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Produced at almost the exact time that Stalin was turning his country into a virtual prison camp of suspicion and treachery, it is as if the creators of this film did not really know what they were setting out to do. Given the extent to which Uncle Joe imposed his will on artistic endeavours, perhaps this is understandable.

The resultant film presents several quite interesting parts, but they seem to fail to coalesce into any integral whole. There is the story of a young bride forced to marry against her will after being sold. (It would even appear that her new owner/husband runs a brothel). There is a capitalist entrepreneur who is out to make money out of trade, particularly with the army. There is the heroic effort of Gavrilov to find common cause with the foot soldiers in the opposing Turkish forces, as they are both oppressed by their respective feudal overlords. His efforts result in a boorish display of authoritarian power. Finally, there are enchanting folk dances and songs, and a beautiful rendition of a Shevchenko poem about the Caucasian mountains, with the image of the title figure standing for the oppression of the people.

In parts, quite splendid; as a whole, far too disparate and scatter-shot.