Movies - White Sun of the Desert

Home > Listing Index > Movies > White Sun of the Desert

	Movies - White Sun of the Desert

White Sun of the Desert () (1969), a classic 'Eastern' or Ostern film of the Soviet Union.

White Sun of the Desert is perhaps the best loved Russian film of all time, or at least one of the most popular. Its blend of action, comedy, music and drama have made it wildly successful and achieved the status of cult film in Soviet and Russian culture. The film has contributed many sayings to the Russian language (see below). Its main theme song, Your Excellency Lady Luck (Ваше благородие, госпожа Удача, music: Isaak Schwarz, lyrics: Bulat Okudzhava) became a huge hit for decades. The film was ritually watched by cosmonauts before many space launches.

In 1998 the creators of the film were awarded the 1997 Russian Federation State Prize in Literature and Arts; nearly 30 years after the film's release.

The screenwriters published the book under the same title. A Russian computer game was released based on the film.

Plot

The setting is the shores of the Caspian Sea where the Red Army soldier Fyodor Sukhov has been fighting the Civil War in Russian Asia for a number of years. After being hospitalised and then demobbed, he sets off home to see his wife, only to be caught up in a fight in the desert between a Red Army cavalry unit and 'Basmachi' rebels. Sukhov ends up having to guard and protect the harem of the Basmachi guerilla leader Abdullah, as his army comrades pursue him. The task proves to be much more difficult than he originally thought, and in between attacks from Basmachis and offers from the harem (who now consider him their husband), Sukhov must deal with Vereshchagin, a drunken former Imperial Russian customs official who still looks after the trading outpost and museum they shelter in...

Popular quotes

Many popular sayings have entered the Russian language from the film. The first is by far the best known.

The East is a subtle matter (-- "a delicate matter" in the subtitles of the English version (Восток — дело тонкое); refers to any complicated or difficult matter, not necessarily "eastern" in nature.
Customs says "OK"! ("Таможня дает добро!"); refers to any type of approval, especially reluctant approval.
Their grenades are of wrong system ("У них гранаты не той системы"); refers to or to comment upon any kind of excuse, particularly a pathetic one.

Main cast

Raisa Kurkina (Раиса Куркина, Sukhov's wife)
Anatoly Kuznetsov (Анатолий Кузнецов, as Sukhov)
Spartak Mishulin (Спартак Мишулин, as Sayid)
Pavel Luspekayev (as Vereshchagin)
Kakhi Kavsadze (Кахи Кавсадзе, as Abdullah)
Tatiana Fedotova (Gulchatai)
Tatiana Denisova (also Gulchatai)
Nikolai Godovikov (Николай Годовиков, as Petrukha)

Reference

Valentin Yezhov and Rustam Ibragimbekov, Белое солнце пустыни, Vagrius, 2001, ISBN 5-264-00694-6

Category:Public domain films Category:Red Western Category:Russian films Category:Soviet films

[ Visit the complete Wikipedia entry for White Sun of the Desert ]

This page is based on the copyrighted Wikipedia article White Sun of the Desert; it is used under the GNU Free Documentation License. You may redistribute it, verbatim or modified, providing that you comply with the terms of the GFDL.

Searches on eBay