Wings of a Serf

A grim, theatrical silent spectacle of cruelty and invention, heavy with historical weight and gothic menace.

Directed by

Leonid Leonidov, Yuri Tarich

Genres

Drama, History

Starring

Ivan Klyukvin, Leonid Leonidov, Safiyat Askarova

Overview

This SovKino production was a major early experiment in Soviet historical film about the oprichnina period of Muscovite history, combining the costumed drama and Gothic thrills of the genre with historical materialist commentary on the dialectical collision of scientific progress and patriarchal religious tyranny under Tsar Ivan the Terrible. It follows a self-taught inventor from the serf class Nikishka, whose efforts to build a flying machine incite accusations of witchcraft. Nikishka and his beloved Fima are persecuted by the feudal lord Kurlyatev, who took their village in a petty land squabble. They’re rescued when Kurlyatev’s lands are taken by the Tsar in his autocratic campaign against the feudal system. Ivan puts Nikishka to work in his linen mill, where the young serf is coveted by Tsarina Maria Temryukovna, who the Tsar’s been ignoring in favor of his cupbearer Feodor. A series of harrowing intrigues wind a bloody dance through bedchamber, feast hall, cathedral and dungeon.

How it feels

Dark, bleak, tense and campy. Measured and needs your attention.

About

Power, class, obsession, betrayal

Content

Strong violence. Mild gore and sexual content. No swearing.

Note

Written by AI, so it can be wrong. Full breakdown

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