Dusty horses and old Soviet politics in Myatezh (1928)

If you like movies that feel like they were filmed inside a sandstorm, you might actually get a kick out of Myatezh.

It’s a Soviet silent film from 1928 that covers an uprising in Fergana. It’s definitely worth a watch if you are a history nerd or if you just like seeing how movies looked before everything became so clean and digital. 🎥

If you hate reading titles on the screen or watching guys in fuzzy hats stare intensely at maps, you will probably be bored to tears within ten minutes.

The movie follows Frunze and Furmanov. These were real guys, and the movie treats them like very serious, very tired heroes.

Sergey Yakushev plays Frunze, and he has this way of looking at people that makes you think he’s checking their soul for any signs of laziness. It’s intense.

The whole thing feels very dry. Not just the story, but the actual look of it.

There is so much dust. Horses gallop past the camera and you can barely see the actors through the clouds of dirt. 🐎

It makes the whole rebellion feel much more real than some of the more polished stuff from that era, like The New Babylon. That one is more like art, while this feels like a report from the front lines.

Cinematic perspective: Exploring the visual vocabulary of Myatezh (1929) through its definitive frames.

There is a scene where a crowd is gathering, and the camera just lingers on the faces of the locals. These aren't Hollywood extras. They look like people who have lived in the sun their entire lives.

Their skin is wrinkled and they look suspicious of everyone. It’s one of those small things that makes the movie feel authentic.

The pacing is a bit weird, though. It jumps around a lot.

One minute we are in a quiet room talking about strategy, and the next there is a massive stampede of horses. It’s kind of jarring.

I found myself losing track of who was on which side for a second. Everyone has a beard and a similar hat.

But then you see Boris Babochkin pop up in the cast. He’s a big deal in Soviet cinema, and even here, he has a certain energy that sticks out.

The movie doesn't have the jokes or the fun of something like The Cocoanuts. It is very, very serious about its politics.

It talks a lot about duty and the revolution. If you don't care about that stuff, the middle part of the movie is going to feel like a long lecture.

Cinematic perspective: Exploring the visual vocabulary of Myatezh (1929) through its definitive frames.

I liked the way they filmed the mountains. They look huge and scary, making the soldiers look like tiny ants crawling across the rocks.

There’s this one shot of a single rider on a ridge that lasts just a few seconds too long. It starts to feel like a photograph instead of a movie. 🏔️

It’s not a perfect film. The editing is choppy and some of the acting is a bit much, even for a silent movie.

But there is a grit to it that you don't see often. It feels like the filmmakers were actually out there in the heat, getting dirt in their cameras.

It’s a tough watch in some ways because it’s so heavy. But it’s also a cool window into a time and place that most of us don't know much about.

Don't expect a happy ending or a clean story. It’s messy, just like a real rebellion probably is.

If you’re looking for something light, maybe try Flapper Fever instead. This one is for when you want to feel the weight of history. 📜

Overall, it’s an interesting relic. It’s got a lot of heart, even if that heart is covered in desert sand.