Beloe solntse pustyni
Tags: revenge, murder

Plot synopsis:
It is the ending of the Russian Civil War, a desert somewhere in Russian controlled Asia, near the Caspian sea. After two years fighting in that region a Red Army soldier Fyodor Ivanovich Sukhov (Anatoli Kuznetsov) is returning home to his wife (Rayisa Kurkina). On the way he rescues Sayid (Spartak Mishulin) a man buried up to his neck in the sand and left to die. Sayid's father has been murdered and he is after revenge although he feels indebted to Sukhov for his rescue. Sukhov and Sayid come across a Red Army regiment who are chasing a famous bandit Black Abdullah (Kakhi Kavsadze) and have rescued his many wives whom he would have killed if it wasn't for their intervention. Head of the regiment Rakhimov (Musa Dudayev) talks Sukhov into looking after the women and leaves him a young inexperienced soldier Petrukha (Nikolai Godovikov). Sayid also leaves while Sukhov and the rest come to a dilapidated village near Caspian shore and settle in an old building which has been converted into a museum. In the area there is only the museum which is a large building with a courtyard and few ruins around it, a customs agent's building some distance away on the seashore and some distance away from that on the shore a beached boat and a few oil cisterns. There are also three old men waiting for the forth old man to die and a box of dynamite they use for as a headrest for the dieing man which Sukhov commandeers. Sukhov knows Abdullah is coming back and takes defensive measures. He rigs the boat with dynamite and seeks to borrow a machine gun (and help) from pre-revolution customs official Vereschagin (Pavel Luspekayev). Vereschagin lives a quiet life with his wife. He misses the old days when he was a man of action, drinks and sings songs. He is tempted to help but on insistence of his wife he cannot. Unable to obtain the good gun, Sukhov repairs a machine gun (Lewis Gun) from the museum. Meanwhile Sayid comes across Abdullah who insists Sayid travels with him. Abdullah rides into the museum to kill his wives but Sukhov outsmarts and captures him. He gets Abdullah to send his men away to the shore to load the boat then locks him up. Sukhov leaves to check on Abdullah's men leaving Petrukha to stand watch. Abdullah tricks his youngest wife, Gyulchatai (Tatyana Kuzmina) into opening the door to his cell. He kills Gyulchatai then Petrukha and escapes to summon his men. When Sukhov comes back the museum curator tells him of an underground passage to the seashore. As Abdullah rides in Sukhov and the women take the passage to the shore and hide in an empty oil cistern. The cistern is bullet-proof so Abdullah plans to force them out by lighting oil around the cistern. Vereschagin comes to see what is happening. He learns that Petrukha has been killed by Abdullah. He has taken a liking to Petrukha and this proves the last straw for Vereschagin. He leaves. In the meantime Abdullah attempts to light the oil around the cistern where Sukhov is hiding. The attempts are foiled by Sayid and Sukhov. In the ensuing gunfire most of Abdullah's gang is killed and there is a standoff. Sukhov is forced to leave the cistern top and is pinned but one of Abdullah's men. In the meantime Vereschagin slips away fgrom home, boards and commandeers the boat. Abdullah sends people to eliminate him but Vereschagin gets the better of them. He drives the boat closer to shore to help pinned Sukhov. Sukhov tries to warn him of the dynamite but is unable to. Vereschagin explodes with the boat. The explosion distracts Abdullah and his man giving Sukhov the initiative. A shootout ensues and Sukhov eliminates the Abdullah and the last bandit. Sayid and Sukhov part ways as Sukhov resumes his journey home.

Review: No other film in the world serves better to describe the idea of a Russian movie classic.
This verdict could be undersigned by millions and millions of people in the former USSR.On the other hand, this film is the best one ever made in that peculiar genre which flourished in the Soviet times under the unofficial name of "Ostern", labeled thus by some highbrow wits.
The genre of Ostern is strictly limited by the following rules:The place, Central Asia; the time, the 20's, or the early 30's.
The main conflict is the re-conquering by the Soviets of those parts of the region that had belonged to the Russian Empire before the revolution.
The bad guys are local rebels, pictured strictly as highwayman and cutthroats, known by the generic (Turkic) name of "basmachi" - imagine some Mexican banditos from your horse opera, dressed like the Taliban and headed by a Calvera (The Magnificent Seven) conveniently renamed to suit the time and place.Now, the way the particular Ostern winds up, is this good guy Sukhov (a Russian Clint Eastwood) has to wipe out, almost single-handedly, a whole gang of smugglers and outlaws terrorizing a certain region of the Caspian (or maybe Aral?) Sea coast and headed by a gruesome yet not entirely unlikable desperado named Abdulla, who is Sukhov's main adversary.The movie combines several genres.
The sparks of humor look especially good on the rather tense general background, thus creating a unique atmosphere and spicing up the whole thing.Being the best Ostern ever made, the movie is a tolerably good action flick, but actually it's a thousand times more than that.
For the Russians it's a cult movie number one, with almost every line being a celebrated catch-phrase.
Especially well-known is this one, "The East is a delicate matter", said by Sukhov to his young partner Petrukha.
The baleful significance of this wisecrack, made in the early 70's, has been finally appreciated only after the Afghan campaign and from then on never fails to remain on the national political agenda.The soundtrack has become truly famous, with the theme song "Your Excellency Lady Luck" (name translated) a top hit for decades, and, no doubt, for many, many years to come.Most of the principal characters have become heroes of numerous jokes, and therefore, part and parcel of the national folklore.If you haven't seen this one, you don't know Russian cinematography, simply because this film alone is worth hundreds and hundreds of others made in that country..
Needless to say, this film carries an enormous cultural significance for the Russians.
Today, Russian press even hails it as the first Russian/Soviet action film, although "Piraty XX Veka" is much better suited for that title.
There is no point in going over the film's story line because it is very simple and focuses on good vs.
bad guys (Soviet style, that is) during the Russian civil war.
It's all very simple and naive, but the film's characters, the things they say, the theme song, it all clicks together perfectly.
And the best thing about it is that neither time nor political fluctuations (like the demise of the Soviet empire) doesn't detract its magic.
"White Sun of The Desert" is undoubtedly a classic of the Soviet cinema..
Soviet film were not very wanted by the teenagers but it was long, dull summer and I haven't nothing better to do.
And, what a surprise - film full of humor, action and irony.
After a long, long time I've seen it again in 2000 (You know , Soviet films were almost banned in Polish democracy.
This so called "eastern" (or "ostern"  western Russian style), the movie about the fight of the Red Army soldier with the bandits ("basmachi") in the Central Asia during the Civil War that followed the Revolution of 1917, became not only a cult, but also one of the most beloved pictures for several generations of the viewers in all countries of the former Soviet Union.
Its success had formed the genre of domestic "eastern".The demobilized after many years of military service soldier Fedor Sukhov walks through the desert to his native hamlet where his beloved Caterina Matveevna has been waiting for him.
The movie is made as the letters that Fedor writes to Caterina (but never sends them) and tells her (with great humor) about his (often deadly dangerous) adventures.
Sukhov is charged with the task to accompany the harem of the leader to the safe area because Abdulla intended to murder his women rather than set them free.
Accompanied by a young naive Petrukha, Sukhov leads "the group of the comrades" through the desert, knowing well that the face off with Abdulla is inevitable.
Smart, fast, and brave Sukhov is the Army of One but at the most dramatic moment, he would need help from the former custom officer Verechagin and not very talkative but reliable Said who never forgot that Suknov had saved him from the horrible death in desert.I've seen this movie ten or maybe twenty times - first, when it was released many years ago and I was a middle school student in Moscow and recently - after all these years.
This perfect blend of comedy, action, and touching drama is deservingly one of the best Soviet films.
The theme song "Vashe blagorodiye, gospozha Udacha" ("You Honor, Lady Luck") written by one of the best Soviet composers Isaak Schwarz with the lyrics of the legendary bard Bulat Okudzhava had became an instant hit and its fame has only grown as time passed.
It is an unbreakable tradition that Russian cosmonauts and foreign guests watch this movie the day before they blast off aboard a Soyuz rocket from Baikonur Cosmodrome.
Apart from the cultural significance this indicates, it shows where the heart and the spirit of the movie lie, where and how White Sun of the Desert transcends whatever genre it might be filed under and comes on its own.A soldier returning home to his wife through the desert is entrusted by a regiment of the Red Army with escorting the harem of a local bandit, Black Abdullah, while the regiment looks for him.
Things get complicated when he takes them to a nearby village by the Caspian sea where Abdullah arrives shortly after.An attempt at a genre classification of White Sun of the Desert gives the term Ostern or eastern, the Soviet equivalent of the western.
In some ways there is a resemblance, the landscape, horses, guns and bandits but the absurdity of the plot itself would feel more at ease in a crazed spaghetti western like Blindman than a John Ford western, and the feeling and mood belongs to a whole different worldview, with different sensibilities from either American or Italian westerns.
To borrow a Japanese term, the mood of the movie carries some Russian form of "shushigaku", the sadness of things, as if all things and men carry within them an inherent sadness and all joy is not without the shadow of death.
An old customs officer that realizes his life lost meaning the day he stopped caring and that he has to make a final stand and redeem himself, his wife that wanders the beach like a lost animal, her life meaningless without her husband, Sayid, a random encounter the hero Sukhov digs out of the desert, who is looking for the man who killed his father, nothing else having any importance or worth in his life, Sukhov himself a soldier returning home to his wife through the desert after years of war, Abdullah's harem who feel stranded and alone without their man even though he is a bandit and murderer of men and they can't comprehend how Sukhov can only have one wife.And then you have the desert and the Caspian landscape.
It surrounds everything with a mystical quality all its own, like everything happens in some corner of the world no one will ever know about and one day the sand will cover everything or the last man will just go out wandering in the desert and leave the small village behind forever, like Shukov does in the end of the movie.
I think this is personified in the three old men with white beards that sit at the bottom of a wall, barely speaking a word the entire movie, like an ancient lifeform that is now one with the land.What really makes White Sun of the Desert so good is that what I mentioned above may exist only in my mind.
The comedic timing is good in that old fashioned way, the locations are beautiful, the acting is neat and the action is OK but nothing to write home about.
I think the "best USSR movie ever" misses the point.
However for some reason it just works; audiences identified with it and loved it.White sun of the desert is a classic western.
Not only that, but the plot of this movie is just great.I first saw this film when I was a kid (and numerous times since then), and even though I haven't seen it in a while, even with subtitles, you can't go wrong.
I'd rate it 3rd best western along with "The Good, The bad, and the Ugly", "High Noon", and "A bullet for the General.".
One of the best Russian films of all times.
the heroes of White Sun. White sun of the desert was a very interesting film.
For example, the main character Sukhov was making his journey home when he was given the task of escorting a group of women across the desert.
In the beginning of the film Sukhov find and saves Sayid from death.
Throughout the film Sayid repeatedly leaves to peruse his own goal of avenging his father's death, but he always seems to return when his services are needed to help protect the group of women.
Another unlikely hero in the film is Vereshchagin, a drunkard that clings to his past experiences of grandeur.
This character is told by his wife not to get involved in Sukhov's problem but when he is truly needed he also does what is necessary and aids Sukhov in battle.This was a very fun film to watch.
It was very interesting to watch the different types of heroes that all rose to the occasion and did what they needed to do.
Just a few lines to mention that this film is a favourite not only in Russia and the Russian speaking world.
This is one of the few really loved Soviet films in Bulgaria too.
(In my country the term "Eastern" usually applies for a Russian war film rather than a Far Eastern one) One of my personal favorite episodes is Vereshchagin being fed up of having nothing else available to eat, but caviar!.
The best Russian Film.
The song from BSP (lyrics by Bulat Okudzhava, music by Isaac Schwarz) became the best favorite song in Russia.In 1995 BSP was voted and proclaimed the best favorite Russian movie..
I have seen the impact that the American Western had on the Italians ("The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly") and now I have seen its influence of the Russians.
This "Ostern" tackles the subject matter of civil war, bigamy, and death with a wonderful lack of pretense that is expected from a John Wayne movie; all that has changed are the ideologies.
With a little more in common with "Lawrence of Arabia" than just sand the movie focuses on an unextraordinary man forced to rise to the occasion of being a hero.
DVD with subtitles is great with extras including the story of the film by the director, which I found very interesting.
Letters from Sukhov to his wife are also pearls of this film.
The number one Russian movie.
An experienced and wise ex-soldier is asked to deliver sheik's harem on his way home.
I would like to invite visitors to see pictures from the movie and watch a detailed trailer at RussArt.com.
for the art of a director who knows explore the story, for the actors who are masters of a good job and for the landscapes.
Vladimir Motyl's "Beloe solntse pustyni" ("White Sun of the Desert" in English) looks at a Red Army soldier who has to look after a harem in Central Asia right after the 1917 revolution.
One can see a stark contrast between the desolate setting and the soldier's bucolic homeland (shown through communications with his wife).I didn't find this to be a great movie, but it was interesting to see a culture that we don't often get to see.
Great film with fantastic characters.
It's immediately clear why White Sun of the Desert has earned a place in history as one of the best Russian films of all time.
It is an excellent blend of comedy, drama, and action.The film opens up with a contrasting set of scenes between the main character's homeland and the desert he is currently in.
Indeed, when we are in the desert with Sukhov, time seems to pass more slowly.
The camera does a fine job capturing scenes under the sun, and views actors from perfect angles.What I loved was that the film never took itself too seriously.
At the same time, this does not mean he cannot be admired; his final fight is one of strongest moments in the adventure, and we cannot help but cheer for him.Perhaps my favorite part of this movie is its ending.
There is the sadness of Vereschagin's death, true, and we aren't sure if Sukhov makes it back home, but the overall feeling is still happy, and hopeful.
It is the film's strongest suit; Sukhov might very well die before getting to see Katerina again, but it would only be a death in the literal sense.
The movie is a must-see because it achieves this level of nobility in its main character, while maintaining an action-plot and comical side-characters..
The White Sun of The Desert is by far one of the best movies that USSR had to offer.
Sukhov travels throughout the Russian Asia as a red army officer and is very experienced at that ,as the tag-line "East is quite a place" suggest.
Sukhovs thoughts are portrayed as letters ,and are narrated by the actor himself ,which really keeps the movie going along at a smooth rate.This movie is quite realistic in terms of peoples reactions and the situations which arise when the bad guys attack ,namely Abdullah ,and has some cold hearted violence to boot.As a result ,I cannot say this movie has a happy end as such ,but this is what I think would have happened in real-life.
The cast of course performs very well ,and is totally believable.Both Sukhov and his quotes are always remembered and used throughout everyday Russian language.
The movie is filled with dramatic moments ,some good action scenes and great humour.The soundtrack will most likely appeal more to the Russian audience or those who speak fluent Russian.
I think the western audience will have no problem understanding this film ,unlike some other USSR efforts such as Kin-Dza-Dza and others where Russian background is almost required.
If you have never seen a Russian film before ,this is the one to watch !.
it is a Soviet movie but after years and years, it remains out of date.
fresh, seductive, with few chains with classic western but deep different, story of a military like new Ulyses, it is touching and really not bad.
This action movie is absolutely different from a usual modern action film we are used to.
The ways of doing things in this film are definitely of our highest Russian quality.
The way of Sukhov's dreaming, talking, and smiling, the way of Petrukha's and Vereschagin's dying, the way of Wife's crying.The whole movie points out that we don't need a big macho with muscles to fight evil.
You cannot come even close nowadays.And watch out for a funny spoof of this movie that goes back to the year 1983 with the same leading actor as Sukhov!
John Wayne Meets Kin Dza Dza. At the time when the movie was released, the actor John Wayne was practically gone from the big screens, and his replacement sort of saying was Clint Eastwood as far as most people know.
The movie is really good, don't get me wrong, and it shows the disparities and some of points and reasons Russia tried to implement communism in the middle eastern parts of its boarders at that period.
The White Sun. The 1970 Soviet film entitled "White Sun of the Desert," directed by Vladimir Moty is a classic "Ostern" blend of action and comedy.
This Soviet Western film is set during the Soviet civil war in one of the Soviet Asiatic states, and centers around a lonely Red Russian soldier Fedor Sukhov who keeps finding himself in bizarre situations along his journey to get home.
Vladimir utilizes action and dynamic fight sequences add humor this is prominent near the end of the film.
One theme that the film draws upon is exile this is seen with our hero who has constantly tried to get home but is somewhat forced to live a life in the desert.
Fun action-comedy film.
White Sun of the Desert is a very entertaining and bold movie, to put it simply it's a crowd-pleasing movie.
This movie is very good at being what it is, so while it doesn't exist in the realms of high art or ground-breaking experiences, it's certainly worth watching to someone wanting to enjoy an action-adventure with some decent comedy throughout.The hero is a slightly more Russian classic action hero - impossibly competent and reliable, full of charm and wit, trying to get home to his peaceful life and adored wife but is entangled into a mess caused by the villain.
But that conflict is presented through characters and not necessarily philosophy or politics as might be expected from a soviet union film.Overall this movie is just fun.