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| Genre: | Art/Foreign |
| Year: | 1930 |
| Rating: | NR |
| Length: | 90mins |
| Country: | USSR |
| Cast: | Semyon Svashenko, Stepan Shkurat and Mikola Nademsky |
| Credits: | Directed by Alexander Dovshenko |
Earth (Zemlya) is the second and best of Soviet director Alexander Dovshenko's "Ukraine trilogy" (the first film was Arsenal and the last Ivan). The story tells of a group of farmers in a Ukranian village, who unite to purchase a tractor. The leader of the peasants is later killed by a kulak, or landowner, who dislikes any form of united front that might pose a threat to his long-established authority. The events fade into memory, but the long-ranging effects of the peasant "revolt"--like the Earth itself--last forever. Often voted one of the ten best films of all time, Earth takes some getting used to, especially by audiences geared to popular entertainment. Those willing to stay with the film throughout its full 117 minutes (or 90 minutes, depending on which print one sees) will be privy to one of filmdom's most beautifully photographed paeans to the eternal endurance of Nature. Hal Erickson
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