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Select media
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Stills must not be reproduced, copied or downloaded in any way.
Film details
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Featuring
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Director
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Country
USSR
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Year
1929
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Genre
War
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Type
Film
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Category
Fiction
Alternative titles
- The JANUARY UPRISING IN KIEV IN 1918 Alternative
- ARSENAL THE JANUARY UPRISING IN KIEV IN 1918 Alternative
Introduction
“Dovzhenko’s most intense and concentrated work, a fiery assembly of every kind of element of caricature, folklore, drama, all welded together into a single lyrical vision.”
Schnitzer et al (eds), Cinema in Revolution, 1987
Made to commemorate the 10th anniversary of the Russian Revolution, Arsenal focuses on a revolt in 1918 when workers at the Kiev ammunition factory supported the Bolsheviks against Ukrainian Nationalists.
Arsenal is by no means an out-and-out celebration of revolution. The film questions the conflict’s morality by highlighting the turmoil and suffering that it causes, a tension increased by Alexander Dovzhenko’s startling visuals. Sequences of invigorating speed and motion are contrasted with images of deathly stillness. Starkly lit figures of crying children, legless soldiers and blackened corpses on snow recur throughout the film. While the fast-paced cutting and unusual camera angles suggest the excitement of revolution, they also convey the chaos it leaves in its wake.
Earth (1930), Dovzhenko’s film exploring the natural cycle of life and death, is generally considered his masterpiece. Other major works include Ivan (1932) and Aerograd (1935).
Cast & Credits
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Cast
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Tymish
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gassed German soldier
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official
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Petlyura
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Sadovsky, the actor
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German officer
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German soldier
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Red Army soldier
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nurse
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Ukrainian nationalist
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Tsar Nicholas II
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dead soldier
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Credits
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Direction:
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Director
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Assistant Director
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Assistant Director
Production:
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Production Company
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Production Company
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Production Company (1972 restoration)
Writing:
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Screenplay
Photography:
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Photography
Design:
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Art Director
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Art Director
Music:
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Original Score
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Music [Restored Version]
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