Zemlya (1955)

Run Time - 82 min.  |   Countries - Russia  |   MPAA Rating - NR
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Synopsis by Hal Erickson

Like many Soviet films of the 1950s, The Land is a celebration of the glories of collective farming. The protagonists are two brothers who battle over a choice patch of Ukrainian land. The conflict is resolved only by the death of one of the siblings at the hands of the other. The "Cain and Abel" parallel is down-played, apparently to avoid criticism from the atheistic powers-that-were in 1955 Russia. The film concentrates on the grief suffered by the family over the brother's death, and the determination to double their efforts on behalf of the State, so that the boy will not have died in vain. Though ponderously plotted, The Land benefits from the exquisite cinematography of N. Slutsky.