Reviewed By Jason LockardVsevolod Illarionovich Pudovkin was a Russian and Soviet film director, screenwriter. After serving alongside fellow Russians during World War I, his life was forever changed during a screening of D.W. Griffith's Intolerance. He would become a filmmaker. While he is probably not well known to the average film fans, his films are differently required viewing for classic films fans.
Well, Flicker Alley joined with Lobster Films and Blackhawk Films to present a deluxe Blu-ray of Vsevolod Pudovkin's "The Bolshevik Trilogy". Let's take an in-depth look at this release.
Our Rating System:
****=Don’t Miss it!
***=Worth a look.
**=An Ok way to spend some time.
*=You haven’t missed anything.
Mother (1926) A father and son find themselves on opposite sides of the Russian Revolution of 1905, leaving the mother torn between them. But when her husband is killed and her son is wrongfully imprisoned in a labor camp, the mother is spurred into action, joining the revolutionaries in an effort to take on the Tsar's Army. ***
The End of St. Petersburg (1927) Created to commemorate the 10th anniversary of the October Revolution, the film tells the story of how the Bolshevik party came to power, but through the lens of a peasant boy’s journey from slave laborer to political revolutionary. ***
Storm over Asia (1928) Set in a fictional British-occupied Mongolia, the film follows a young Mongolian fur trapper who skirts a death sentence by falsely claiming to be a descendent of the great warrior Genghis Khan. ***
Pudovkin had a real flare for story telling and his direction shows a masterful filmmaker. His stories have real heart. The films transcend countries and get to real human emotion.
While Mother and The End of St. Petersburg doesn't appear to have been restored, they have been remastered in HD. These are a definite upgrade from any other release you may have seen. But the Storm over Asia has been scanned in 2K from a 35mm elements.
The transfers of these film on Blu-ray look as sound remarkably beautiful. When you think of the age of the films. Mother and The End of Petersburg has some damage to the prints, but nothing that in my opinion should take away from the viewing. However Storm over Asia looks stunning.
It is good to note these are Russian films so they are presented with the original Russian intertitles, but no worries there are English subtitles. So Flicker Alley has got you covered there. But as with Flicker Alley they never end a movie or two. Oh no! They always so above and beyond and this release is no different.
Bonus Material:
* Chess Fever (1925) - Pudovkin’s directorial debut, this ingenious satire of the Moscow chess craze combines staged scenes with documentary footage, and features a number of cameos from the worlds of cinema and chess.
*A Revolution in Five Moves - A visual essay showcasing the five edits that inspired the Bolshevik revolution.
* Five Principles of Editing - A comparison of Pudovkin’s “Five Principles of Editing”.
* Amateur Images of St. Petersburg (1930)
*Notebooks of a Tourist Presents: St. Petersburg (c.1920)
*Audio Commentary: Storm over Asia (1928) - Featuring film historian and scholar, Jan-Christopher Horak.
* Audio Commentary: Mother (1926) - Featuring Russian film historian and curator Peter Bagrov.
* Souvenir Booklet - Featuring a new essay by film author and historian Amy Sargeant.
So as you can see this is one loaded Blu-ray release. Flicker Alley has done it again bringing us the cinephiles and classic movie fans a collection of films to add to the shelves. Check the promotional video below.
So if you are a cinephile or if you love foreign films or silent films. The Bolshevik Trilogy is a must-own for your collection. You can pick up a copy of this Blu-ray release at FlickerAlley.com or at Amazon.com today.
Offensive Material: Violence
Audience: Teens and Adults
Genre: Drama
Length: Almost 5 Hours
Blu-ray Value Rating: A
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