Zvenigora

1928 1h 32m UK

😐

6.3

MID

★6.3TMDB · 34

DramaFantasy

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

An old man tells his grandson of a legendary treasure buried beneath the hills of Zvenigora, setting in motion a sweeping cinematic poem that intertwines Ukrainian folklore, history, and revolution.

“Some stories are better left unspoiled.”

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Cast

Mykola Nademskyi
Grandpa / General
Semyon Svashenko
Timoshka, First Grandson
Les Podorozhniy
Pavel, Second Grandson
Polina Skliar-Otava
Oksana / Roksana
Heorhiy Astafyev
Scythian Leader (uncredited)
Leonid Barbe
Monk (uncredited)
Nikolay Charov
Pavel's Friend (uncredited)
Vladimir Lanskoy
Spectator (uncredited)

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Alexander Dovzhenko
Writers: Maik Yohansen, Yuri Tyutyunnyk, Alexander Dovzhenko
Languages: No Language
Countries: Soviet Union

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

ERA

Did you know

98 years old — a genuine piece of film history.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

CRAFT

Did you know

Part of the "Ukraine Trilogy" — so the characters or world continue elsewhere.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

RUNTIME

Did you know

Lean credit list — fewer than 30 people officially credited.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Alexander Dovzhenko, shot by Boris Zavelev. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Alexander Dovzhenko shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Mykola Nademskyi and Semyon Svashenko and Les Podorozhniy carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0019611 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

WILD

Did you know

Only 34 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Alexander Dovzhenko directs. Boris Zavelev behind the camera. Alexander Dovzhenko cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Produced in Soviet Union. Dialogue in No Language.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

198 years old — a genuine piece of film history.
2Part of the "Ukraine Trilogy" — so the characters or world continue elsewhere.
3Lean credit list — fewer than 30 people officially credited.
4Directed by Alexander Dovzhenko, shot by Boris Zavelev. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
5Editor Alexander Dovzhenko shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
6Mykola Nademskyi and Semyon Svashenko and Les Podorozhniy carry the top of the cast.
7IMDB entry: tt0019611 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
8Only 34 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.

The technical file

Cinematography: Boris Zavelev
Editing: Alexander Dovzhenko
Production design: Vasyl Krychevskyi
Makeup / hair: Shcherbina
Runtime: 92 min · 1h 32m
Status: Released
Original language: UK
IMDB: Zvenigora (1928)

Awards

100 best films in the history of Ukrainian cinema

Individual records documented via Wikidata; the summary above may count more.

Part of

Ukraine Trilogy

Alexander Dovzhenko's "Ukraine Trilogy" (Zvenigora, Arsenal, and Earth), although underappreciated by some contemporary Soviet critics (who found some of its realism counter-revolutionary), is his most well-known work in the West.