A growing source of silent era film information. This listing is from The Progressive Silent Film List by Carl Bennett. Copyright © 1999-2013 by Carl Bennett and the Silent Era Company. All Rights Reserved.

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Photograph: courtesy Harvard Film Archive.

Cast: Simon Svachenko [Basil], Stephan Shkurat [Opanas, his father], Peter Masokha [Thomas Whitehorse], V. Krasenko [Peter], Nikolai Nademsky [Simon], P. Petrik [the Young Communist Party cell leader], Julia Sointseva [Opanas’ daughter], Ellen Maximova [Basil’s fiancee], I. Franko [Arkhip Whitehorse], V. Mikhailov [village priest], P. Umanets [the Soviet farm chairman], E. Bondina [farm girl], Mary Matsiutsia [farm girl]

VUFKU production. / Scenario by Alexander Dovzhenko. Art direction by Basil Krichevski. Assistant directors, J. Solntseva-Dovzhenko and Lazar Bodik. Cinematography by Daniel Demutski. / Standard 35mm spherical 1.37:1 format. / Dovzhenko’s last silent film. / Silent film.

Drama.

Synopsis: A young collective farmer is murdered after advocating the introduction of a tractor and the toppling of a rich landowner family.

Survival status: Print exists [35mm positive].

Current rights holder: (unknown)

Keywords: Collectives - Crime: Murder - Death: Murder - Farmers - Tractors

Listing updated: 6 January 2011.

References: Film viewing : Baer-Film p. 74; Bardèche-History pp. 175, 270, 282; Bohn-Light pp. xxv, 151-152, 280; Cowie-Finnish p. 27; Kael-Kiss p. 260; Leish-Cinema p. 41; Limbacher-Feature pp. 69, 284; McGhee-Wayne p. 70; Youngblood-Soviet pp. 204, 209, 211, 319.

Home video: DVD.