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OPEN CLASSIC CINEMA · 748

The Extraordinary Adventures of Mr. West in the Land of the Bolsheviks

192486 minSoviet Union
ComedyFantasy
Video edition
Wikimedia Commons
Original language
No spoken dialogue. Intertitles: English.
This copy runs
73:36
Subtitles
No subtitle track in this language

Languages and subtitles

No subtitle track in this language

Wikimedia Commons · Nikolai Aseyev (1889–1963), Lev Kuleshov (1899–1970), Vsevolod Pudovkin (1893–1953) · Public domain

This copy runs shorter than the reference runtime. Editing and playback speed can differ between editions.

Synopsis

An American visitor arrives in Moscow expecting to find the barbaric country described in sensational reports. Criminals recognize his fears and stage events to confirm them, planning to charge him for a rescue from their own invented danger. Meanwhile, his cowboy companion races through the city trying to find him, bringing American adventure-film behavior into a Soviet setting.

Cast

DirectorsLev Kuleshov

Behind the scenes

Kuleshov made the film with members of his workshop, including future directors Boris Barnet and Vsevolod Pudovkin. Its rapid action borrows from American cinema while the story mocks foreign stereotypes about the Soviet Union.

Sources and availability

General references identify the work and its copy. A reference beside an editorial section is linked to the claims checked in that section.

Wikipedia — film referenceWikidata — film identity and credits

Work catalogued as public domain in the United States.

The public-domain references concern the original films in the United States. Rights can differ for other countries, editions, restorations, music or translations. Sources are listed on each film page.

Availability checked on September 12, 2026.

Photograph credit

Photographs cropped, resized and optimized as WebP, displayed in monochrome.

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