By the Bluest of Seas

Dir: Boris Barnet

1936

*****

Unseen for many years, Boris Barnet’s wonderful By the Bluest of Seas is a triumph of Soviet Cinema. Far to much has been suggested that the film is nothing but propaganda – as pretty much every Soviet film is suggested as being. Worse still, people often refer to it as a melodrama, which I completely disagree with, although understand. Personally, I like to see it as a visual poem. It is an absolute joy from beginning to end, with sailors Yussuf and Alyosha being one of my favourite double-acts of all time. Stranded by a storm in the Caspian Sea, sailor Yussuf and mechanic Alyosha cling to the remains of their ship for survival. On their third day adrift, the castaways are rescued by fishermen. Taken to a nearby island off the coast of Soviet Azerbaijan, Yussuf and Alyosha are welcomed into the local Lights of Communism collective farm. The two men are quickly smitten by a local woman named Mariya. As Alyosha explores the island, he separates from his friend and happens across Mariya alone. Introducing themselves, each is in for a surprise. Mariya is, in fact, a leader of the collective. She is delighted to learn of Alyosha's profession, as all of the island's mechanics have left in service to the Pacific Fleet. In their absence, Mariya had feared that the collective's fishing operations would have been impeded. Alyosha promises to stay for the entire season, and going off to inspect a motor boat together, the two engage in flirtatious behavior. However, Yussuf soon joins up with the pair and grows jealous. As time passes on, Alyosha and Yussuf prove their usefulness. They venture out on all of the collective's fishing expeditions, until one day, Alyosha claims heart sickness. Yussuf is incredulous. Unable to coax his friend along, Yussuf leaves Alyosha behind. As soon as the boat sets out for sea however, Alyosha leaves the island on his own, having faked the illness. He goes to a nearby town, and that night, brings gifts back to Mariya. When Yussuf discovers this act of deceit, he condemns his friend before a public gathering. On their final day at sea, Alyosha concedes that Yussuf should be the one to marry Mariya. Yussuf takes joy in this and proclaims his intent to do so. However, when he realizes that his friend has not truly let go of Mariya, he backs down out of pity. An argument erupts between the two in the ship's cabin. Meanwhile, a violent storm is brewing outside. Mariya, who has been on the top deck, is knocked overboard. Although Alyosha dives in after her, and is soon followed by Yussuf, neither is able to find her. She has been swept away. Back on shore, Yussuf and Alyosha silently mourn for their lost loved one, until noticing that she has been carried back by the waves. Maryia had been wearing a life preserver. She is unharmed. The three burst in on what had been her premature funeral, turning it into a celebration. While Yussuf is being detained by the peoples' gratitude, Alyosha takes advantage of the situation to slip away with Mariya. Alone together, he professes his love for her, and yet is faced with rejection. Dismayed, he leaves before Mariya is able to offer an explanation. Alyosha then comes across Yussuf, and supposing that Mariya must love his friend instead, sullenly tells Yussuf that he should go to her. However, Yussuf is met with heartbreak as well. Mariya, it turns out, already has a fiance, who is serving in the Pacific Fleet. She entreats Yussuf to imagine himself being called into service by commanding military officer Kliment Voroshilov, and how devastating it would be to discover that the woman he loves has grown tired of awaiting his return. Although Yussuf declares that this revelation does nothing to temper his passionate feelings, he acknowledges the virtue in Mariya's decision to remain faithful to her fiance. Walking down to the beach, they see that a grief-stricken Alyosha has begun to set out for sea, preparing to return home alone. Yussuf calls out to his friend and joins him for the voyage. Upon hearing of Mariya's betrothment from Yussuf, Alyosha is at first unsympathetic. However, Yussuf echoes Mariya's entreaty for understanding. In a display of solidarity with Mariya, the two sail away while singing of a woman who awaits her loved one's return from sea. Its an age-old story of friends falling for the same girl. Any other film of the time would have one of the men win but in this version the woman wins and the men remain friends, surely the best possible outcome? The direction and cinematography is sublime and the innovative use of sound is astonishing for the time. It is no more pro-communist then any other Soviet film of the time, in fact, it was far less less politically overt than was common. This, along with the film's divergence from the era's defining style of Socialist realism, has led many to view the film as unique. It has been reported that Barnet found himself in trouble with Joseph Stalin for these very reasons. There is so much more to Yelena Kuzmina’s character than most western female characters of the era and Nikolai Kryuchkov and Lev Sverdlin are brilliant as the double-act Alyosha and Yussuf. It is very much like the sort of thing Raoul Walsh was doing in the states, although Jean Vigo's 1934 masterpiece L'Atalante immediately springs to mind. Barnet, however, has a unique signature to his films that is unmistakable. By the Bluest of Seas is an absolute gem, a classic that has yet been recognised as such.