never occurs.
Around 1964 Alexei returns to Yelan with an oil drilling crew. His enemy, Spiridon, has returned from prison a bitter and frail man, and Alexei feels only pity. He meets Taya and has a casual affair, but she is also courted by Alexei's boss Tofik, causing a rift. Meanwhile, Phil Solomin in Moscow has risen high into the ranks of Soviet leadership, but wrestles with his conscience over the plan for a massive hydroelectric dam project that would flood Yelan. Alexei resigns from the oil drilling operation to leave town, stopping at Taya's house to take her with him to the resort city of Sochi, but it becomes clear that they have grown apart. Alexei storms off, and the oil well blows out as he leaves town. The blowout turns into an inferno and Alexei rushes in to save a former coworker, and dies in the process. As Spiridon gloats over the demise of the last Ustyuzhanin, Taya reveals to him that she bears Alexey's child.
At a party conference in Moscow, a telegram arrives with the news of the oil strike, which vindicates Siberia as a mining center. The officials react with pleasure but give a moment of silence for the passing of Alexei. Phil flies to Yelan to supervise the containment operation, but it becomes clear that the graveyard must be razed to save the town. As the film closes, the ghosts of the Solomins and Ustyuzhanins seemingly appear in the graveyard expressing gratitude and unity.
elements within the Russian culture, as connected to the pre-electrified epoch that is being narrated. Similarly, elements of the heroic epic are included within the part narrating the protagonist's involvement in World War II
.
Throughout the film, the differences in epoch displayed and, accordingly, stylistics and themes used are very well consistent with each other, thus writing a continuous history of Siberia in the 20th century, transcending the seeming ruptures yielded by the national- and global-scale socio-political and socio-economic discourses. Likewise, it can be watched and regarded as an early reflection on processes of Globalisation, a topic seemingly counter-intuitive, when it comes to Russia
.
at the 1979 Cannes Film Festival
.
's theme from the movie was covered by the Russian trance act PPK
and issued under the title ResuRection in August 2001. It reached #3 in the UK Singles Chart
.
Siberiade is a 1979 epic Soviet film in four parts, spanning much of the 20th century. The leading roles were played by the celebrated Soviet actors Nikita Mikhalkov
and Lyudmila Gurchenko
. The director was Andrei Konchalovsky
, working for the Mosfilm
studio.
n backwoods since time immemorial, Siberiade revolves around two families, the Solomins and the Ustyuzhanins, who live in Yelan and have been feuding for as long as anyone can remember. The Solomins were relatively wealthy and the Ustyuzhanins poor.
The film begins in 1904. Afanasy "Afonya" Ustyuzhanin is an aging man who spends all of his waking hours chopping a corduroy road
"anywhere away from Yelan". His young child Nikolai "Kolya" Ustyuzhanin (b. 1897) must fend for himself by stealing from the Solomins. He meets Rodion Klimentov, a revolutionary fugitive who inspires him, who is soon found by the police and taken away.
In 1917 Kolya continues to help his father build the road, which has become an epic project stretching many miles. He is in a romantic relationship with hoyden Anastasia "Nastya" Solomin, but a quarrel about the revolution infuriates Nastya, who immediately seeks out Phil Solomin, kisses him, and demands marriage. As the wedding preparations begin, Kolya begs for forgiveness, but Nastya savors the revenge. Kolya fights with the Solomins and is beaten and cast adrift down the river. Later that day Phil seeks out Nastya in a barn and sexually assaults her, but she escapes and joins an unconscious Kolya. Meanwhile Afonya, still chopping, falls asleep, drunk, on an ant nest, and dies alone.
In 1932, Kolya returns to Yelan as a charismatic party official with his loyal, revolutionary-minded son Alexei (who was born in 1923). He informs the Solomins that Nastya, who had left with him, died heroically. In a town hall meeting he gets the village to agree on a plan for tapping the area's natural resources. A dispute leads to Kolya arresting Spiridon Solomin, who soon escapes and kills Kolya. Alexei flees.
In June 1941 Alexei, a teenager, returns to Yelan and meets Taya, a free-spirited Solomin girl who becomes infatuated with him. A recruiting barge visits the town, announcing the beginning of the Great Patriotic War, and Alexei enlists. The boat pulls away and Taya yells to Alexei that she will wait for him all her life. In the war, Alexei saves an injured officer (Phil Solomin, whom he does not recognize) and becomes a decorated war hero. The war ends, and Taya continues to wait for Alexei's return day after day, which never occurs.
Around 1964 Alexei returns to Yelan with an oil drilling crew. His enemy, Spiridon, has returned from prison a bitter and frail man, and Alexei feels only pity. He meets Taya and has a casual affair, but she is also courted by Alexei's boss Tofik, causing a rift. Meanwhile, Phil Solomin in Moscow has risen high into the ranks of Soviet leadership, but wrestles with his conscience over the plan for a massive hydroelectric dam project that would flood Yelan. Alexei resigns from the oil drilling operation to leave town, stopping at Taya's house to take her with him to the resort city of Sochi, but it becomes clear that they have grown apart. Alexei storms off, and the oil well blows out as he leaves town. The blowout turns into an inferno and Alexei rushes in to save a former coworker, and dies in the process. As Spiridon gloats over the demise of the last Ustyuzhanin, Taya reveals to him that she bears Alexey's child.
At a party conference in Moscow, a telegram arrives with the news of the oil strike, which vindicates Siberia as a mining center. The officials react with pleasure but give a moment of silence for the passing of Alexei. Phil flies to Yelan to supervise the containment operation, but it becomes clear that the graveyard must be razed to save the town. As the film closes, the ghosts of the Solomins and Ustyuzhanins seemingly appear in the graveyard expressing gratitude and unity.
elements within the Russian culture, as connected to the pre-electrified epoch that is being narrated. Similarly, elements of the heroic epic are included within the part narrating the protagonist's involvement in World War II
.
Throughout the film, the differences in epoch displayed and, accordingly, stylistics and themes used are very well consistent with each other, thus writing a continuous history of Siberia in the 20th century, transcending the seeming ruptures yielded by the national- and global-scale socio-political and socio-economic discourses. Likewise, it can be watched and regarded as an early reflection on processes of Globalisation, a topic seemingly counter-intuitive, when it comes to Russia
.
at the 1979 Cannes Film Festival
.
's theme from the movie was covered by the Russian trance act PPK
and issued under the title ResuRection in August 2001. It reached #3 in the UK Singles Chart
.
Nikita Mikhalkov
Nikita Sergeyevich Mikhalkov is a Soviet and Russian filmmaker, actor, and head of the Russian Cinematographers' Union.Mikhalkov was born in Moscow into the distinguished, artistic Mikhalkov family. His great grandfather was the imperial governor of Yaroslavl, whose mother was a Galitzine princess...
and Lyudmila Gurchenko
Lyudmila Gurchenko
Lyudmila Markovna Gurchenko was a popular Soviet and Russian actress, singer and entertainer.-Biography:Lyudmila was born in Kharkiv, Ukrainian SSR in 1935 to Mark Gavrilovich Gurchenko and Yelena Aleksandrovna Simonova-Gurchenko . Before the World War II they lived in a single room apartment on...
. The director was Andrei Konchalovsky
Andrei Konchalovsky
Andrei Mikhalkov-Konchalovsky is a Soviet-American and Russian film director, film producer and screenwriter....
, working for the Mosfilm
Mosfilm
Mosfilm is a film studio, which is often described as the largest and oldest in Russia and in Europe. Its output includes most of the more widely-acclaimed Soviet films, ranging from works by Tarkovsky and Eisenstein , to Red Westerns, to the Akira Kurosawa co-production and the epic Война и Мир...
studio.
Synopsis
The small village of Yelan has lain hidden in the SiberiaSiberia
Siberia is an extensive region constituting almost all of Northern Asia. Comprising the central and eastern portion of the Russian Federation, it was part of the Soviet Union from its beginning, as its predecessor states, the Tsardom of Russia and the Russian Empire, conquered it during the 16th...
n backwoods since time immemorial, Siberiade revolves around two families, the Solomins and the Ustyuzhanins, who live in Yelan and have been feuding for as long as anyone can remember. The Solomins were relatively wealthy and the Ustyuzhanins poor.
The film begins in 1904. Afanasy "Afonya" Ustyuzhanin is an aging man who spends all of his waking hours chopping a corduroy road
Corduroy road
A corduroy road or log road is a type of road made by placing sand-covered logs perpendicular to the direction of the road over a low or swampy area....
"anywhere away from Yelan". His young child Nikolai "Kolya" Ustyuzhanin (b. 1897) must fend for himself by stealing from the Solomins. He meets Rodion Klimentov, a revolutionary fugitive who inspires him, who is soon found by the police and taken away.
In 1917 Kolya continues to help his father build the road, which has become an epic project stretching many miles. He is in a romantic relationship with hoyden Anastasia "Nastya" Solomin, but a quarrel about the revolution infuriates Nastya, who immediately seeks out Phil Solomin, kisses him, and demands marriage. As the wedding preparations begin, Kolya begs for forgiveness, but Nastya savors the revenge. Kolya fights with the Solomins and is beaten and cast adrift down the river. Later that day Phil seeks out Nastya in a barn and sexually assaults her, but she escapes and joins an unconscious Kolya. Meanwhile Afonya, still chopping, falls asleep, drunk, on an ant nest, and dies alone.
In 1932, Kolya returns to Yelan as a charismatic party official with his loyal, revolutionary-minded son Alexei (who was born in 1923). He informs the Solomins that Nastya, who had left with him, died heroically. In a town hall meeting he gets the village to agree on a plan for tapping the area's natural resources. A dispute leads to Kolya arresting Spiridon Solomin, who soon escapes and kills Kolya. Alexei flees.
In June 1941 Alexei, a teenager, returns to Yelan and meets Taya, a free-spirited Solomin girl who becomes infatuated with him. A recruiting barge visits the town, announcing the beginning of the Great Patriotic War, and Alexei enlists. The boat pulls away and Taya yells to Alexei that she will wait for him all her life. In the war, Alexei saves an injured officer (Phil Solomin, whom he does not recognize) and becomes a decorated war hero. The war ends, and Taya continues to wait for Alexei's return day after day, which never occurs.
Around 1964 Alexei returns to Yelan with an oil drilling crew. His enemy, Spiridon, has returned from prison a bitter and frail man, and Alexei feels only pity. He meets Taya and has a casual affair, but she is also courted by Alexei's boss Tofik, causing a rift. Meanwhile, Phil Solomin in Moscow has risen high into the ranks of Soviet leadership, but wrestles with his conscience over the plan for a massive hydroelectric dam project that would flood Yelan. Alexei resigns from the oil drilling operation to leave town, stopping at Taya's house to take her with him to the resort city of Sochi, but it becomes clear that they have grown apart. Alexei storms off, and the oil well blows out as he leaves town. The blowout turns into an inferno and Alexei rushes in to save a former coworker, and dies in the process. As Spiridon gloats over the demise of the last Ustyuzhanin, Taya reveals to him that she bears Alexey's child.
At a party conference in Moscow, a telegram arrives with the news of the oil strike, which vindicates Siberia as a mining center. The officials react with pleasure but give a moment of silence for the passing of Alexei. Phil flies to Yelan to supervise the containment operation, but it becomes clear that the graveyard must be razed to save the town. As the film closes, the ghosts of the Solomins and Ustyuzhanins seemingly appear in the graveyard expressing gratitude and unity.
Analysis
In its theme, the movie combines narrative elements from different traditions. So the first part of the movie tells of wondrous archetypicalArchetype
An archetype is a universally understood symbol or term or pattern of behavior, a prototype upon which others are copied, patterned, or emulated...
elements within the Russian culture, as connected to the pre-electrified epoch that is being narrated. Similarly, elements of the heroic epic are included within the part narrating the protagonist's involvement in World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
.
Throughout the film, the differences in epoch displayed and, accordingly, stylistics and themes used are very well consistent with each other, thus writing a continuous history of Siberia in the 20th century, transcending the seeming ruptures yielded by the national- and global-scale socio-political and socio-economic discourses. Likewise, it can be watched and regarded as an early reflection on processes of Globalisation, a topic seemingly counter-intuitive, when it comes to Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
.
Cast
- Vladimir Samojlov
- Vitaly SolominVitaly SolominVitaly Mefodievich Solomin was a Soviet and Russian actor, director and screenwriter. He was the younger brother of Yury Solomin....
as Nikolai Ustyuzhanin - Nikita MikhalkovNikita MikhalkovNikita Sergeyevich Mikhalkov is a Soviet and Russian filmmaker, actor, and head of the Russian Cinematographers' Union.Mikhalkov was born in Moscow into the distinguished, artistic Mikhalkov family. His great grandfather was the imperial governor of Yaroslavl, whose mother was a Galitzine princess...
as Aleksey Ustyuzhanin - Natalya Andrejchenko as Anastasya Solomina
- Pavel KadochnikovPavel KadochnikovPavel Petrovich Kadochnikov was a Russian actor, film director and scenario. . Among the notable roles he had as an actor were in the film Ivan the Terrible, directed by Sergei Eisenstein. He was named a People's Artist of the USSR and a Hero of Socialist Labor .-Biography:Pavel Kadochnikov was...
as Eternal Grandfather - Sergei Shakurov as Spiridon Solomin
- Lyudmila GurchenkoLyudmila GurchenkoLyudmila Markovna Gurchenko was a popular Soviet and Russian actress, singer and entertainer.-Biography:Lyudmila was born in Kharkiv, Ukrainian SSR in 1935 to Mark Gavrilovich Gurchenko and Yelena Aleksandrovna Simonova-Gurchenko . Before the World War II they lived in a single room apartment on...
as Taya Solomina - Igor Okhlupin as Philip Solomin
- Yevgeni Perov as Yerotei Solomin
- Vladimir SimonovVladimir Simonov-Biography:Vladimir Simonov was born in 1935 in Kovrov in the Vladimir Oblast.In 1955 he graduated from the Podolia Industrial Technical Secondary School with specialty in mining equipment....
as Afanasy Ustyuzhanin - Ivan Dmitriyev as Blinov
- Mikhail KononovMikhail KononovMikhail Ivanovich Kononov was a well known Soviet actor.-Biography:He first appeared on stage when at school yet. In 1963 Mikhail Kononov graduated from the Shchepkin Drama School and was admitted to the Maly Theatre...
as Rodion Klimentov - Ruslan Miqaberidze as Tofik Rustamov
- Maksim MunzukMaxim MunzukMaxim Monguzhukovich Munzuk - 28 July 1999) was an outstanding Tuvan actor, one of the founders of Tuva's regional theatre. He is best known for playing the title role in Akira Kurosawa's film Dersu Uzala....
as Fedyka - Nikolai Skorobogatov as Yermolai
- Konstantin Grigoryev
- Yelena KorenevaYelena Koreneva-Career:She has appeared in over 60 films and TV and made her debut in Vas vyzyvaet Taymyr , in 1970.-Filmography:*Landysh serebristyj TV Series*Shpionskie igry: Nelegal...
as teenage Taya Solomina - Yevgeni Leonov-Gladyshev as teenage Aleksey Ustyuzhanin
- Vladimir Levitan
- Leonid Pleshakov
- Vadim Vilsky
Awards
The film won the Special Grand Jury PrizeGrand Prix (Cannes Film Festival)
The Grand Prix is an award of the Cannes Film Festival bestowed by the jury of the festival on one of the competing feature films. It is the second-most prestigious prize of the festival after the Palme d'Or...
at the 1979 Cannes Film Festival
1979 Cannes Film Festival
- Jury :*Françoise Sagan *Sergio Amidei *Rodolphe-Maurice Arlaud *Luis García Berlanga *Maurice Bessy *Paul Claudon *Jules Dassin *Zsolt Kézdi-Kovács...
.
In popular culture
Eduard ArtemyevEduard Artemyev
Eduard Nikolaevich Artemyev is a Russian composer of electronic music and film scores. Outside of Russia he is mostly known for his film scores from films such as Solaris, Siberiade, Stalker or Burnt by the Sun.-Biography:...
's theme from the movie was covered by the Russian trance act PPK
PPK (group)
PPK is a notable Russian trance duo that was based primarily in Rostov-on-Don.The group consisted of Sergei Pimenov and Alexander Polyakov. PPK name is the acronym of founding members' initials, K was for short-time member DJ Kordj ....
and issued under the title ResuRection in August 2001. It reached #3 in the UK Singles Chart
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
.
External links
Siberiade is a 1979 epic Soviet film in four parts, spanning much of the 20th century. The leading roles were played by the celebrated Soviet actors Nikita Mikhalkov
Nikita Mikhalkov
Nikita Sergeyevich Mikhalkov is a Soviet and Russian filmmaker, actor, and head of the Russian Cinematographers' Union.Mikhalkov was born in Moscow into the distinguished, artistic Mikhalkov family. His great grandfather was the imperial governor of Yaroslavl, whose mother was a Galitzine princess...
and Lyudmila Gurchenko
Lyudmila Gurchenko
Lyudmila Markovna Gurchenko was a popular Soviet and Russian actress, singer and entertainer.-Biography:Lyudmila was born in Kharkiv, Ukrainian SSR in 1935 to Mark Gavrilovich Gurchenko and Yelena Aleksandrovna Simonova-Gurchenko . Before the World War II they lived in a single room apartment on...
. The director was Andrei Konchalovsky
Andrei Konchalovsky
Andrei Mikhalkov-Konchalovsky is a Soviet-American and Russian film director, film producer and screenwriter....
, working for the Mosfilm
Mosfilm
Mosfilm is a film studio, which is often described as the largest and oldest in Russia and in Europe. Its output includes most of the more widely-acclaimed Soviet films, ranging from works by Tarkovsky and Eisenstein , to Red Westerns, to the Akira Kurosawa co-production and the epic Война и Мир...
studio.
Synopsis
The small village of Yelan has lain hidden in the SiberiaSiberia
Siberia is an extensive region constituting almost all of Northern Asia. Comprising the central and eastern portion of the Russian Federation, it was part of the Soviet Union from its beginning, as its predecessor states, the Tsardom of Russia and the Russian Empire, conquered it during the 16th...
n backwoods since time immemorial, Siberiade revolves around two families, the Solomins and the Ustyuzhanins, who live in Yelan and have been feuding for as long as anyone can remember. The Solomins were relatively wealthy and the Ustyuzhanins poor.
The film begins in 1904. Afanasy "Afonya" Ustyuzhanin is an aging man who spends all of his waking hours chopping a corduroy road
Corduroy road
A corduroy road or log road is a type of road made by placing sand-covered logs perpendicular to the direction of the road over a low or swampy area....
"anywhere away from Yelan". His young child Nikolai "Kolya" Ustyuzhanin (b. 1897) must fend for himself by stealing from the Solomins. He meets Rodion Klimentov, a revolutionary fugitive who inspires him, who is soon found by the police and taken away.
In 1917 Kolya continues to help his father build the road, which has become an epic project stretching many miles. He is in a romantic relationship with hoyden Anastasia "Nastya" Solomin, but a quarrel about the revolution infuriates Nastya, who immediately seeks out Phil Solomin, kisses him, and demands marriage. As the wedding preparations begin, Kolya begs for forgiveness, but Nastya savors the revenge. Kolya fights with the Solomins and is beaten and cast adrift down the river. Later that day Phil seeks out Nastya in a barn and sexually assaults her, but she escapes and joins an unconscious Kolya. Meanwhile Afonya, still chopping, falls asleep, drunk, on an ant nest, and dies alone.
In 1932, Kolya returns to Yelan as a charismatic party official with his loyal, revolutionary-minded son Alexei (who was born in 1923). He informs the Solomins that Nastya, who had left with him, died heroically. In a town hall meeting he gets the village to agree on a plan for tapping the area's natural resources. A dispute leads to Kolya arresting Spiridon Solomin, who soon escapes and kills Kolya. Alexei flees.
In June 1941 Alexei, a teenager, returns to Yelan and meets Taya, a free-spirited Solomin girl who becomes infatuated with him. A recruiting barge visits the town, announcing the beginning of the Great Patriotic War, and Alexei enlists. The boat pulls away and Taya yells to Alexei that she will wait for him all her life. In the war, Alexei saves an injured officer (Phil Solomin, whom he does not recognize) and becomes a decorated war hero. The war ends, and Taya continues to wait for Alexei's return day after day, which never occurs.
Around 1964 Alexei returns to Yelan with an oil drilling crew. His enemy, Spiridon, has returned from prison a bitter and frail man, and Alexei feels only pity. He meets Taya and has a casual affair, but she is also courted by Alexei's boss Tofik, causing a rift. Meanwhile, Phil Solomin in Moscow has risen high into the ranks of Soviet leadership, but wrestles with his conscience over the plan for a massive hydroelectric dam project that would flood Yelan. Alexei resigns from the oil drilling operation to leave town, stopping at Taya's house to take her with him to the resort city of Sochi, but it becomes clear that they have grown apart. Alexei storms off, and the oil well blows out as he leaves town. The blowout turns into an inferno and Alexei rushes in to save a former coworker, and dies in the process. As Spiridon gloats over the demise of the last Ustyuzhanin, Taya reveals to him that she bears Alexey's child.
At a party conference in Moscow, a telegram arrives with the news of the oil strike, which vindicates Siberia as a mining center. The officials react with pleasure but give a moment of silence for the passing of Alexei. Phil flies to Yelan to supervise the containment operation, but it becomes clear that the graveyard must be razed to save the town. As the film closes, the ghosts of the Solomins and Ustyuzhanins seemingly appear in the graveyard expressing gratitude and unity.
Analysis
In its theme, the movie combines narrative elements from different traditions. So the first part of the movie tells of wondrous archetypicalArchetype
An archetype is a universally understood symbol or term or pattern of behavior, a prototype upon which others are copied, patterned, or emulated...
elements within the Russian culture, as connected to the pre-electrified epoch that is being narrated. Similarly, elements of the heroic epic are included within the part narrating the protagonist's involvement in World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
.
Throughout the film, the differences in epoch displayed and, accordingly, stylistics and themes used are very well consistent with each other, thus writing a continuous history of Siberia in the 20th century, transcending the seeming ruptures yielded by the national- and global-scale socio-political and socio-economic discourses. Likewise, it can be watched and regarded as an early reflection on processes of Globalisation, a topic seemingly counter-intuitive, when it comes to Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
.
Cast
- Vladimir Samojlov
- Vitaly SolominVitaly SolominVitaly Mefodievich Solomin was a Soviet and Russian actor, director and screenwriter. He was the younger brother of Yury Solomin....
as Nikolai Ustyuzhanin - Nikita MikhalkovNikita MikhalkovNikita Sergeyevich Mikhalkov is a Soviet and Russian filmmaker, actor, and head of the Russian Cinematographers' Union.Mikhalkov was born in Moscow into the distinguished, artistic Mikhalkov family. His great grandfather was the imperial governor of Yaroslavl, whose mother was a Galitzine princess...
as Aleksey Ustyuzhanin - Natalya Andrejchenko as Anastasya Solomina
- Pavel KadochnikovPavel KadochnikovPavel Petrovich Kadochnikov was a Russian actor, film director and scenario. . Among the notable roles he had as an actor were in the film Ivan the Terrible, directed by Sergei Eisenstein. He was named a People's Artist of the USSR and a Hero of Socialist Labor .-Biography:Pavel Kadochnikov was...
as Eternal Grandfather - Sergei Shakurov as Spiridon Solomin
- Lyudmila GurchenkoLyudmila GurchenkoLyudmila Markovna Gurchenko was a popular Soviet and Russian actress, singer and entertainer.-Biography:Lyudmila was born in Kharkiv, Ukrainian SSR in 1935 to Mark Gavrilovich Gurchenko and Yelena Aleksandrovna Simonova-Gurchenko . Before the World War II they lived in a single room apartment on...
as Taya Solomina - Igor Okhlupin as Philip Solomin
- Yevgeni Perov as Yerotei Solomin
- Vladimir SimonovVladimir Simonov-Biography:Vladimir Simonov was born in 1935 in Kovrov in the Vladimir Oblast.In 1955 he graduated from the Podolia Industrial Technical Secondary School with specialty in mining equipment....
as Afanasy Ustyuzhanin - Ivan Dmitriyev as Blinov
- Mikhail KononovMikhail KononovMikhail Ivanovich Kononov was a well known Soviet actor.-Biography:He first appeared on stage when at school yet. In 1963 Mikhail Kononov graduated from the Shchepkin Drama School and was admitted to the Maly Theatre...
as Rodion Klimentov - Ruslan Miqaberidze as Tofik Rustamov
- Maksim MunzukMaxim MunzukMaxim Monguzhukovich Munzuk - 28 July 1999) was an outstanding Tuvan actor, one of the founders of Tuva's regional theatre. He is best known for playing the title role in Akira Kurosawa's film Dersu Uzala....
as Fedyka - Nikolai Skorobogatov as Yermolai
- Konstantin Grigoryev
- Yelena KorenevaYelena Koreneva-Career:She has appeared in over 60 films and TV and made her debut in Vas vyzyvaet Taymyr , in 1970.-Filmography:*Landysh serebristyj TV Series*Shpionskie igry: Nelegal...
as teenage Taya Solomina - Yevgeni Leonov-Gladyshev as teenage Aleksey Ustyuzhanin
- Vladimir Levitan
- Leonid Pleshakov
- Vadim Vilsky
Awards
The film won the Special Grand Jury PrizeGrand Prix (Cannes Film Festival)
The Grand Prix is an award of the Cannes Film Festival bestowed by the jury of the festival on one of the competing feature films. It is the second-most prestigious prize of the festival after the Palme d'Or...
at the 1979 Cannes Film Festival
1979 Cannes Film Festival
- Jury :*Françoise Sagan *Sergio Amidei *Rodolphe-Maurice Arlaud *Luis García Berlanga *Maurice Bessy *Paul Claudon *Jules Dassin *Zsolt Kézdi-Kovács...
.
In popular culture
Eduard ArtemyevEduard Artemyev
Eduard Nikolaevich Artemyev is a Russian composer of electronic music and film scores. Outside of Russia he is mostly known for his film scores from films such as Solaris, Siberiade, Stalker or Burnt by the Sun.-Biography:...
's theme from the movie was covered by the Russian trance act PPK
PPK (group)
PPK is a notable Russian trance duo that was based primarily in Rostov-on-Don.The group consisted of Sergei Pimenov and Alexander Polyakov. PPK name is the acronym of founding members' initials, K was for short-time member DJ Kordj ....
and issued under the title ResuRection in August 2001. It reached #3 in the UK Singles Chart
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
.
External links
Siberiade is a 1979 epic Soviet film in four parts, spanning much of the 20th century. The leading roles were played by the celebrated Soviet actors Nikita Mikhalkov
Nikita Mikhalkov
Nikita Sergeyevich Mikhalkov is a Soviet and Russian filmmaker, actor, and head of the Russian Cinematographers' Union.Mikhalkov was born in Moscow into the distinguished, artistic Mikhalkov family. His great grandfather was the imperial governor of Yaroslavl, whose mother was a Galitzine princess...
and Lyudmila Gurchenko
Lyudmila Gurchenko
Lyudmila Markovna Gurchenko was a popular Soviet and Russian actress, singer and entertainer.-Biography:Lyudmila was born in Kharkiv, Ukrainian SSR in 1935 to Mark Gavrilovich Gurchenko and Yelena Aleksandrovna Simonova-Gurchenko . Before the World War II they lived in a single room apartment on...
. The director was Andrei Konchalovsky
Andrei Konchalovsky
Andrei Mikhalkov-Konchalovsky is a Soviet-American and Russian film director, film producer and screenwriter....
, working for the Mosfilm
Mosfilm
Mosfilm is a film studio, which is often described as the largest and oldest in Russia and in Europe. Its output includes most of the more widely-acclaimed Soviet films, ranging from works by Tarkovsky and Eisenstein , to Red Westerns, to the Akira Kurosawa co-production and the epic Война и Мир...
studio.
Synopsis
The small village of Yelan has lain hidden in the SiberiaSiberia
Siberia is an extensive region constituting almost all of Northern Asia. Comprising the central and eastern portion of the Russian Federation, it was part of the Soviet Union from its beginning, as its predecessor states, the Tsardom of Russia and the Russian Empire, conquered it during the 16th...
n backwoods since time immemorial, Siberiade revolves around two families, the Solomins and the Ustyuzhanins, who live in Yelan and have been feuding for as long as anyone can remember. The Solomins were relatively wealthy and the Ustyuzhanins poor.
The film begins in 1904. Afanasy "Afonya" Ustyuzhanin is an aging man who spends all of his waking hours chopping a corduroy road
Corduroy road
A corduroy road or log road is a type of road made by placing sand-covered logs perpendicular to the direction of the road over a low or swampy area....
"anywhere away from Yelan". His young child Nikolai "Kolya" Ustyuzhanin (b. 1897) must fend for himself by stealing from the Solomins. He meets Rodion Klimentov, a revolutionary fugitive who inspires him, who is soon found by the police and taken away.
In 1917 Kolya continues to help his father build the road, which has become an epic project stretching many miles. He is in a romantic relationship with hoyden Anastasia "Nastya" Solomin, but a quarrel about the revolution infuriates Nastya, who immediately seeks out Phil Solomin, kisses him, and demands marriage. As the wedding preparations begin, Kolya begs for forgiveness, but Nastya savors the revenge. Kolya fights with the Solomins and is beaten and cast adrift down the river. Later that day Phil seeks out Nastya in a barn and sexually assaults her, but she escapes and joins an unconscious Kolya. Meanwhile Afonya, still chopping, falls asleep, drunk, on an ant nest, and dies alone.
In 1932, Kolya returns to Yelan as a charismatic party official with his loyal, revolutionary-minded son Alexei (who was born in 1923). He informs the Solomins that Nastya, who had left with him, died heroically. In a town hall meeting he gets the village to agree on a plan for tapping the area's natural resources. A dispute leads to Kolya arresting Spiridon Solomin, who soon escapes and kills Kolya. Alexei flees.
In June 1941 Alexei, a teenager, returns to Yelan and meets Taya, a free-spirited Solomin girl who becomes infatuated with him. A recruiting barge visits the town, announcing the beginning of the Great Patriotic War, and Alexei enlists. The boat pulls away and Taya yells to Alexei that she will wait for him all her life. In the war, Alexei saves an injured officer (Phil Solomin, whom he does not recognize) and becomes a decorated war hero. The war ends, and Taya continues to wait for Alexei's return day after day, which never occurs.
Around 1964 Alexei returns to Yelan with an oil drilling crew. His enemy, Spiridon, has returned from prison a bitter and frail man, and Alexei feels only pity. He meets Taya and has a casual affair, but she is also courted by Alexei's boss Tofik, causing a rift. Meanwhile, Phil Solomin in Moscow has risen high into the ranks of Soviet leadership, but wrestles with his conscience over the plan for a massive hydroelectric dam project that would flood Yelan. Alexei resigns from the oil drilling operation to leave town, stopping at Taya's house to take her with him to the resort city of Sochi, but it becomes clear that they have grown apart. Alexei storms off, and the oil well blows out as he leaves town. The blowout turns into an inferno and Alexei rushes in to save a former coworker, and dies in the process. As Spiridon gloats over the demise of the last Ustyuzhanin, Taya reveals to him that she bears Alexey's child.
At a party conference in Moscow, a telegram arrives with the news of the oil strike, which vindicates Siberia as a mining center. The officials react with pleasure but give a moment of silence for the passing of Alexei. Phil flies to Yelan to supervise the containment operation, but it becomes clear that the graveyard must be razed to save the town. As the film closes, the ghosts of the Solomins and Ustyuzhanins seemingly appear in the graveyard expressing gratitude and unity.
Analysis
In its theme, the movie combines narrative elements from different traditions. So the first part of the movie tells of wondrous archetypicalArchetype
An archetype is a universally understood symbol or term or pattern of behavior, a prototype upon which others are copied, patterned, or emulated...
elements within the Russian culture, as connected to the pre-electrified epoch that is being narrated. Similarly, elements of the heroic epic are included within the part narrating the protagonist's involvement in World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
.
Throughout the film, the differences in epoch displayed and, accordingly, stylistics and themes used are very well consistent with each other, thus writing a continuous history of Siberia in the 20th century, transcending the seeming ruptures yielded by the national- and global-scale socio-political and socio-economic discourses. Likewise, it can be watched and regarded as an early reflection on processes of Globalisation, a topic seemingly counter-intuitive, when it comes to Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
.
Cast
- Vladimir Samojlov
- Vitaly SolominVitaly SolominVitaly Mefodievich Solomin was a Soviet and Russian actor, director and screenwriter. He was the younger brother of Yury Solomin....
as Nikolai Ustyuzhanin - Nikita MikhalkovNikita MikhalkovNikita Sergeyevich Mikhalkov is a Soviet and Russian filmmaker, actor, and head of the Russian Cinematographers' Union.Mikhalkov was born in Moscow into the distinguished, artistic Mikhalkov family. His great grandfather was the imperial governor of Yaroslavl, whose mother was a Galitzine princess...
as Aleksey Ustyuzhanin - Natalya Andrejchenko as Anastasya Solomina
- Pavel KadochnikovPavel KadochnikovPavel Petrovich Kadochnikov was a Russian actor, film director and scenario. . Among the notable roles he had as an actor were in the film Ivan the Terrible, directed by Sergei Eisenstein. He was named a People's Artist of the USSR and a Hero of Socialist Labor .-Biography:Pavel Kadochnikov was...
as Eternal Grandfather - Sergei Shakurov as Spiridon Solomin
- Lyudmila GurchenkoLyudmila GurchenkoLyudmila Markovna Gurchenko was a popular Soviet and Russian actress, singer and entertainer.-Biography:Lyudmila was born in Kharkiv, Ukrainian SSR in 1935 to Mark Gavrilovich Gurchenko and Yelena Aleksandrovna Simonova-Gurchenko . Before the World War II they lived in a single room apartment on...
as Taya Solomina - Igor Okhlupin as Philip Solomin
- Yevgeni Perov as Yerotei Solomin
- Vladimir SimonovVladimir Simonov-Biography:Vladimir Simonov was born in 1935 in Kovrov in the Vladimir Oblast.In 1955 he graduated from the Podolia Industrial Technical Secondary School with specialty in mining equipment....
as Afanasy Ustyuzhanin - Ivan Dmitriyev as Blinov
- Mikhail KononovMikhail KononovMikhail Ivanovich Kononov was a well known Soviet actor.-Biography:He first appeared on stage when at school yet. In 1963 Mikhail Kononov graduated from the Shchepkin Drama School and was admitted to the Maly Theatre...
as Rodion Klimentov - Ruslan Miqaberidze as Tofik Rustamov
- Maksim MunzukMaxim MunzukMaxim Monguzhukovich Munzuk - 28 July 1999) was an outstanding Tuvan actor, one of the founders of Tuva's regional theatre. He is best known for playing the title role in Akira Kurosawa's film Dersu Uzala....
as Fedyka - Nikolai Skorobogatov as Yermolai
- Konstantin Grigoryev
- Yelena KorenevaYelena Koreneva-Career:She has appeared in over 60 films and TV and made her debut in Vas vyzyvaet Taymyr , in 1970.-Filmography:*Landysh serebristyj TV Series*Shpionskie igry: Nelegal...
as teenage Taya Solomina - Yevgeni Leonov-Gladyshev as teenage Aleksey Ustyuzhanin
- Vladimir Levitan
- Leonid Pleshakov
- Vadim Vilsky
Awards
The film won the Special Grand Jury PrizeGrand Prix (Cannes Film Festival)
The Grand Prix is an award of the Cannes Film Festival bestowed by the jury of the festival on one of the competing feature films. It is the second-most prestigious prize of the festival after the Palme d'Or...
at the 1979 Cannes Film Festival
1979 Cannes Film Festival
- Jury :*Françoise Sagan *Sergio Amidei *Rodolphe-Maurice Arlaud *Luis García Berlanga *Maurice Bessy *Paul Claudon *Jules Dassin *Zsolt Kézdi-Kovács...
.
In popular culture
Eduard ArtemyevEduard Artemyev
Eduard Nikolaevich Artemyev is a Russian composer of electronic music and film scores. Outside of Russia he is mostly known for his film scores from films such as Solaris, Siberiade, Stalker or Burnt by the Sun.-Biography:...
's theme from the movie was covered by the Russian trance act PPK
PPK (group)
PPK is a notable Russian trance duo that was based primarily in Rostov-on-Don.The group consisted of Sergei Pimenov and Alexander Polyakov. PPK name is the acronym of founding members' initials, K was for short-time member DJ Kordj ....
and issued under the title ResuRection in August 2001. It reached #3 in the UK Singles Chart
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
.