235 000 000

235 000 000

Directed by Uldis Brauns • 1967 • USSR/Latvia

A landmark in the Baltic poetic documentary tradition, 235 000 000 is one of the most ambitious films of the Soviet 60s. Produced in celebration of the fiftieth anniversary of the October Revolution – the title refers to the nominal population of the USSR at the time – the film presents a series of tableaux from Soviet life, from affairs of state to everyday life across its myriad diverse regions stretching from the Baltic Sea to the Pacific coast. A collaboration between four production units guided by a field manual put together by scriptwriter Herz Frank and director Uldis Brauns (a disciple of Dziga Vertov), 235 000 000 eschews voiceover or commentary, allowing its timeless images to speak for themselves.

235 000 000
Directed by Uldis Brauns, Laima Žurgina, Biruta Veldre
Written by Herz Frank
Cinematography by Rihards Pīks, Valdis Kroģis, Ralfs Krūmiņš
Music by Raimonds Pauls

In Latvian and Russian with English subtitles

235 000 000
  • 235 000 000

    Directed by Uldis Brauns • 1967 • USSR/Latvia

    A landmark in the Baltic poetic documentary tradition, 235 000 000 is one of the most ambitious films of the Soviet 60s. Produced in celebration of the fiftieth anniversary of the October Revolution – the title refers to the nominal population of the...

Extras

  • 235,000,000: an original video essay from Plan-Séquence

    From Pedro Silva, the artist behind popular YouTube channel Plan-Séquence, this original video essay explores the method and the madness behind Uldis Brauns’ exquisite rendering of the diverse Soviet experience in 235,000,000.

  • Introducing Baltic poetic documentary

    Klassiki curator Sam Goff introduces the phenomenon known as Baltic poetic documentary: a radical filmmaking ethos that emerged in opposition to Soviet censorship in Latvia, Lithuania, and Estonia in the 1960s.

  • Notes on 235,000,000

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