A Familiar Face (1929)
A Familiar Face (1929)
(Shkurnyk, Shkurnik, Nikolai Shpikovsky [Mykola Shpykovskyj], Soviet Union 1929, 75 min., 35mm, Ukrainian intertitles w/subtitles)
This daring comedy about the misadventures of a “little man” and his camel in a country torn by the Civil War, was banned immediately upon completion as “a nasty lampoon” of the “great historical era” – for the Red Army, the White Army and other military forces of the time were portrayed with equal sarcasm. Rediscovered by pure accident more than sixty years later, it has since enjoyed a happy festival life. Its rare combinations of absurdity and lyricism makes it remarkably contemporary, and one can only regret that Nikolai Shpikovsky’s other feature-length comedies are considered lost.
Live piano accompaniment by Dr. Philip C. Carli.
35mm print courtesy of University of California, Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive
Post-screening discussion with Senior Curator, Moving Image Department Peter Bagrov.
Donations will be collected for ROC Maidan
Upcoming Events in this Series
Film Screenings | A Familiar Face
Masterpieces of Ukrainian Cinema This daring comedy about the misadventures of a “little man” and his camel in a country torn by the Civil War, was banned immediately upon completion as “a nasty lampoon” of the “great historical era” – for the Red Army, the White Army and other military forces of the time were portrayed with equal sarcasm. Donations will be collected for ROC Maidan.