A Simple Case
Synopsis
As a response to criticism for the allegedly excessive âmass appealâ of his earlier epic STORM OVER ASIA (1928), Vsevolod Pudovkin unleashed his flair for experimentation in what was supposed to be the directorâs first sound feature. Everything went wrong: technical problems forced him to complete the film as a silent; viewers were baffled by the lack of a recognizable plot; then, the ideological climate of the Soviet Union changed. He was now being blamed for catering to bourgeois taste! Time has come to set the record straight. Hereâs lyrical cinema at its best, deliberately operatic and yet intimate as it matches the charactersâ inner life with the solemn rhythms of nature, and depicted through breathtaking black-and-white photography. A sensation at last yearâs Pordenone fest, Pudovkinâs long-forgotten swan song to the art of montage is resurrected by Gabriel Thibaudeauâs emotionally charged live music performance. âPCU (USSR, 1930, 75m)
Where to watch
Not currently available to stream in United States.
