White Sun of the Desert (region-A Blu-ray)

WHITE SUN OF THE DESERT is as visually striking as Leone's A FISTFUL OF DOLLARS, with its resourceful hero waging a one-man battle against the bandit chieftain and his army. (It also has a surprisingly feminist theme with the character Fyodor encouraging the niqab-wearing women to take control of their destinies: "Comrade women, the revolution has set you free!" he exhorts them. The best comparison, though, may be to Georgiy Daneliya's sci-fi masterpiece KIN-DZA-DZA! (also released by Deaf Crocodile): both films are about Everyman Russians trapped in surreal alien desert landscapes, and rather than freaking out, responding in the most matter-of-fact ways to whatever strange misfortunes they encounter. One of the most popular Soviet films ever made, WHITE SUN... has been beautifully restored by Mosfilm. In Russian with English subtitles. This disc also includes extra features.