Zvenigora - (Mr Bongo Films) (1928) [DVD]

Looking at the two reviews here, Id like to strike a balance. I'd just bought the recently issued 3 film boxed set of Dovzhenko's War Trilogy, of which, this is the start. I bought the set as it was an absolute bargain, making it little more than the fairly well-known 'Earth' that I'd heard about and wanted to see.

Firstly, I took 'cinematic poetry' to be just that, images and scenes that evoked a story rather than simply reciting it in the usual way. Thus heavy symbolism plays a huge part and I have to disagree with Bob Salter that one has to know the subject to appreciate it. I use that word, 'appreciate' rather than 'understand' and it is the very nature of the genre here, known as 'avant-garde' that further takes into realms of fantasy, or, pretentious waffle, if that's how you take it.

Avant-garde is not my favourite genre either but when you consider that this is still the Silent Era - normality would be having a fixed camera, on a studio set and the actors moving around in front of it, in all but the most expensive and adventurous productions. The Russians, at this point, as well some notable German film-makers were doing much more and experimenting with double exposures, cutting, fading, all-sorts, simply to extend both the boundaries of their imagination and cinematic technology.

Of course, film has moved on an awfully long way and so has people's entertainment. These moving images are both historical; a recreated scenario now wouldn't anywhere near the same authenticity - and human. As in stills photography of those days, it is capturing people and their lives that would have seemed so special and fascinating, marrying that up with story-telling would take longer as both film-makers and the public got used to this exciting, new medium. Marx unashamably exploited artists of all kinds for propaganda purposes and these have, understandably, been seen in a bad light in the West, but thank goodness now, we are finally seeing them for what they are, not were - pioneering and hugely influential.

I'm no historian or film expert and in effect, I haven't really reviewed the title itself but hopefully cast a light on it as a subject. However, I would say that the Mr Bongo reproduction, from the restored print is very good, with hardly a blemish and features a new(?) stereo orchestral score.

Zvenigora is a mountain in Ukrainian that holds a secret. Buried somewhere in it, is an ancient Scythian treasure that has been searched for for nearly as long as it was buried. For some insight into the name, "gora" is the Polish word for mountain (although it isn't in Ukrainian), so the name could be considered "Zveni-mountain." Considering Zvenigora is this hill/mountain, the possible connection is hard to dismiss.

The film begins in the 17th century with a large group of Ukrainians searching for Poles who are trying to find the treasures in the earth of Zvenigora. They meet an old man from the area who agrees to help them save the treasure. The old man is a central figure to the film as he is always there, at every point in time. From the present time (1928) to prehistory when Scythians lived on Ukrainian soil, the old man witnesses all of the events that happen. In the present time, the old man teaches his grandson about the legend and passes on the tradition of their history.

Albeit a Russian film, Zvenigora is all about Ukrainian history. Zvenigora is also considered the first part in Alexander Dovzhenko's Ukrainian trilogy. It shares in common with the other parts not only the fact that it presents Ukrainian history, but also takes on a lot of issues for a silent film. The stories are not completely simple and leave us having to connect some of the details. They also all show us the wars Ukraine endured in the early part of the 20th century. Zvenigora differs from the other parts in that it shows more of the Ukrainian lore and legends than the other parts. Dovzhenko's films are different than modern cinema and resemble visual poetry.

"Zvenigora" is considered a silent revolutionary epic. It forms the first part of Alexander Dovzhenko's Ukranian trilogy. The second part was "Arsenal" and the third "Earth". I have to be totally honest here and admit that I really struggled to understand this film. So much so that I really don't have a clue as to whether I have just watched a classic or a load of pretentious nonsense. The film explores Ukranian history through the search for an ancient buried treasure in the mountain of Zvenigora. An old man who appears throughout the film is central to the story. The word story is perhaps not the right word, as it is more a surrealist look at Ukranian myths, legends and current politics as they were in 1928 when this film was made.

I should set the record right straight away by saying that this is not an Indiana Jones style treasure hunt, with fun filled action galore. If you want a chilled out popcorn munching movie, then I should forget it! This is one where you really need to have done your homework to fully appreciate whats on offer, which I didn't I hasten to add! You need to know something about Ukranian history including the Bolshevik uprising and Dovzhenko's aims. Much of the imagery is undeniably striking and densely symbol laden. The scene where a soldier approaches three Germans in the First World War typifies that best. It is as visually striking as many paintings. The film has been compared to Picasso's 'Guernica' which I can quite understand. There is a strange scene between a fat General and the old man who is digging for the treasure, that reminded me much of the work by the surreal film maker Alejandro Jodorowsky. For someone who is interested in a highly original exploration into one country's political history, then this may fascinate them. Whilst I can appreciate that many of the directors ideas were way ahead of their time, I found the plotline impossible to follow. Sadly although "Earth" sounds an interesting film I don't think I will get around to seeing it unless I spend some time swotting up on Ukranian history. The film unfortunately went stright over my simple head. I have had to award it a middle of the road, standing on the fence sort of three stars. Once I was indecisive, now I'm not too sure!