Happiness (1935) by Alexander Medvedkin
Sunday, October 14, 1984, 8:00 pm
Two Rare Soviet Classics
Happiness (orig. title Snatchers), 1935, by Alexander Medvedkin. When first released in the West 13 years ago, Snatchers (the last silent Soviet film) quickly became regarded as one of the finest achievements of early cinema. While relating a folk fairy-tale about the imposition of collective farming on Ukrainian peasants, Medvedkin creates a unique blend of comic miming reminiscent of Keaton, Chagall-like decor and subtly understated images. “The only realistic elements in Snatchers were its ideas. Otherwise and visually it was a fantasy that stopped at nothing in the communication of its ideas. Medvedkin employed exaggeration, farce, vaudeville, burlesque, surrealism, even expressionism and bawdy jokes. It is one of the most original films in Soviet film history, particularly remarkable in appearing at its most orthodox period.” —Jay Leyda, Kino
Also: The Fruits of Love (Love’s Berries), 1926, by Alexander Dovzhenko, 10 min.