Turksib (Russian: Турксиб) is a 1929 Soviet documentary film directed by Viktor Alexandrovitsh Turin documenting the building of the Turkestan–Siberia Railway.[1][2] The rail line stretched northeast from Tashkent to Almaty and on to Novosibirsk. The film contrasts the open desert and sand, with the order of rails and movement of machines.[3] The Turkic people ride horses and camels and rear sheep. This drama is set against the dry steppe as it is converted into a cotton growing region.
| Turksib | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Directed by | Viktor Alexandrovitsh Turin |
| Written by | Yakov Aron Aleksandr Macheret Viktor Shklovsky Victor A. Turin |
| Cinematography | Boris Frantsisson Yevgeni Slavinsky |
Production company | Vostokkino |
Release date | 24 May 1930 |
| Country | Soviet Union |
| Language | Russian |
"Turksib" was particularly appreciated by the classic British and Canadian documentary filmmaker John Grierson, who prepared the English version of the picture.[4]
The film was released on DVD and Blu-ray by the British Film Institute in 2011 as part of The Soviet Influence: From Turksib to Night Mail, with a newly commissioned soundtrack by Guy Bartell of British group Bronnt Industries Kapital.[5][6]
References edit
- ^ Peter Rollberg (2009). Historical Dictionary of Russian and Soviet Cinema. US: Rowman & Littlefield. p. 708. ISBN 978-0-8108-6072-8.
- ^ Jay Leyda (1960). Kino: A History of the Russian and Soviet Film. George Allen & Unwin. pp. 260–261.
- ^ H.D. (December 1929). "Turksib". Close Up. Pool Group. pp. 488–492.
- ^ Jack C. Ellis, Betsy A. McLane. (2005). A new history of documentary film. New York, London: Continuum International Publishing Group. pp. 37–38. ISBN 0-8264-1751-5.
- ^ "Buy The Soviet Influence: From Turksib to Night Mail (Dual Format Edition) – Soviet Influence: From Turksib to Night Mail". shop.bfi.org.uk. Archived from the original on 27 February 2015.
- ^ "Soviet Influence, The: From Turksib to Nightmail · British Universities Film & Video Council". bufvc.ac.uk.
External links edit
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