Miles of Fire

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Miles of Fire/ Ognennye versty
Directed by	Samson Samsonov
Produced by	Semyon Maryakhin
Written by	Nikolai Figurovsky
Starring	Igor Savkin Margarita Volodina Vladimir Kenigson
Music by	Nikolai Kryukov
Cinematography	Fyodor Dobronravov
Editing by	Zoya Veryovkina
Distributed by	Mosfilm
Release date(s)	1957
Running time	85 mins
Country	Soviet Union
Language	Russian
IMDb profile

Miles of Fire/The Burning Miles (Огненные вёрсты, Ognennye Versty, 1957), is an early Red Western. Often considered the earliest of the 'Red Westerns' or 'Osterns', it was made before the term was even coined.

One time Mosfilm actor, Samson Samsonov had a versatile directorial career coming to the Burning miles fresh from an adaptation of Chekhov's The Grasshopper that won two prizes as Venice Film Festival. He was later awarded the title of 'People's artist of the USSR'.

It is a Russian civil war drama, unfolding in the conflict between the Reds and the Whites, rather than the Basmachi rebels of films such as White Sun of the Desert and Telokhranitel.

[edit] Plot

Spoiler warning: Plot and/or ending details follow.

The White Guard Army led by General Anton Denikin are laying siege to a southern city in order to prevent a rebellion. They are also blocking the railway, but Chekist Zavarzin is in a hurry to travel south. In a flash of inspiration, he decides to use tachankas or machine gun carts to reach his destination, and attracts an unusual group of equally desperate fellow travellers.

The Burning Miles is obviously a film that is much influenced by the railway Western films like John Ford's classic Stagecoach, because of the diverse set of characters thrown together in desperate circumstances. Zavarzin's companions on his journey include the doctor Shelako, the nurse Katya and a mysterious white guard officer Beklemishev, disguised as a veterinary surgeon. This formula gives the film an extra psychological dimension as the characters' progress towards their destination echoes the resolution of their problems and transitions in relationships.