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OPEN CLASSIC CINEMA · 861

Turksib

192978 minSoviet Union

Synopsis

Surveyors, laborers and machines work toward a railway joining the economic regions of Turkestan and Siberia. The film contrasts the difficulty of moving water, cotton and grain across immense distances with the promise of a new transport system. Trains gradually enter landscapes previously crossed by animals, turning construction into an argument about economic interdependence and change.

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Video edition: Wikimedia Commons
Original language: No spoken dialogue. Intertitles: Russian.
This copy runs: 77:47
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 · Victor A. Turin · Public domain

DirectorsVictor A. Turin

Reception and legacy

John Grierson prepared an English version, and the film became an important point of contact between Soviet montage and the developing British documentary movement. Its account of transport helped make industrial organization a dramatic subject.

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 reference Wikidata — film identity and credits BFI — Turksib BFI — The Soviet Influence

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.

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