The Far East, the ukrainians and the pathos of grandiose transformations in the film essay “Aerograd” by Oleksandr Dovzhenko

Abstract

The article analyses the film essay “Aerograd” (“Aerocity”) by Oleksandr Dovzhenko as a work that recreates the features of the Far East, its development, the existence of Ukrainians who compactly lived there on the territory of the so-called Green Wedge. The story line of the film is based on the traditional for that time detective-adventure collision of fighting the internal “enemies of the people”, who help the Japanese to overthrow the Soviet power in the Far East. The work mentions Far Eastern Ukrainians, their way of life and culture, however, Oleksandr Dovzhenko emphasizes on the predominance of ideological, international intentions over national ones. “Aerograd” is overflowing with the pathos of grandiose economic transformations in the Far East, the full development of this region, the boundless faith in its happy future. Film story line is marked by the dynamics of changes, the movement of characters and action, movement of characters in the great distance at that time. “Aerograd” fits into the broad context of Ukrainian wandering essays and works of art of the interwar twentieth century (1919–1939) about the Far East and Far Eastern Ukrainians (“125 Days under the Tropics” by L. Chernov, “Yellow Brothers (Through Khina)” by L. Nedolia, “Morning over Ussuri” by M. Pichugin, “On Prairies and Jungles of Birobidzhan” by I. Bahmut, “On Birobidzhan” by E. Raitsyn, “The Train Goes East” by L. Pleskachevsky). Each of these works is given a brief description, as well as works about the terrains of compact residence of Ukrainians outside their native land.