''The Forty-First'' () is a 1927

Soviet The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...

war film War film is a film genre concerned with warfare, typically about navy, naval, air force, air, or army, land battles, with combat scenes central to the drama. It has been strongly associated with the 20th century. The fateful nature of battle s ...

directed by

Yakov Protazanov Yakov Alexandrovich Protazanov (; 4 February (Old Style, O.S. 23 January ) 1881 – 8 August 1945) was a Russian and USSR, Soviet film director and screenwriter, and one of the founding fathers of cinema of Russia. He was an Honored Artist of the ...

based on a novel of the same name by

Boris Lavrenyov Boris Andreyevich Lavrenyov () (real name Sergeyev), (16 July Old_Style_and_New_Style_dates.html" ;"title="nowiki/>Old Style and New Style dates">O.S. 4 July1891 – 7 January 1959) was a Soviet Union">Soviet Russian writer and playwright. Lavr ...

Synopsis

The film is set during the

Russian Civil War The Russian Civil War () was a multi-party civil war in the former Russian Empire sparked by the 1917 overthrowing of the Russian Provisional Government in the October Revolution, as many factions vied to determine Russia's political future. I ...

. Across the white sands of

Central Asia Central Asia is a region of Asia consisting of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan. The countries as a group are also colloquially referred to as the "-stans" as all have names ending with the Persian language, Pers ...

, the Red Army's detachment is advancing, led by the Commissioner Yevsyukov. They are dying of thirst and are pursued by the

Whites White is a racial classification of people generally used for those of predominantly European ancestry. It is also a skin color specifier, although the definition can vary depending on context, nationality, ethnicity and point of view. De ...

. Based on the battle account, the best shooter of Maryutka's squad killed forty Whites. In the last battle to capture the caravan, a White lieutenant aristocrat Govorukha-Otrok is captured, who was sent on a diplomatic mission from

Alexander Kolchak Admiral Alexander Vasilyevich Kolchak (; – 7 February 1920) was a Russian navy officer and polar explorer who led the White movement in the Russian Civil War. As he assumed the title of Supreme Ruler of Russia in 1918, Kolchak headed a mili ...

Anton Denikin Anton Ivanovich Denikin (, ; – 7 August 1947) was a Russian military leader who served as the Supreme Ruler of Russia, acting supreme ruler of the Russian State and the commander-in-chief of the White movement–aligned armed forces of Sout ...

. Masha is entrusted with guarding him. Tensions arise between both: the officer is a well-educated aristocrat who is both amused and impressed by the crude attempts of Masha, a fisherman's orphan daughter, to compose Agitprop poetry. When their

camel A camel (from and () from Ancient Semitic: ''gāmāl'') is an even-toed ungulate in the genus ''Camelus'' that bears distinctive fatty deposits known as "humps" on its back. Camels have long been domesticated and, as livestock, they provid ...

s are stolen, their commander decides to send his captive on a boat to their headquarters in

Kazalinsk Kazaly (, ''Qazaly''), also known as Kazalinsk () is a town in Kazaly District of Kyzylorda Region in Kazakhstan, located on the right bank of the Syr Darya River. Population: It is a closed area and for travelers, a special permission is req ...

via the

Aral Sea The Aral Sea () was an endorheic lake lying between Kazakhstan to its north and Uzbekistan to its south, which began shrinking in the 1960s and had largely dried up into desert by the 2010s. It was in the Aktobe and Kyzylorda regions of Kazakhst ...

. He warns Masha to not forget the mission and not hand Otrok over to the enemy regardless the circumstances. The vessel capsizes in a sudden storm, and only Masha and Otrok remain alive, stranded on an isolated island. The Red soldier treats the White officer when he catches a fever and is slowly charmed by his manners, while he is overcome with gratitude and begins to call her '

Man Friday Friday is one of the main characters of Daniel Defoe's 1719 novel ''Robinson Crusoe'' and its sequel '' The Farther Adventures of Robinson Crusoe''. Robinson Crusoe names the man Friday, with whom he cannot at first communicate, because they fir ...

' with affection. When she demands to know what he means, he tells her the story about

Robinson Crusoe ''Robinson Crusoe'' ( ) is an English adventure novel by Daniel Defoe, first published on 25 April 1719. Written with a combination of Epistolary novel, epistolary, Confessional writing, confessional, and Didacticism, didactic forms, the ...

. The two fall in love and seem to forget about the war. When a boat approaches their isle, they first think these are fishermen and run toward them. Otrok recognizes them as White soldiers and intends to join them. Masha shoots him in the back, killing him. As she realizes he is dead, she runs into the sea and embraces his corpse.

Cast

Ada Vojtsik Ada Ignatievna Voytsik (; 1 August 19052 September 1982) was a Soviet actress and recipient of the title of RSFSR Honored Artist (1935). Biography Ada Ignatievna Voytsik was born on 1 August 1905 in Moscow. In 1923 Ada graduated from seconda ...

- Maryutka *

Ivan Koval-Samborsky Ivan Koval-Samborsky ( Ukrainian: Іван Коваль-Самборський; 16 September 1893 – 10 January 1962) was a Ukrainian stage and film actor. After establishing himself in the Soviet film industry in the 1920s, he briefly went to wo ...

Ivan Straukh Ivan () is a Slavic male given name, connected with the variant of the Greek name (English: John) from Hebrew meaning 'God is gracious'. It is associated worldwide with Slavic countries. The earliest person known to bear the name was the Bul ...

References

External links

* 1927 films 1927 war films 1920s war drama films 1920s Soviet films 1920s Russian-language films Soviet war drama films Russian war drama films Russian-language war drama films Gorky Film Studio films Soviet silent feature films Russian silent feature films Soviet black-and-white films Russian black-and-white films Films directed by Yakov Protazanov Russian Civil War films Silent war drama films {{1920s-USSR-film-stub

Synopsis

Cast

See also

References

External links