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The White Sun of the Desert Director: Vladimir Motyl Number of Items: 1 Format: Color Audience Rating: NR (Not Rated) Studio: Image Entertainment Product Group: DVD Release Date: 2004-01-06 Buy from Amazon

From Description In this international cult favorite, a Central-Asian action film, the Red Army clashes with counter-revolutionary robber bands. Demobbed soldier Fyodor Sukhov is making his way through the desert to his home village, where the band of brutal Abdulla is raging. Sukhov is charged with escorting the chief's harem, because Abdulla intended to kill his women rather than let them go free. Sukhov"s mate, young soldier Petrukha, dies at the hand of Abdulla, but at a decisive moment, Sukhov gets help from the former customs officer Vereschchagin and a poor peasant.

Customer Reviews: Total numer of reviews: 3 Average rating: 4.5 "A Russian Classic" This is a classic Russian film that even today is ranked among the 10 most popular films in the country. The story of a Russian in a strange land (in this case, Central Asia) was the Russian answer to the popularity of spaghetti Westerns in the United States. Last I heard, it was actually a tradition for cosmonauts to watch White Sun of the Desert before they were launched into space. The film is surprisinly sensitive to the cultural differences between Russia and Central Asia, although obviously all of these are seen through the rubric of the New Soviet Man. The story with Sukhov and Abdullah is compelling, as are a series of side plots. The main problem with the film for those who do not speak Russian as a first language is the poor sound quality, a legacy of 1969 technology and the age of the film. Can't say that I've listened to the English dubbing, but my guess is that the subtitles will suffice to get the point across. "A Classic in Russia" This is a Russian classic worth checking out if your are interesting in having a knowledge of world cinema, or a must-see if you are an educated action-film fan. It is reportedly watched by Russian cosmonauts before every space launch. It is also considered the most memorable of the "Ostern" sub-genre of action films. Osterns were action flics set in Central Asia during the 1920s (or as late as the 30s), during or after the period of the Russian Civil War, when the Soviets reconquered the Turkic and Mongol peoples who had regained some autonomy during the chaos of the Bolshevik Revolution. The White Sun of the Desert has all the political sensitivity of a 1930s Western, but it is still widely revered in Russia (perhaps that says something about the people, I won't speculate). Apparently the lines in this film are as allegorical to modern Russian dialogue as those of The Wizard of Oz are to American vernacular. While most of that sarcasm and culturally classic dialogue flew right over my head in the subtitles (if they even made it into the translation), its still a fun enough film to watch just on its more basic merits. The story is simple, the costumes comfortable, the locale exotic and interesting, and much of the sarcasm translates visually. I would recommend buying this to anyone who wants to have a broad DVD collection (people who can see beyond the obvious limitations of the AFI's "top 100" lists). This is at or near the top of most lists of Russian films, and I personally liked it much better than the overrated "classic" Russian silents. "Great movie, worth a better translation." I'd give 4 stars for this DVD release. The movie itself has a special place for anyone who grew up watching soviet movies. To relate the atmosphere of an old 60's soviet "eastern" is not easy to an american viewer, and I believe a better english dubbing could do this movie a better justice. Besides that, it's a must have, particularly for any russian ex-pat.