Welcome back, esteemed readers, to another edition of the Sunday Morning Move! This week’s feature is the Russian Western, White Sun of the Desert, a captivating film that blends humor and action against a historical backdrop:
Next week, we will explore Iphigenia:
Here are some reviews of White Sun of the Desert:
Genregrinder shares:
While I’m not an expert in the subgenre, I have heard of Vladimir Motyl’s renowned ostern, White Sun of the Desert (1970). This film offers a unique blend of dry humor and dramatic moments, cleverly referencing Russian history while drawing inspiration from classic Hollywood westerns, such as Howard Hawks’ Rio Bravo (1959) and Fred Zinnemann’s High Noon (1952), as well as Italian westerns like Sergio Leone’s The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly (1966) and Sergio Corbucci’s Django (1966).
The film captures the tone of Italian comedy westerns from the same era, opting for irony rather than over-the-top slapstick. Co-writers Valentin Yezhov and Rustam Ibragimbekov embrace silliness while acknowledging the serious subject matter. Though action scenes are not abundant, they are well-crafted with a strong sense of place, much like Leone’s works, prioritizing setup over sheer violence.
McBastard’s Mausoleum comments:
White Sun of the Desert (Beloe Solntse Pustyni) – 1970, Mosfilm, 84 min. “Have you been here long?” asks the stoic Red Army soldier Fyodor, encountering a man buried neck-deep in the desert. Director Vladimir Motyl’s surreal classic stands as one of the most beloved Soviet “Osterns,” inspired by American westerns like Stagecoach and High Noon, as well as 1960s Spaghetti Westerns, and even Akira Kurosawa’s Yojimbo. The film, set during the Russian Civil War, follows Fyodor (Anatoliy Kuznetsov) as he traverses the desolate landscapes of Turkmenistan, yearning to return to his wife but getting entangled in protecting a harem of Muslim women from local bandits led by Abdullah (Kakhi Kavsadze).
With memorable dialogue and song lyrics—such as “A knife is good for he who has it—and it’s bad for he who doesn’t at the right moment”—White Sun is as visually captivating as Leone’s A Fistful of Dollars, featuring a resourceful hero fighting against overwhelming odds. The film also carries a surprising feminist undercurrent, as Fyodor encourages the women to take charge of their destinies: “Comrade women, the revolution has set you free!” This popular Soviet film has been beautifully restored by Mosfilm for its U.S. Blu-ray debut through Deaf Crocodile, in collaboration with Seagull Films, and is presented in Russian with English subtitles.
My thoughts: It’s an enjoyable and playful take on the Western genre. While there are moments of silliness, they don’t overshadow the film like in some Italian Spaghetti Westerns. The cinematography and props stand out, and the storytelling is tight and effective. Although action is limited, the film remains engaging. I rate it ⭐. It’s definitely worth watching, both for its unique perspective on the Western genre and as an intriguing standalone film, but perhaps only for a single viewing.
Director: Vladimir Motyl
Writers: Valentin Yezhov, Rustam Ibragimbekov
Plot Summary (Spoilers!): Fyodor Sukhov, a Red Army soldier from Western Russia, has longed for home while stationed in the East. He dreams of returning to his wife and farm, but finds himself instead protecting a harem abandoned by a vicious bandit. Feeling a moral obligation, he embarks on a mission to find a safe haven for the women, only to face the resurgence of the bandits.
After a series of thrilling escapades, the bandits are vanquished, though most of Sukhov’s allies do not survive. At last, he can begin his journey home.
***
Bonus: David Bentley Hart: What Atheism Has Never Actually Challenged
What if atheism’s most recognized arguments, such as Dawkins on complexity or Hitchens on morality, were aimed at a simplistic caricature of God that no serious theologian would acknowledge? This is the core challenge proposed by one of today’s most astute theologians. In this episode of The Prometheans, Ali Zaka interviews David Bentley Hart—an Eastern Orthodox philosopher-theologian with over 1,000 essays and 24 books to his name. He has earned the prestigious Michael Ramsey Prize in Theology and has been acclaimed by The Guardian as the author of “the one theology book all atheists really should read” (The Experience of God, Yale University Press, 2013).
Hart has meticulously argued that the God attacked by New Atheism—the idea of a transcendent being residing within the universe—is a far cry from the classical theistic understanding of God. According to traditional theology, God is not a mere super-being sharing the same reality as contingent beings but is the infinite essence from which all things emanate. To critique Richard Dawkins’s “Boeing 747” deity is not to challenge the God of Aquinas, Augustine, Ibn Sina, Maimonides, or Shankara; it instead targets a straw man.
Bonus bonus: David Bentley Hart on Sean Carroll
