KINONIK in association with st. lawrence arts

~ presents: kinosilent ~

Vsevolod Pudovkin’s storm over asia
MAY 20, 2019, 7 PM

Director Vsevolod Pudovkin, dubbed the Russian D.W. Griffith, rewrites history in Storm Over Asia (1928), with the target being British imperialism in Mongolia. The film is a fascinating look at the intersection of the art of cinema with propaganda. Capitalism takes the form of corrupt British fur traders and an occupying army. At the forefront of the conflict is a Mongolian herdsman who stands in for “the people.” The herdsman happens to own an amulet identifying him as a descent of Genghis Kahn, greatly inflating his street cred. Revolutionary, imperialist-cleansing fervor ensues. What emerges is a propagandized narrative that twists facts to serve the state. This is a rare opportunity to see the final film in Pudovkin’s influential trilogy, which includes Mother (1925) and The End of St. Petersburg (1927). Storm Over Asia is a must-see glimpse of the malleability of facts in the hands of a totalitarian state. With live piano accompaniment by Carolyn Swartz.

St. Lawrence Arts Center 76 Congress St, Portland

May 20 at 7 PM. $10.