Intrigan (1935) Review: Pigs, Planes, and Soviet Circus Clowns

If you have ever wanted to watch a 1930s Soviet comedy about flight cadets, village politics, and literal pigs, Intrigan is pretty much your only option. You will probably hate this if you want a clean, logical story or high-quality audio that doesn't hurt your ears.

But for anyone obsessed with weird historical curiosities, this is a total goldmine. 🛩️

The whole thing takes place around an aviation school, but half the time, the movie seems way more interested in the local farm animals. There is this one pig that gets so much screen time I started wondering if it was getting star billing.

The plot is supposedly about a "schemer" (which is what the title means), but honestly, the narrative is so messy it feels like some scenes were glued together in the wrong order. Characters run in and out of frame screaming at each other for reasons that are never quite clear.

What makes this worth sitting through is the cast, especially Vitali Lazarenko. He was a famous circus clown in real life, and you can totally tell because he treats the entire set like a gymnastics mat.

There is a moment where he does this bizarre, floppy fall over a fence that made me laugh out loud. It is completely unnecessary for the scene, but he just does it anyway.

The film has absolutely none of the glossy, synchronized charm you get in American comedies of the same year, like Every Night at Eight. Instead, it feels sweaty, loud, and slightly dangerous, like someone might actually get hurt during a stunt.

Also, the music is just wild. An accordion player will start blasting a tune, and then the soundtrack will just... stop. No fade out, just a hard cut to silence while a character stares blankly at the camera.

One reaction shot of an old man looking confused lingers for a solid six seconds. I swear the actor was just waiting for the director to yell cut, but they kept it in anyway.

The print I watched was incredibly blurry, which actually kind of helped the dream-like vibe. It feels less like a piece of state-approved cinema and more like a home movie made by people who drank way too much tea before filming.

It is definitely not a masterpiece, and the second half drags hard when they try to make the pilot stuff look heroic. But those first forty minutes of pure, rural chaos are something special. 🐖