samanthamarciafarmer Grigori Chukhrai's film, The Forty First, sets itself up to be understood as a mythic series of events; the opening scene's churning waves seem to take the viewer away to a different world and the narration sets the story in the post-Revolutionary Civil War. This narration gives the effect of a story being told, and the way the landscape is portrayed creates an unreal landscape. The colors always seem too saturated and the sky hangs close and heavy over the actors, giving the appearance of a fish bowl. Maryutka's inclusion in the plot attests to the Bolshevik ideal of gender equality, making a break with Stalinism's reinstatement of traditional gender roles; her being referred to as an "Amazon" enhances the mythic quality of the film. Chukhrai consciously constructs shots that juxtapose; the scene of Maryutka and the White Army lieutenant walking separate on the beach contrasts the two in space as they both walk in different points of the frame in different directions. The final scenes are obviously ideological: the dialogue is crafted as a metaphor for Tsarist Russia and Communist Russia, with the lieutenant (Tsarism) pleading Maryutka (Communism) to return to how they were before the fighting; the officer's dangling cross necklace is an ever-present symbol of Imperial Russia, designating that even when all visual indicators of partisanship are gone (as he and Maryutka's uniforms have been destroyed by the elements), there is still an irreconcilable difference present. The last scene illustrates the valuation of duty over emotions. Besides the smartly handled ideology, the visual effects are The Forty First's strengths. The color palette and the contrasts it creates are striking, and create a hazy, dreamlike world in which a legend is played out.

Becky Alfaro The Forty First is a film about two star-crossed lovers who meet a tragic end as a consequence of the time period in which they belong. Set in the years during the Russian Civil War, the film follows Maryutka a red army soldier whose group captures Vadim, a cadet for the white army whom she eventually develops feelings for after connecting with him on a deeper level. The opening credit scenes with its roaring waters and its gloomy music catches the attention of the viewer immediately with its foreshadowing of the tempestuous times to come. The film is more adapted to what films are today so it is easy to become engrossed in it. There are very notable differences in the style of directing within this movie as opposed to the films that were produced during the Stalinist time period. For example, the characters all seem much more individualistic and express their opinions more openly. Of course considering the nature of the film, it being for propaganda purposes, there are still pro revolutionary ideals presented through the unwavering determination that Yevsyukov has to continue for the sake of the revolutionary cause and of course the ending scene in which Maryutka gives the ultimate proof of where her loyalties lie. There is a good use of the space around the characters which turns out to be a great cinematic tool. There are shots of both the arid dessert and the tempestuous sea. It manages to capture both its beauty, as Maryutka noted when comparing it the sea to Vadim's eyes, and its power of destruction when it killed two men and stranded them on the island. The whole storm scene was strategically captured through different angles and distances, further exemplifying the success of this story as a film. Despite the ending which was both astonishing and expected, this film was enjoyable to watch. With all of its elements it ends up being a haunting tale.

garcianyssa Taking place during the Russian Revolution this movie focuses on a female sniper, Maria Filatovna, who is fighting for the Red Army and Vadim Govorkha, who is fighting for the White Army. As the movie progresses they eventually form a deeper relationship when they are stranded on an isolated island after their boat is capsized in a sudden storm on their way to the Red Army headquarters. However, this changes when at the end of the movie a boat approaches their island carrying White soldiers. As Vadim goes to rejoin them Maria shoots him in the back, and finally claims her forty-first kill.The ending of this movie was surprising, but overall not unexpected. This film is obviously propaganda and there is not much that hides that fact. There are many shots within this film that speak to this fact, one of them being the opening shot in which the soldiers faces are indistinguishable from each other as they traverse through the desert, which helps emphasize the unity of the Red Army troops. The portrayal of both the Red and White Armies also emphasizes the propaganda element of the film. The Whites are portrayed as the classical bourgeois oppressors that care only for themselves, while the Reds are portrayed as the underdogs who are fighting for the people. The wide sweeping shots of the desert establish the difficulties that the Red Army is fighting against, not just in the form of the environment, but in the form of the ideals as well. However, the most dramatic scene that speaks to this being propaganda is the choice Maria makes at the end of the film. When Maria shoots Vadim in the back at the end of the film it is obvious that she does this because of her loyalty to the Red Army and their ideals. The fact that Maria chooses her duty over her love for Vadim reiterates the overall tone of the film. This movie is a very good war film and the romance of Maria and Vadim makes it even more enjoyable.

Kirpianuscus like many films from the same period, the poetry of image saves it from the ideological web. because the basic aesthetic virtues are only parts of a splendid love story in the time of war. because the story is just support for seductive images. a film about borders and feelings. honest, fresh, melancholic, bitter. but useful for discover the spirit of a slice of history and the art of a great director. for discover the nuances who are only fruits of each detail. and to meet two interesting actors. a film about war, hate, love and strange form of peace. and, sure, about the duty. as piece who defines the characters. the last scene remains a long time in memory. not only for the drama but for the profound poetry who transforms the political command in seed of a story after the film's story. a film about the most precious emotion. made in one of the most inspired manners.