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Pietro-Shakarian
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10 Classics of Armenian Cinema
The Caucasus on Film
Reviews
Yerkunq (1977)
A great historical epic film on Soviet Armenia in the NEP era
Frunze Dovlatyan's "Yerkunq" ("Delivery") is an epic film about Soviet Armenia at the beginning of the era of Lenin's New Economic Policy (NEP). Starring Khoren Abrahamyan as the revolutionary statesman Aleksandr Myasnikyan, it highlights the difficulties that the new Soviet government faced in rebuilding Armenia after seven years of war and genocide. Myasnikyan needed to gain the trust of the people, develop infrastructure, and create new irrigation systems, among other tasks. Although a Soviet-era film, it treats the history objectively. Internal debates among the Soviet Armenian leadership are represented, including those who favored harsh measures in dealing with the Armenian peasantry (measures that the flexible Myasnikyan opposed). Opposition to the Transcaucasian SFSR project is also illustrated as well as suspicion toward the Soviet government among the peasantry. The desperate conditions of Armenia at this time are vividly depicted as are major cultural personalities, notably Yeghishe Charents, Shushanik Kurghinyan, and Martiros Saryan.
Unfortunately, this film is not as well-known as other Soviet-era Armenian films. However, it is truly an underrated masterpiece that can, and should, be used in history classes dealing with Soviet, Russian, and Armenian history. It presents a different perspective of the NEP era, away from Moscow and Petrograd, in the Soviet borderlands of Eurasia. Myasnikyan is still regarded as a hero in Armenia for rebuilding the country after an especially harsh period (a large statue to him stands in Yerevan). Sadly, he died in a tragic plane crash in 1925, which Trotsky thought suspicious (some suspect Lavrentiy Beria engineered the crash to get rid of Myasnikyan). Overall, an excellent historical epic and a must-see classic of Soviet Armenian cinema!
Bolo gaseirneba (2012)
A fascinating look at Georgia today
I had the good fortune of seeing "The Guardian" at the Cleveland International Film Festival. I was very impressed with it, not just in terms of its almost documentary-like style, but also in terms of the story it tells and what it reveals about Georgia (and the Caucasus) today.
On the face of it, a film like this to a Westerner with absolutely no knowledge or experience with this region might not seem that extraordinary. However, if you have a background in the Caucasus, then you can see a story here that is very simple yet very profound and laced with symbolic meanings.
It should be noted that the setting for "The Guardian" is first and foremost key to the plot. It takes place in modern-day, post-Rose Revolution Georgia. The protagonist Gogliko was arrested during the Georgian civil war of the 1990s and has just recently been released from prison. Just as the soldier Filimonov is struck by life in post-revolutionary Russia in Ermler's 1929 Soviet masterpiece "Fragment of an Empire," so is Gogliko totally struck by the changes in the new, post-Rose Revolution Georgia. The absence of low-level corruption, the presence of female police officers, the influx of investment from Europe, the glitzy Rose Revolution architecture, and the general social rejection of the lawlessness of the 1990s astound (and sometimes confound) him.
Yet this only sets the stage for the more meaningful plot. Gogliko is entrusted to be the guardian of his godson Luka, the son of his best friend who was killed in the civil war. Luka is an A student interested in studying the various conflicts of the Caucasus. He is in love with the lovely young Tika who is the daughter of a big time politician who was previously a member of the militia that opposed Gogliko and that killed Luka's father during the civil war.
It is this Romeo-and-Juliet-esque love between Luka and Tika that Tika's father seems determined to prevent and that Gogliko decides to encourage. In their relationship, Luka and Tika together represent a sort of "new Georgia" and perhaps even a "new Caucasus" in which the division and animosity of the past is substituted by a trust for a promising future.
The narrative is a compelling one and I won't ruin the rest of the film for those who have yet to see it. However, if you have not seen this film, I strongly encourage you to do so. It is a great view into the culture and society of Georgia and the Caucasus today.
Tern u tzaran (1963)
A true Caucasus classic
The short film "Master and Servant" is a true classic of Soviet Caucasus and Armenian cinema. Based on a story by Hovhannes Tumanyan, the film features first-rate performances by top Soviet Armenian film and theatre actors Tatik Saryan, Frunzik Mkrtchyan, and Sos Sargsyan.
However what really makes "Master and Servant" a classic is not just the comedy, the storyline, or the acting, but also the style of filmmaking. Director Kesayants takes full advantage of the film's black and white photography with its high contrast chiaroscuro lighting. The camera is extremely mobile and the editing is quick, giving "Master and Servant" the feel of a French New Wave film. Indeed, it is the camera that becomes a part of the action and that quickly emerges as one of the film's greatest actors.
Overall, "Master and Servant" is a prime example of just how innovative the Caucasus film scene was within the Soviet context. It's a classic that deserves more exposure and that should be made more available to Western audiences.