Gorky 3: My Universities

This is the third part of the 'Gorky' trilogy, which was apparently a staple on the arthouse cinema scene in the 50s and 60s. That might seem surprising as all three parts are pretty conventional by today's standard of 'arthouse', but in the days before French New Wave and experimental 'indie' film, a Soviet saga probably seemed appealingly 'alternative', especially to a left-wing audience.

Part Three continues the journey of Alexei, as he moves on from his failed attempts to find work, and seeks educational and artistic fulfilment instead. Much like Part Two, he faces many obstacles, the plight of the average man once again at the heart of the story. Again, like the earlier instalments the production values are high, the style is not notable 'Soviet' and the themes, while clearly Marxist, are not too heavy handed.

Taken as a whole, the 'Gorky' trilogy bears comparison to the 'Apu' trilogy, in that it follows a character battling poverty from childhood to adulthood. It doesn't quite reach the lyrical heights of those films, but it's still a worthwhile saga that deserves rediscovery.