Salt for Svanetia - Mikheil Kalatozov
"Salt for Svanetia" is one of the first ethnographic films ever made. It depicts the life of villagers in Ushguli, high in the Causasus. Although many of the scenes were staged, Kalatozov was fascinated by the way of life in this village and made and effort to depict it to audiences. However, it was still written and acted to tell a story, and pales in comparison to the accuracy of more modern ethnographic films.
The ultimate goal of the film is to incite audiences for calls of modernization, and the final scene shows a road being built to the village. The film opens with a quote from Lenin: "Even now there are far reaches of the Soviet Union where the patriarchal way of life persists along with remnants of the clan system." Kalatozov shows the kind of community Lenin describes, argues why it is bad, and calls for action to modernize it. This film is both an interesting semi-documentary of life in Ushguli, and an excellent example of "educational" Soviet films.
The ultimate goal of the film is to incite audiences for calls of modernization, and the final scene shows a road being built to the village. The film opens with a quote from Lenin: "Even now there are far reaches of the Soviet Union where the patriarchal way of life persists along with remnants of the clan system." Kalatozov shows the kind of community Lenin describes, argues why it is bad, and calls for action to modernize it. This film is both an interesting semi-documentary of life in Ushguli, and an excellent example of "educational" Soviet films.