Open ClassicCINEMA
Back to the collection

OPEN CLASSIC CINEMA · 883

The Wings of a Serf

192679 minSoviet Union
Drama

Synopsis

A gifted serf dreams of building wings during the reign of Ivan the Terrible. His ability to repair machines brings him under the control of powerful masters who value his usefulness while fearing his invention. An opportunity to demonstrate flight at court places his private ambition before an authority capable of turning wonder into punishment.

Watch the film ↓
Video edition
Wikimedia Commons
Original language
No spoken dialogue. Intertitles: Russian.
This copy runs
73:15
Subtitles
No subtitle track in this language

No spoken dialogue. Intertitles: Russian. No subtitle track in this language.

Languages and subtitles

No subtitle track in this language

Wikimedia Commons · Госфильмофонд России · Public domain

Cast

DirectorsYuri Tarich

Historical context

The historical drama contrasts technical imagination with the constraints of serfdom. The possibility of leaving the ground becomes an especially direct image of a freedom the inventor's social position does not permit.

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.

  • Leonid Leonidov — Unknown author Unknown author; http://proekt-wms.narod.ru/zvezd/leonidov-l.htm Transferred from Image on Russian Wikipedia · Public domain

Audience rating

Loading ratings…

Keep exploring

Collection