Traktoristy

This is a good comedy about collective farm workers and a recently returned tank driver from the Far East. It is difficult to understand it if one does not speak Russian and Ukrainian (yes, there is even an Ukrainian folk song in the movie). It so happens that I understand both. The "Zabady vas komar" line is epic. Explicit propaganda is quasi-absent. There are three things I found curious. First, at some point, the kolkhozniki find a German helmet and they comment that the Germans are preparing to attack the Soviet Union. It is curious, because the movie was released in 1939, so presumably the Soviets were expecting the attack (this is also Curtio Malaparte suggests). Second, there is the idea that in case of war, the kolkhozniks can easily change the tractor for a tank. The idea o patriotism and the need to sacrifice for the fatherland is Third, the Georgian guy in the beginning does not appear later in the movie, although he seemed a funny character. I did not understand where exactly was the main character coming from. He says he is returning from the Far East, so it might be from Khalkhin Gol. Overall it is a very good bilingual movie.

A musical comedy. Another painting of the Stalin era, which can be called a masterpiece without a shadow of a doubt, along with such giants as Alexander Nevsky and Peter the Great. Which simply could not pass by such a lover and connoisseur of cinema as the author of this review. So she also has an original script that does not rely on a certain literary source. They were able to make real masterpieces. The author of this review asks the audience to forgive his enthusiastic introduction (he usually doesn't do that), it's just that this picture inspired him so much. And here is a brief opinion - Another masterpiece of Soviet cinema of the thirties. To the great joy of the author of this review, there was not a single minus in the picture, so you can safely stop at the advantages of this wonderful musical comedy.

So, here they are: 1. The scenario is the end of the thirties. Demobilized tankman Klim Yarko returns to Novorossiya from the Far East. And he is going for a reason, to find work in the endless steppes and the main breadbasket of the Soviet Union, but because in the newspaper he saw a portrait of an editorial produced by Mariana Bazhan, whom he liked very much. Mariana is the beauty and pride of the local collective farm, the foreman of the women's detachment of advanced workers, awarded the Order of the Red Banner of Labor. And Klim himself is not without his advantages: he is smart, dexterous, knows all sorts of mechanisms, so he also brought with him the spirit of the Far East (very turbulent in those years). In addition to the expected romantic line (which is good here and even managed to do without the classic "love triangle"), they told about the life of the collective farmers of those years, well, the powerful patriotic finale will make you sing along with the heroes "When Comrade Stalin sends us into battle, And the first marshal will lead us into battle." 2. The life of the country in the late thirties - the picture strikingly accurately describes the state of village life at that time - this is the ongoing Stakhanov movement, collectivization, and the feeling of an approaching "great war". At that time, the Soviet people had no illusions about their future opponents - they would be Germany and Japan. Therefore, there are military notes in the picture, the characters talk about their readiness to join the Red Army at any moment and fight back against the enemy. And the New Russian residents listen with interest to Klim's stories about the Far East. At the same time, the heroes' clothes are soaked in sweat, they are dirty - it is immediately clear that people here are working for the benefit of a country that they love with all their hearts, and which they are ready to defend with weapons in their hands.

3. Songs - one thing is that for the first time, songs were played here "Three Tankmen" and "March of Soviet Tankmen", which became the anthem of the tank troops of the Red Army, then the Soviet and then the Russian army, can already be given the highest rating. What songs, what words, what music! They were written by the real talents of the Soviet era. It would be extremely difficult to imagine our life without these songs.

4. Sensuality - the picture lifts the mood (although it sags in the middle of the narrative), fills with happiness for our Great Homeland, for the ancestors who endured such trials. The painting prepared the Soviet people for war, and in the current situation it has not lost its relevance. The picture is filled with patriotism and generously shares it with the audience. Therefore, do not be lazy and watch it (but only the original version, not the 1964 castrato).

A little bit about the main characters: 1. Klim Vividly performed by Nikolai Kryuchkov is a demobilized tankman who became a collective farm tractor driver, and then climbed another important social step. And all this is due to resourcefulness, every kind of skill, and natural charm. Klim is an example of a commander and a working man of the Soviet Country, who is ready to stand up to the end for his ideals. Nikolai Afanasievich again pleased with his acting. Bravo!

2. Mariana Bazhan, performed by Mirina Ladynina, is a brigadier, an editorial, a real example of a communist of the thirties, for whom the common good is more important than personal affairs. Yes, she is also a beauty, even after a shift in the field on a tractor. And although she doesn't want to get married, the charming Klim made her change her mind. Marina Alekseevna was excellent in this role. Bravo!

3. Kirill Petrovich, performed by Stepan Kayukov, is the head of MTS (machine and tractor station) and the direct supervisor of Mariana and Klim. He constantly utters his trademark phrase "Gore you mosquito." A kind and cheerful peasant who stands up for his employees like a mountain, and considers everyone his equal, although formally he is the boss. Stepan Yakovlevich was no less convincing than the rest of the actors, and no less charismatic. Bravo!

It is also worth canceling the wonderful artist Boris Andreev, for whom this picture became his debut in a big movie, and Peter Aleynikov in the role of fidgety Savka. Not to mention the other actors who looked extremely convincing in the frame.

How good it is that after many years of showing the castrated version of 1964, you and I can enjoy the original version of 1939, the truth has triumphed, despite all the slander of enemies. Just watch her!

A score of 10 out of 10 and a recommendation to watch!

"Traktoristy" (Tractor-drivers) is a strange movie from classic Soviet director Ivan Pyriev. On one hand, it is a pure stalinist propaganda of the workers class, and like hundreds of other period movie of that time (the movie was set in 1939), and it sure did mean to prepare people for the upcoming war and raise the fighting spirit of the nation. On the other hand, if one can abstract from the propagandistic nature of the film, it is possible to see the powerful cinematographic side of it. Over-the-edge performances, fast soc-realistic camera work, sincere pathos of the heroes - it has everything for which Eisenstein's films are famous. And it isn't a coincidence, as Pyriev started his career under the wing of the maître. Interestingly, the movie was re-edited during the Khruschev's dethronement of Stalin's cult as it appeared to be too pro-stalinist (which is absolute truth). Only recently there has been re-edition of the original in Russia. Seeing the film, we see the expression of Soviet mythology. In this sense it is a really scary film, because nothing is real. It can be somehow compared to the images of war heroes and usual people painted on ancient vases - it's an idealized image of life. This movie's antonym in cinema history is Waida's "Man of marble", which helps to understand the rise and fall of communist mythology in retrospective. Probably having more interest for cinematography students than for average viewers, Ivan Pyriev's "Traktoristy" still remains forgotten classic of soc-realism.