Heat

Znoy

Kyrgyzstan, Soviet Union

1963

84 Min

Black and White

Russian

Currently 3.2/5 Stars.
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DIR Larisa Shepitko

SCR Chingiz Aitmatov, Semyon Lungin, Ilya Nusinov

DP Vladimir Arkhangelsky, Yuri Sokol

CAST Bolotbek Shamshiyev, Nurmukhan Zhanturin, Klara Yusupzhanova, Kenzhibai Dyusembayev, Roza Tabaldiyeva, Darkul Kuyukova, K. Esenov, Sadykbek Dzhamanov

Synopsis

Kemal, a young man who believes in Nikita Khrushchev’s “Virgin Lands” campaign, is sent to work on a collective farm, but his ideas soon come up against the ideas of others, particularly those of a tractor driver, representing Stalinism. —dracmagic.cat

Director

Larisa Shepitko

After studying in the workshop of Dovchenko and Romm, Shepitko graduated from VGIK in 1963. After an impressive diploma work (Heat) she directed Wings, a complex character study that eschewed cliche to depict the emotional gap that develops between a proud, professional woman and her estranged daughter. Though praised by critics, Wings received only a limited release by Soviet authorities. Her next project was a short film for the omnibus Beginning of an Unknown Era called “Homeland of Electricity”. Produced by Mosfilm’s ill-fated Experimental Studio, it was shelved by censors and wasn’t released until after Shepitko’s death. The high point of her career came with Ascent, which won the Golden Bear at Venice in 1977. After dying in a tragic accident in 1979, her final project, Farewell, was completed by her husband, Elem Klimov, using her script. —Seagull Films