Arsenal | 1929 | War Drama

Title: Arsenal | 1929 | War Drama Director: Alexander Dovzhenko Studio: VUFKU (Odessa Film Factory) Starring: Semyon Svashenko, Georgiy Kharkiv, Amvrosy Buchma, Dmitri Erdman, Sergey Petrov, Mykola Nademskyi Based on: Original screenplay by Alexander Dovzhenko Release Date: February 25 1929 Runtime: Approximately 92 minutes Format: Silent black and white Country: Soviet Union (Ukrainian SSR) Language: Silent with Russian and Ukrainian intertitles Genres: War Drama --- Chapters: 00:00:00 Timosh returns home after World War I 00:15:00 Workers and political tension in Kyiv 00:30:00 Arsenal factory becomes a stronghold 00:45:00 Uprising and conflict 01:00:00 Battles and sacrifice 01:15:00 Symbolic resolution --- Summary: Arsenal is a 1929 Soviet silent film depicting the events surrounding the January 1918 Kyiv Arsenal uprising during the Russian Civil War. Timosh, a former soldier, comes back to Kyiv and becomes involved with workers striving for revolutionary change. As political and class struggles intensify, the film shows Bolshevik forces clashing with nationalist and bourgeois elements in a powerful and expressive narrative. Using montage, symbolic imagery, and documentary-style techniques, the film evokes the chaos, brutality, and emotional impact of revolution and civil conflict. Its poetic visual style situates individual experience within the broader sweep of historical upheaval. --- Background: Directed, written, and produced by Alexander Dovzhenko and shot at the Odessa Film Factory under VUFKU, Arsenal is the second part of Dovzhenko’s unofficial “Ukraine Trilogy,” bookended by Zvenigora (1928) and Earth (1930). The film was released in early 1929 and is considered one of the most significant works of Ukrainian and Soviet avant-garde cinema. It combines expressionist visuals with revolutionary themes to explore both collective action and personal sacrifice. --- Trivia: The film is also known under the alternative title January Uprising in Kyiv in 1918. Arsenal was named by the National Society of American Film Critics as one of the five best films of 1929. The film’s imagery blends documentary footage with stylized sequences for emotional and symbolic impact. Arsenal’s chaotic narrative and striking montage have earned it comparisons to other revolutionary cinema of the era. --- Public Domain / Rights: Original Release: February 25 1929 Original Studio / Distributor: VUFKU (Odessa Film Factory) Copyright Status: Public Domain Renewal: Unknown --- Hashtags: #Arsenal1929 #AlexanderDovzhenko #SovietCinema #SilentFilm #WarDrama #ClassicCinema #PublicDomain