Earth, Arsenal

The series begins with two dazzling silent films: Dovzhenko's undisputed masterpiece, Earth (1930), and the explosive Arsenal (1929).

"Astonishingly beautiful...unlike anything else in movies."—J. Hoberman, Village Voice

Earth is a ravishingly lyrical study of rural Russian life, evoking the cycles of life, death, social transformation, and eroticism left unaffected by Soviet-style farming. As one critic noted, the silent film is "a pre-requisite to viewing anything by Tarkovsky or Kiarostami." (62 mins.)

An explosive recreation of the 1918 struggle between Bolsheviks and White Russians at a Kiev munitions factory, Arsenal is Dovzhenko's most dazzling silent film, one that balances propaganda with moral ambiguity. (92 mins.)

Landscapes of the Soul: The Cinema of Alexander Dovzhenko is a presentation of The Film Society of Lincoln Center and Seagull Films in collaboration with the Ukrainian National Center of Alexander Dovzhenko and Ministry of Arts and Culture of Ukraine. Generous support was provided by George Gund III, Iara Lee, and Air Ukraine. Special thanks to The Consulate General of Ukraine in New York.