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5.9/10
Archivist John
Senior Editor
A definitive 5.9/10 rating for a film that redefined the boundaries of cult cinema. Sluchay na stadione remains a cornerstone of transgressive art.
If you are looking for a massive Soviet epic, keep walking. Sluchay na stadione is more like a tiny, dusty treasure found in the back of a drawer. It’s worth watching if you are a total nerd for early special effects or if you just want to see how people in 1928 thought sports looked cool. 🏃♂️
People who hate silent films or things that look like they were filmed through a screen door will probably find this unbearable. It’s very short, which is a big plus if you have a short attention span like I do lately.
Aleksandr Ptushko directed this, and he’s basically the guy who made stop-motion a big deal in Russia later on. Here, you can see him just messing around with the camera and some puppets. It feels very much like a first draft of a genius.
The stadium setting is mostly an excuse for him to show off. There is this one part where the live-action athletes are doing their thing, and then suddenly the animation kicks in. It’s a bit jarring, honestly.
I noticed one guy in the background of the crowd who just looks completely lost. He’s staring off to the left while everyone else is looking at the action. I spent about three minutes wondering what he was thinking about. Probably lunch.
The stop-motion is clunky, but in a way that feels very human. You can almost see the fingerprints on the figures if you squint hard enough. It’s not smooth like a Pixar movie, and that’s why I liked it. It has that hand-made vibe.
The pacing is a bit all over the place. One second it's moving fast, and the next, the camera just stares at a gymnast for way too long. It’s like the editor forgot to cut the scene and went to get a coffee. ☕
It reminds me of the weirdly specific energy you find in A Rare Bird. Both movies feel like they were made by people who were just excited to be holding a camera for the first time.
There isn't really a 'plot' to speak of. The 'incident' mentioned in the title is more of a small event than a big drama. Don't go in expecting a thriller or you will be very disappointed.
I think the most interesting thing is the way Ptushko tries to make the puppets interact with the real world. Sometimes it works, and sometimes it looks like a total mess. But the effort is there, you know? It’s charming in its own broken way.
I actually had to watch it twice because I blinked and missed a transition. The film quality is pretty rough in the version I saw. Lots of scratches and weird flickering that makes your eyes hurt after a while.
If you’ve seen The Life of Reilly, you know how some movies just feel like they belong to a specific moment in time. This is exactly that. It’s a 1928 time capsule that smells like old celluloid and sweat.
I liked the high-waisted shorts everyone was wearing. It’s a look. Maybe we should bring that back? Or maybe not. Actually, definitely not.
There’s a moment where a puppet does a somersault and it’s actually more graceful than the real people. I think Ptushko was making a point there, but I might be reading too much into it. Maybe he just liked somersaults.
The music on the print I watched was this frantic piano that didn't always match the mood. It made the whole thing feel like a fever dream. A sporty, Soviet fever dream.
In the end, it’s a relic. It’s not 'good' in the way we think of movies now, but it’s fascinating. It’s like looking at an old blueprint for a house that eventually became a palace.
It’s definitely better than sitting through something boring like Man and Maid if you want something visual. At least here, stuff is happening, even if it's weird stuff.
Check it out if you have fifteen minutes to kill. It won't change your life, but it might make you appreciate how hard it used to be to make a puppet move on screen. 📽️
IMDb 5.6
1924
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