Chlen pravitel'stva . Member of the Government
The film is set on a Soviet collective farm in the aftermath of collectivization. Under the wise supervision of the "Great Father and Teacher," the poor and uneducated villagers are given a chance to study, learn professions and rise to social and professional prominence: simple herdsmen s...
| Other Authors: | , |
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| Institution: | Open Society Archives at Central European University |
| Language: | Russian |
| Published: |
Lenfilm
1936
Soviet Union |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://hdl.handle.net/10891/osa:80045e7d-2dbe-4ef5-8d73-72c842eaf692 |
| Summary: | The film is set on a Soviet collective farm in the aftermath of collectivization. Under the wise supervision of the "Great Father and Teacher," the poor and uneducated villagers are given a chance to study, learn professions and rise to social and professional prominence: simple herdsmen study to become vets, local drunkards overcome their addiction and win socialist labor competitions, etc. The main protagonist, Aleksandra, or San'ka (the initial title of the film) a barely literate peasant woman constantly abused by her domineering husband is first appointed the chairperson of the kolkhoz and by the end of the film has even been elected a deputy to the Supreme Soviet. Despite the plot's seemingly propagandistic overtones as it weaves the narrative of prosperity, social mobility and endless possibilities laid open for the masses of the people by the Soviet regime, the directors manage to give their story a personal and even tragic touch. Against the background of Alexandra's stunning career, they show her personal life disintegrating, as her husband, unable to cope with his wife's superior status, chooses to leave the family. The choices confronting the heroine reflect the major transformations that started in Soviet society in the 1920s, shattering traditional lifestyles and value systems for the sake of the new ideals and civic duties proclaimed by the state. |
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| Published: | 1936 |