Turksib (1929)

Turksib: Directed by Victor A. Turin. Resisting the character-driven narrative adhered to by the rest of the world’s filmmakers, Victor Turin formulated a grand, elemental drama centered around the struggle for survival in Asia, from the arid plains of Turkestan to the icy Siberian mountains. This unique film tells the story of the creation of a monumental Soviet construction project – a railway that connected Central Asia and Siberia.

“Documentary account of the building of a railroad through central Asia, presented as a heroic triumph of Soviet progress over natural adversity. As a work of high-powered editing, a notch below Berlin Symphony of a City, perhaps, but only one notch, and with far less overt political content than many Soviet films. If Iu0026#39;d been a peasant and theyu0026#39;d come to town showing these heroic bulldozers and hammer-swingers, Iu0026#39;d have signed up for the revolution.”