Feature film
Sign of Disaster
Знак бяды
Mikhail Ptashuk · 1987
Synopsis
In the hamlet of Vysielki, two old peasants, Stepanida and Petrok, are living quietly when the German troops arrive. They try to get through the occupation without provoking anyone, hoping that the danger will pass them by. Flashbacks recall collectivisation, when the couple were held to be enemies of Soviet power. The policemen the occupier recruits are not former kulaks but neighbours who bear them old grudges, and Stepanida tries to stand up to their humiliations.
Context
Belarusfilm shot this two-part film in 1986 based on the novella of the same name by Vasil Bykau, a great Belarusian prose writer of the war, on a screenplay by Evgeny Grigoriev and Oskar Nikich; Tatiana Loginova is behind the camera and Oleg Yanchenko composed the music. The studio feared the dekulakization scenes. Nina Ruslanova plays Stepanida, Gennady Garbuk Petrok. The film was released in March 1987.
Who it is for
A war drama in two parts, about two and a half hours long, which calls for some knowledge of collectivisation.
Prizes and reception
Grand Prix at the Sopot festival in 1986; the role of Nina Ruslanova won the actress the State Prize of Belarus and a Nika.
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