The White Sun of the Desert (1969)

You won't be disappointed!

If the ambition is to provide two hours of instantly forgettable, popcorn-munching escapism, it succeeds.

A movie that not only functions as a solid scarefest but a razor-sharp satire.

Exactly the movie you think it is, but not the movie you want it to be.

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. In this case it also incorporates history. And finally, a deliberately ambiguous ending. Not a great movie, but a clever one. I can see why it was a box office hit. I do recommend it if you can find a copy.

atmosphere of classic western. adventures and drops of humor. values and sacrifice. the war and its hero. and, sure, the spice of propaganda. result - a film who reminds the sensitivity of a period and the charm of a land. because it has the gift to be a travel in time who remains out by propaganda's circle. 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. for the fight scenes and for the wise manner to explore each detail. a film for entire family. because it is a splendid window to an impressive part of the past. an eastern. and little more. for the courage and art to be more than entertainment.

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. Now, let's think for a minute and follow Phillip K. Dick's concept of reality and space in time, The Man in The High Castle, and let's just imagine as if communism was the ruling system in the world, instead of Nazis. Now, take off John Wayne, add some Clint mixed with Spaghetti, and lots of "red" tomato sauce, and we have Beloe solntse pustyni. 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. It has great photography, good acting and story. I understand also that is easy to minimize the reds nowadays for all their mistaken and illusionary views of the past, but, I also believe that no matter what kind of political system we (humans) adopt, there will be always someone trying to glamorize with either satire, or psychological schemes of how the human mind really works, or how it fakes, escaping to fantasies and such and such...If commercial formulas work for us, we are in business. Who? All of us. We all have our quotes and participation interests in play. No matter what side of the coin you fall, we are easy to read, easy to buy, and lie to ourselves.My vote is 8.5

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. Besides, this movie is not the kind of action that people are used to nowadays. 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. I imagine that any person who hasn't lived in the former USSR will not find much to worship here. And yet, it is truly a masterpiece that sort of happened to be made without any grand intentions, but was able to strike a chord with the entire nation. 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. It just became more sarcastic, or nostalgic, depending on your perception. "White Sun of The Desert" is undoubtedly a classic of the Soviet cinema.