Red Westerns The communist answer to the American Western 1 Red Westerns Westerns 03 How It All Began Ludmila Cvikova 04 Red Westerns Strike Again Ludmila Cvikova 06 Red Westerns - A Short History Sergey Lavrentyev USSR: The Early Period (1920s and 1930s) 08 The Extraordinary Adventures of Mr. West in the Land of the Bolsheviks Lev Kuleshov, USSR 1924 10 By the Law Lev Kuleshov, USSR 1926 12 The Thirteen Mikhail Romm, USSR 1936 USSR: The Golden Period (1960s) 14 No One Wanted to Die Vitautas Zalakiavichus, USSR 1966 16 The Elusive Avengers Edmond Keosayan, USSR 1966 18 White Sun of the Desert Vladimir Motyl, USSR 1969 USSR: Central Asian Films (1970s) 2 20 Meeting at the Old Mosque Sukhbat Khamidov, USSR 1969 22 The Red Poppies of Issyk-Kul Bolotbek Shamshiev, USSR 1971 24 The Seventh Bullet Ali Khamraev, USSR 1972 26 At Home Among Strangers, a Stranger at Home Nikita Mikhalkov, USSR 1974 Eastern Bloc Hits 28 Lemonade Joe Oldrich Lipsky, Czechoslovakia, 1964 30 The Law and the Fist Jerzy Hoffman & Edward Skórzewski, Poland 1964 32 The Sons of Great Bear Josef Mach, GDR 1966 34 Chingachgook: The Great Snake Richard Groschopp, GDR 1967 36 The Eighth Zako Heskiya, Bulgaria 1969 38 The Actress, the Dollars and the Transylvanians Mircea Veroiu, Romania 1979 Colophon How It All Began In 2008, when the International Film Festival Three years have passed before another co- Rotterdam (IFFR) initiated the Young Turkish Cinema programme, initiative could happen. This time we are joining up with three we were thinking of how to make such a specific programme like other festivals. The response to the Red Westerns programme was this more efficient so that a greater number of people than just the wonderful: in tandem with the IFFR it will be presented at Göteborg Rotterdam audiences could enjoy it. Luck was on our side, because International Film Festival, in the spring it will be shown in Linz, and when I mentioned the programme to Christine Dollhofer, the director then in Wroclaw (Era New Horizons) and the Bratislava International of Crossing Europe Film Festival in Linz, she embraced it with Film Festival. enthusiasm. What’s more, her festival could even contribute financially to the booklet accompanying the programme. Thanks to the great support of Marit Kapla and Christine Dollhofer, Joanna Lapinska, Roman Gutek, Matthieu Darras The collaboration with Crossing Europe was very and Vojtech Kabath it was possible to put it all together and print this successful, which made us think. Why not send a special programme publication. I not only would like to sincerely express my personal 2 that has been organized by one festival to even more festivals? For 03 gratitude, but also that of the whole IFFR team. We really appreciate any festival, organizing a special thematic programme takes a lot of this broader international cooperation and we are happy that Red research, financing and energy. If it’s only shown in one country, that’s Westerns will reach also audiences in Sweden, Austria, Poland and really a pity. Another reason to try to show it to as many people as Slovakia. Who knows, maybe many even more countries will join us possible is that film festivals are taking their educational role very next time! seriously. There are lots of young, enthusiastic film lovers in other parts of the world who would also like to enjoy special thematic Ludmila Cvikova programmes but can not afford to travel. When we were having discussions with our international colleagues, we realized that in these financially difficult times, this is an ideal way of collaborating. After all, this is what we all want, to be able to show good new films and old classics to our audiences. We can do it together, as we all need to economize with our finances. Red Westerns Strike Again We all know what a Western is. We’ve probably Along with our own official version of the Western, But how? The best solution would be to compile a The films in our Red Western programme are seen countless American Westerns, know about the Italian Spaghetti we, the generations of happy communist youth, were even allowed special programme. Easier said than done. We forgot about it for a few based on memories and talks with colleagues. We selected the best Westerns and might even be familiar with the Gazpacho Westerns to see some true American Westerns! The choice of the censors was years. Until I came across Sergey Lavrentyev at a festival two years titles and/or those films that were enormous national hits. We hope from Spain. But Red Westerns, Easterns, or Sauerkraut Westerns are not always clear to us, but one of the greatest Westerns imported to ago, and he passed me a white book with on its cover a bleak black- this selection will give you an idea about the times that we (and mostly less known – or even unknown. And that’s a pity. This special both the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe was John Sturges’ The and-white photo of a Soviet cowboy, a handsome man with a cowboy the directors) lived in. I am very happy to share these wonderful programme is your chance to see some of the films that officially carry Magnificent Seven (1960). This was during the 60s, and we should bear hat and a pistol in his hand (Nikita Mikhalkov in his directorial debut At cinematographic memories with you. one of these banners. We decided to put them all under one common in mind that it must have been a result of the political thaw, especially Home Among Strangers, a Stranger at Home). I had a look and read in umbrella: Red Westerns. in Czechoslovakia were I was growing up. Shortly after, another cult Russian: Krasnyj Western (Red Western). So he did it! Sergey made his Ludmila Cvikova film appeared in my country, the unforgettable Czechoslovakian film dream come true and put all his Red Western memories in this book. If one starts looking in academic literature for these Lemonade Joe (1964). This was a very atypical Western, actually a terms, one can find some simple explanations: ‘Red Westerns’ are parody of it, with famous actors and great sixties music. These two When I presented the idea of making a special Westerns made during Soviet times; they form the communist answer films were and still are repeated on national TV in both of the (now Red Western programme to my colleagues at the International Film to the American Western – a ‘decadent’ genre that was perceived as 04 separated) republics and left a lasting impression, a shared cultural Festival Rotterdam, their reaction was almost as enthusiastic as mine 05 the embodiment of ruthless capitalism. ‘Easterns’ are Westerns made consciousness. For instance, one should not be surprised to come was a few years ago, when I (re)discovered the film memories I had in in Eastern Europe, and ‘Sauerkraut Westerns’ are Westerns made in across people from both the Czech and Slovak republics who still can common with Sergey Lavrentyev. The Red Western programme idea the former GDR (German Democratic Republic). There are even more quote verbatim from Lemonade Joe. was born; we made a selection of films and then came the time to versions and terms. Needless to say, all of them were politically tinted find the existing prints of those beautiful, but largely forgotten films. and their makers were actually forced by the communist authorities to Growing up as I did with the idea that this film was Honestly, I had no idea what lay ahead of me… It is one thing is to employ the ‘right’ heroes and enemies. Their main goal was to attract ‘ours’ and only very popular at home in Czechoslovakia, it really took me select films on paper; another to find the prints in the labyrinth of and amuse large audiences by using the generic conventions of action by surprise when some years ago I heard the Russian film critic Sergey the post-Soviet anarchy of non-existing prints or copyright holders of and Western films. The history of this phenomenon has its own phases Lavrentyev talk about its great popularity in the USSR. That said, we some of the ex-Soviet Republic films. Of course they do exist in the and ups and downs, but I shall leave it to film scholars to analyse started to dig up further memories: the Serbian athlete Gojko Mitic and treasuries of the Gosfilmofond, but nobody could give us the right key and identify them. The mission to create something very popular in his representation of American Indians in the ‘Indianerfilme’ from East to open the doors of that colossal institution. With a little bit of luck the gray times of the so-called socialist-realism genre was certainly Germany (but mostly shot in Yugoslavia); West German adaptations and a little bit of good will, four new prints were especially made for us fulfilled. The Soviet Red Westerns were enormously popular in their of the Karl May books about Winnetou and Old Shatterhand; and the by the Mosfilm Studio in Moscow. The rest of the Soviet masterpieces own region and gained millions of viewers, especially in the 1960s and Soviet Westerns. Lavrentyev unveiled a new territory of film culture for had to be imported from various countries of the world, and some are 1970s. But the genre also crossed the Soviet borders and re-emerged me, and I was eager to see those entirely forgotten genre films from dubbed in English or German. in its specific version in the various countries of Eastern Europe.