Film 『 Michurin ( Ukrainian : Мічурін ) 』
Directed by Alexander Petrovich Dovzhenko ( Довженко Олександр Петрович )
Release 1948
Starring Grigori Belov ( Russian : Григорий Белов ) ( Ivan Michurin )
Vladimir Solovyov ( Russian : Владимир Соловьёв ) ( Mikhail Kalinin )
Alexander Vasilyeva ( : Александра Васильева ) ( Alexandra Michurina )
Sergei Bondarchuk ( Russian : Сергей Бондарчук ) ( No name in the film )
Music Dmitri Shostakovich
( ＊ ) The soundtrack by Shostakovich is as follows.
1. Overture Moderato
2. Autumnal Garden Moderato con moto
3. Remembrance Moderato molto · Allegro · Più mosso
4. Michurin’ Entry Moderato · Allegro non troppo · Moderato · Allegretto
5. Winter Garden Adagio
6. Town Square Allegro
7. [ without title ] Moderato con moto · Allegro
8. [ Waltz ] [ piano solo ] Allegro
9. [ New Year ] [ piano solo ] Adagio
10. Michurin’s Monologue Allegro · Adagio
11. [ without title ] Allegro non troppo
12. [ without title ] Allegretto
( No. 6 ) "Town Square" quotes the Bolshevik revolutionary song "Boldly, my friends, we march!" which is also ( No. 1 ) of Shostakovich Op. 88 : Ten Poems on Texts by Revolutionary Poets for chorus and boys' chorus a cappella ( 1951 ).
Also, the above soundtrack was arranged by Levon Atovmyan as Shostakovich Op. 78a : Suite from Michurin, for chorus and orchestra ( 1964 ).
1. Overture
2. Winter Garden Adagio
3. Spring Waltz Allegro scherzando
4. Reminiscence Moderato molto · Allegro · Adagio
5. Town Square ( Demonstration )
6. Michurin’s Monologue
7. Finale
■ In this article, we will consider how EARTH ( 1930 ) and Michurin ( 1948 ) are related, and how the de-power political philosophy that Dovzhenko reached in EARTH has taken the solid form in Michurin. Indeed, Dovzhenko made several films between EARTH ( 1930 ) and Michurin ( 1948 ), but in Michurin we can glimpse "the secret resistance" against the censorship of the Stalinist regime, which had been strong in previous films.
■ In particular, Shchors ( 1939 ) falls into the ideological cliché of praising the Hero of revolution, which strongly reflects Stalin's intentions. Compared to ARSENAL ( 1929 ), a similar film about revolutionary heroes, which brilliantly depicted the explosive power of civil war in the Russian Revolution before the establishment of Stalin's regime, Shchors is a poor reworking of ARSENAL.
■ The first thing to consider is the title of this film, Michurin. It is known that Dovzhenko's original title was Life in Bloom, but due to censorship by the authorities, the title was changed to Michurin, which was intended to be the hero-worship of the revolution. Shchors was just one of the titles of the ideological conversion of a proper noun that symbolically represents such hero worship in communism ( Mykola Shchors is the Ukrainian Bolshevik who made a name for himself during the Russian Civil War ).
■ Like Michurin ( 1948 ), in the early postwar period of the Soviet Union, historical and biographical films were made with proper nouns that played the ideological role in deepening the people's patriotic feelings. Its proper nouns extended not only to the military, but also to the scientific and literary realms. For example, Vsevolod Pudovkin's "Admiral Nakhimov ( 1947 )", Grigori Roshal's "Ivan Pavlov ( 1949 )" and "Mussorgsky ( 1950 )", Igor Savchenko's "Taras Shevchenko ( ( 1951 )", Yefim Dzigan's "Jambyl ( 1953 )", and Yuli Raizman's "Rainis ( 1949 )".
■ At such a time, the fact that the original title of Michurin was Life in Bloom means that the film secretly contains the homage to Lenin, the symbol of the Russian Revolution, as opposed to being the mere propaganda film for the Stalinist regime. In other words, Michurin clearly plays the role in the film reminding us of Lenin, implying that Life in Bloom is Lenin enthusiastically supported by the people, who are symbolized as countless flowers.
■ Michurin, who is modelled on Lenin, speaks that we should move forward there ( Earth ), using the word "Earth" instead of "communism" in the speech watched by many of the people. Needless to say, Dovzhenko is making the secret criticism of the Stalinist regime by bringing up Lenin.
Michurin giving a speech
■ The key to understanding this film is that it is composed of two parts : the first half, which depicts Michurin's struggle to survive as a plant breeder, losing his wife to illness in his way, and the second half, in which his achievements in fruit breeding are recognized by the revolutionary government and his achievements are celebrated.
■ The distinction between the first half and the second half is difficult to understand because the chapters are not clearly laid out, but after the crossing of this boundary, the symbolic meaning given to Michurin will change in a secret way.
■ Well, the first half ( 1~16 ) of the film depicts Michurin as a plant breeder engaged in breed improvement of fruits in Kozlov ( In 1932, Kozlov changed its designation to Michurinsk, named after Michurin ) in the Russian Empire ruled by the Romanov dynasty. The distinction between the first half and the second half corresponds to the radical historical transition in the course of Michurin's life from the Romanov dynasty to the revolutionary regime of the Russian Revolution. Michurin threw himself into his work alongside the historical events of World War I and the Revolution ( Michurin, who had previously worked in a variety of occupations, became seriously engaged in fruit hybridization in his own garden since 1875 ).
■ Michurin stands by his wife as she awaits death on the sickbed ( 5~6 ). He reminisces about their younger days and their older days ( 7~10 ). Remembering the days when he had decided to enrich the land of Russia through the cultivation of fruits, encouraged by his wife, Michurin's will is strengthened once again.
■ And interesting is the following sequence. After the death of his wife, Michurin stands strong against the winds blowing in the wilderness. Combined with the dramatic soundtrack ( soundtrack 3. Remembrance Moderato molto · Allegro · Più mosso ) by Shostakovich, this sequence leaves a strong impression on the audience. Michurin is implicitly portrayed as if he were a revolutionist rather than a plant breeder. The first half ends here.
