Member of the Government – aka The Great Beginning [1939]
In Research Room
Moving ImageGeneral Information
Original Title
Chlen pravitel'stva
General Information
Language
Russian
General Information
Published
Soviet Union : LenFilm, 1939.
General Information
Physical Description
VHS (99 min.)
Contributors
Kheifits, Iosif, director
Contents 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, gain professions and rise to social and professional prominence: simple herders 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 is even elected a deputy to the Supreme Sovet. Despite the plot's seemingly propagandistic overtones as it weaves the narrative of prosperity, social mobility and endless possibilities open for the broad masses of population 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 chooses to leave the family unable to cope with his wife's superior status. The choices confronting the heroine reflect the major transformations underway in the Soviet society from the 1920s on that shattered traditional lifestyles and value systems for the sake of new ideals and civic duties proclaimed by the state.
Bibliographic Information
Note
Duration: 01:39:00
Holdings
| Item Type | Current Location | Collection | Call Number | Volume Info | Shelving Location | Public Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| VHS | OSA Film Library | OSA Film Library | - | - | - | - |
Member of the Government – aka The Great Beginning [1939]
In Research Room
Moving ImageGeneral Information
Director/Creator
General Information
Original Title
Chlen pravitel'stva
General Information
Language
Russian
General Information
Published
Soviet Union : LenFilm, 1939.
General Information
Physical Description
VHS (99 min.)
Contributors
Kheifits, Iosif, director
Contents 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, gain professions and rise to social and professional prominence: simple herders 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 is even elected a deputy to the Supreme Sovet. Despite the plot's seemingly propagandistic overtones as it weaves the narrative of prosperity, social mobility and endless possibilities open for the broad masses of population 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 chooses to leave the family unable to cope with his wife's superior status. The choices confronting the heroine reflect the major transformations underway in the Soviet society from the 1920s on that shattered traditional lifestyles and value systems for the sake of new ideals and civic duties proclaimed by the state.
Bibliographic Information
Note
Duration: 01:39:00
Holdings
VHS
Item Type
VHS
Current Location
OSA Film Library
Current Location
OSA Film Library
Call Number
-
Volume Info
-
Shelving Location
-
Public Note
-