Alexander Dovzhenko is one of the great visionaries of the 20th Century. Mr. Bongo is proud to present his War Trilogy, comprising three major works Zvenigora, Arsenal and Earth; set for release on DVD on 24 September 2012.
Dovzhenko’s unconventional vision and experimental style remained rooted in his love for his native Ukraine, and its culture and its people, Zvenigora, his first major film; is also his most joyous work, telling the story of an old man (Nikolai Nademsky) who guards the treasures of Ukraine buried for centuries beneath Mt. Zvenigora.
Arsenal chronicles a group of World War I veterans, whose leader (Semyon Svashenko) is fired by dreams of Communist utopia, to foment revolution in Ukraine. The film’s depiction of war is surreal, brutal and unflinching in its vision of the impact of modern warfare on a landscape rich in centuries’ of tradition.
Earth builds on the earlier films, featuring the same actors in similar roles (Nikolai Nademsky as old man, Semyon Svashenko as firebrand revolutionary) to tell a poetic story of generations. The film’s visual beauty and the intensity of its editing has made it one of the most influential films ever made, an inspiration for artists around the world and a regular fixture in international top ten film lists.
