The White Sun of the Desert
| White Sun of the Desert | |
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| Directed by | Vladimir Motyl |
| Produced by | Experimental Studio of Mosfilm |
| Written by |
Valentin Yezhov Rustam Ibragimbekov |
| Starring |
Anatoly Kuznetsov Spartak Mishulin Pavel Luspekaev |
| Music by | Isaak Schwarz (song lyrics by Bulat Okudzhava) |
| Cinematography | Eduard Rozovsky |
| Distributed by |
Lenfilm Mosfilm |
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Release date
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Running time
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85 min |
| Country | Soviet Union |
| Language | Russian |
White Sun of the Desert (Russian: Белое солнце пустыни; Beloye solntse pustyni) is a 1970 classic 'Eastern' or Ostern film of the Soviet Union.
The film is one of the most popular Russian films of all time. Its blend of action, comedy, music and drama, as well as memorable quotes, made it wildly successful, and it has since achieved the status of a top cult film in Soviet and Russian culture. Its main theme song, "Your Noble Highness Lady Fortune" (Ваше благородие, госпожа Удача, music: Isaak Schwarz, lyrics: Bulat Okudzhava, performed by Pavel Luspekaev) became a hit. The film is watched by cosmonauts before most space launches as a good luck ritual.
The setting is the east shore of the Caspian Sea (modern Turkmenistan) where the Red Army soldier Fyodor Sukhov has been fighting the Civil War in Russian Asia for a number of years. The movie opens with a panoramic shot of a bucolic Russian countryside. Katerina Matveyevna, Sukhov's beloved wife, is standing in a field. Awakening from this daydream, Sukhov is walking through the Central Asian desert – a stark contrast to his homeland. He finds Sayid buried in the sand. Sayid, an austere Central Asian, will come to Sukhov's rescue in sticky situations throughout the movie. Sukhov frees Sayid, and they strike a friendly but reticent relationship. While traveling together they are caught up in a desert fight between a Red Army cavalry unit and Basmachi guerrillas. The cavalry unit commander, Rakhimov, leaves to Sukhov the harem, which was abandoned by the Basmachi leader Abdullah, for temporary protection. He also leaves a young Red Army soldier, Petrukha, to assist Sukhov with the task, and proceeds to pursue the fleeing Abdullah.
Sukhov and women from Abdullah's harem return to a nearby shore village. There, Sukhov charges the local museum's curator with protecting the women, and prepares to head home. Sukhov hopes to "modernize" the wives of the harem, and make them part of the modern society. He urges them to take off their burqa and reject polygamy. The wives are loath to do this, though, and as Sukhov takes on the role of protector, the wives declare him their new husband.
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Wikipedia