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OPEN CLASSIC CINEMA · 726

Zvenigora

Synopsis

An old man's account of treasure hidden in a mountain opens a journey across Ukrainian history. Legends, conflict and revolutionary change are connected through images rather than a straightforward historical chronology. The relationship between inherited beliefs and a transformed society runs through a film that moves freely between folk tale, political argument and the natural world.

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Video edition
Wikimedia Commons
Original language
No spoken dialogue. Intertitles: Russian.
This copy runs
91:40
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 · Oleksandr Dovzhenko · Public domain

Cast

Historical context

The film begins Dovzhenko's Ukrainian trilogy, followed by Arsenal and Earth. Its treatment of landscape and folklore distinguishes it from a simple account of revolutionary events.

Behind the scenes

Dovzhenko substantially rewrote an earlier screenplay by Maik Johansen and Yuri Tiutiunnyk. The film was completed around the revolutionary anniversary period but first shown in 1928.

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.

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.

  • Semyon Svashenko — Оператор Даниил Демуцкий; http://www.russiancinema.ru/template.php?dept_id=3&e_dept_id=2&e_movie_id=283 · Public domain

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