Customer Reviews

The Extraordinary Adventures of Mr. West in the Land of the Bolsheviks [VHS]

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During the silent era each country seemed to have its own style and characteristics of filmmaking, such as Germany's Expressionist style and the Soviet Avant Garde approach, but unlike his Russian contemporaries, Soviet director Lev Kuleshov admired and tried to imitate America's `Father of Film', D.W. Griffith. "The Extraordinary Adventures of Mr West" definitely shows this Griffith influence as well as a great sense of Russian humor, making this film stand out as different from most other well-known silent Soviet films. This light comedy adventure makes fun of Americans in a nice and playful way, namely by highlighting the distorted image Americans had of Russians at that time. American Mr West travels to Moscow expecting to find the country overrun by dangerous wild-eyed barbarians with giant moustaches, and a gang of petty thieves plot to take advantage of Mr West's naïve preconceptions. The plot takes some twists and turns during which this comedy also makes fun of American films by including lengthy action-packed street chase scenes, fist fights and stunts, all of which are as good as anything by Griffith or other American filmmakers of the time. There are some little teasing gestures, such as Mr West's patriotic stars and stripes pair of socks, and other things which the Russians apparently noticed about Americans with some amusement, not in the least of which is Mr West's bodyguard, who is a cowboy right out of the American Wild West. It is all a good-natured and enjoyable satire of quite high standard, and this VHS has good picture quality and suitable piano accompaniment. Playing some of the main characters are two other well known Soviet directors, including Pudovkin, who directed my personal favourite Soviet comedy, "Chess Fever"; a short film which also underscores the fact that Soviets did indeed have a great sense for comedy!

This film, about a series of adventures an american businessman suffers in Soviet Russia, as he falls in a trap set by a gang of criminals, is unusual for the Soviet movies of the 1920s: it's a comedy, and it's very funny at that. We see the Moscow of the early 20s, when capitalism wasn't yet banished (we see advertisements and foreign cars), a time of relative freedom in the Soviet Union, when the nightmare of Stalinism was still far away. It also shows a sympathetic view of Americans that is rare in films from the Soviet Union.