Dersu Uzala: the Objective World of the Film. From the Holdings of the Film Museum

Abstract

The article introduces into scientific discourse valuable materials kept in the State Central Film Museum— props, personal belongings of the main character of the film Dersu Uzala, directed by Akira Kurosawa. The work includes an analytical review of the Soviet press publications in 1973 to 1976 about the shooting of the film. The information provided allows us to compile a fairly complete picture of the information campaign of the film Dersu Uzala in the Soviet Union: its announcement, coverage of the filming process, etc. Focus is put on the social and political background of the film. Kurosawa’s lengthy statements about the difficulties of producing independent films make it possible to more clearly understand the specifics of filmmaking abroad in the 1970s, especially in Japan and the USA. The work presents detailed statements in the press of the director, the performers of the main roles and the screenwriter. The author also introduces an important foreign policy context reflecting the reaction of individual countries (China) to the shooting of this major Soviet-Japanese film.

Keywords

• ussr film
• wide-screen cinema
• film museum
• “dersu uzala”
• akira kurosawa
• yury nagibin
• vladimir arseniev