The White Sun of the Desert (1969)

Best movie of this year hands down!

good back-story, and good acting

Let me be very fair here, this is not the best movie in my opinion. But, this movie is fun, it has purpose and is very enjoyable to watch.

The story, direction, characters, and writing/dialogue is akin to taking a tranquilizer shot to the neck, but everything else was so well done.

The 1970 Soviet film entitled "White Sun of the Desert," directed by Vladimir Moty is a classic "Ostern" blend of action and comedy. This Soviet Western film is set during the Soviet civil war in one of the Soviet Asiatic states, and centers around a lonely Red Russian soldier Fedor Sukhov who keeps finding himself in bizarre situations along his journey to get home. The biggest of situation he finds himself in is fighting a gang of local bandits who are trying to restore feudal order to Soviet Asia. This film introduces us to comedy in an untraditional manner. Take for instance the event where Fedor is told without his approval to escort the khan's harem, named Adullah, to a safe place across the desert. Also the moment when the veiled women proclaim him their new husband, in which Sukhov insist that a man should only have one woman. Vladimir utilizes action and dynamic fight sequences add humor this is prominent near the end of the film. For example when a man is seen flying out the window of a house or when several men are thrown out the boat with a kick. One theme that the film draws upon is exile this is seen with our hero who has constantly tried to get home but is somewhat forced to live a life in the desert. The hero also brings a hint of romanticism from the location where these heroic acts are taking place. Vladimir uses dream sequences to show Sukhovs longing to reunite with his bride and to also show he sees his bride through the khan's harem.

in fact, memorable. for fight scenes and special humor. for images of desert and Manichean script. for its poetry and, sure, for the slices of absurd. it is not original or great. it remains only unique. or, only, a kind of legend who testify the vision, ambition and sensitivity of a period. it is a Soviet movie but after years and years, it remains out of date. fresh, seductive, with few chains with classic western but deep different, story of a military like new Ulyses, it is touching and really not bad. and presence of the three old men as human clock for events, the women and young soldier are memories for entire life. for me, this fact is essential.

I have seen the impact that the American Western had on the Italians ("The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly") and now I have seen its influence of the Russians. This "Ostern" tackles the subject matter of civil war, bigamy, and death with a wonderful lack of pretense that is expected from a John Wayne movie; all that has changed are the ideologies. With a little more in common with "Lawrence of Arabia" than just sand the movie focuses on an unextraordinary man forced to rise to the occasion of being a hero. The lead is extremely engaging as a man who never looses his laid-back attitude even as soldiers pour oil around him and the many wives. His fidelity to his farm wife provides for the movie's highlight. He imagines his wife surrounded by the entire harem performing chores around the field. The clashing of East and... well, further East provides for many comical situations. The way the harem acts around the men in the museum is countered by the men lusting after them.

The plot is about East and West in their permanent conflict. An experienced and wise ex-soldier is asked to deliver sheik's harem on his way home. The sheik retaliates... Tons of good humor. Many phrases from this legendary movie have made it into everyday language. In the early space age, this was the one movie cassette astronauts took to the orbit. I would like to invite visitors to see pictures from the movie and watch a detailed trailer at RussArt.com. Those who read Russian can find more materials useful: reviews, actor biographies, articles, etc.Pictures: http://russart.com/?moviepictures&mid=6 .Trailer: http://russart.com/?movietrailer&mid=6 .