This recently restored masterpiece of Soviet silent cinema has been unavailable for the past fifty years—ever since the film suffered massive cuts for the release of a shortened (and censored) sound version. This restoration, overseen by the American film specialist David Shepard, contains the original Russian titles as well as the extraordinary footage Pudovkin and his crew shot in the Mongolian and Tuvan Central Asiastic Republics before their absorption into the Soviet Union. Intermixed with this ethnographic imagery is writer Osip Brik’s prophetic narrative about a young Mongolian trapper who is cheated by an American fur trader and betrayed by the White Russians. His seeming salvation comes with the discovery of an amulet that reveals his identity as a descendent of Ghenghis Khan and his emergence as a revolutionary leader of a “storm over Asia.” 

The musical accompaniment for this special event is performed by the acclaimed musician and performer Albert Kuvezin and Yat-Kha, his troupe of musicians and throat-singers from the Altai-Sayani Mountains of Tuva. Renowned stars of the world-music scene, Yat-Kha’s exploration of the borders between Tuvan traditional music and western rock has gained the support of artists as diverse as Brian Eno and The Chieftains’ Paddy Moloney.

Special Event at Sanders Theater – Admission $20 / $16