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.
