Salt for Svanetia

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Audience Member Salt for Svanetia is an early documentary from Mikhail Kalatozov about the post-Revolutionary expanses of the USSR, giving a detailed portrait of Ushkul, a small village in Georgia during . The film chronicles the lives of these villagers and their way of life which often is full of hardship, as they try to live off the resources which the land around them provides. The film isn't quite the visual feast of images and techniques which Kalatozov's later films would create, but it's full of some arresting imagery and features many sequences which I will not soon forget. The editing really stood out for me-- the kinetic style and the way some of the sequences are constructed is really quite groundbreaking. While the subject matter is somber, the film is surprisingly comedic and playful, mostly through the title cards, which really do break up the more somber parts like the gaze of winter's decent on the town. It's a film that gives us blunt, honest depictions of birth, death, work in a way that's both harrowing, yet inspirational. In a way, as corny as it sounds, this film is about the cycle of life and man's strength to endure through the hardships as they present themselves-given this is kinda a Propaganda film, that makes sense. Rated 4/5 Stars •  Rated 4 out of 5 stars 02/17/23 Full Review Audience Member This film is amazing though I doubt but a handful of people have seen it in the last 20 years. The film still looks amazing, much better than Eisenstein's early films and is very, very well made. As a documentary it works very well. It is well shot and effectively uses the people as cast that you can care about. It doesn't kick the propaganda in until the end but it works it in very subtly, ending with a joyous announcement of good things to come for Svanetia. I was able to get a hold of the LD to watch it. Highly recommended if you can find it. Rated 4.5/5 Stars •  Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 02/02/23 Full Review Audience Member Very powerful Soviet propaganda, with some very moving images. The film builds to a fine climax. Rated 4/5 Stars •  Rated 4 out of 5 stars 02/21/23 Full Review Read all reviews

Salt for Svanetia

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