Bettie's Books

bookshelves: film-only, slavic, autumn-2012, published-1906, classic, autumn-2014, tbr-busting-2014, gutenberg-project, e-book

Portrait Of The Writer Maxim Gorky 1905 - Valentin Serov

Whilst I wasn't struck by the film (details below the dotted line) I still wish to read the book, which just happens to be HERE on Gutenberg.
HUZZAH

Opening: Every day the factory whistle bellowed forth its shrill, roaring, trembling noises into the smoke-begrimed and greasy atmosphere of the workingmen's suburb; and obedient to the summons of the power of steam, people poured out of little gray houses into the street. With somber faces they hastened forward like frightened roaches, their muscles stiff from insufficient sleep. In the chill morning twilight they walked through the narrow, unpaved street to the tall stone cage that waited for them with cold assurance, illumining their muddy road with scores of greasy, yellow, square eyes. The mud plashed under their feet as if in mocking commiseration. Hoarse exclamations of sleepy voices were heard; irritated, peevish, abusive language rent the air with malice; and, to welcome the people, deafening sounds floated about—the heavy whir of machinery, the dissatisfied snort of steam. Stern and somber, the black chimneys stretched their huge, thick sticks high above the village.

Living a life like that for some fifty years, 
a workman died.

And so we are swiftly introduced to Michael Vlasov, who is described as:

gloomy, sullen man, with little eyes which looked at everybody from under his thick eyebrows suspiciously, with a mistrustful, evil smile. He was the best locksmith in the factory, and the strongest man in the village. But he was insolent and disrespectful toward the foreman and the superintendent, and therefore earned little; every holiday he beat somebody, and everyone disliked and feared him.

Sounds as if I am back with the Peaky Blinders!

After a week long in/out of this I can say that whilst pleased to have experienced his printed words I don't think Gorky is a writer for me.


--------------------------

Mother (1926)

Vera Baranovskaya ... Niovna-Vlasova, the Mother
Nikolai Batalov ... Pavel Vlasov - the Son
Aleksandr Chistyakov ... Vlasov - the Father
Anna Zemtsova ... Anna - a Revolutionary Girl


The Film Version Of Gorki's Great Story Of The 1905 Revolution: http://youtu.be/aZy3qO3bdy8

The Black Hundred: ultra-nationalist movement in Russia in the early 20th century. They were a supporter of the House of Romanov and opposed any retreat from the autocracy of the reigning monarch. The Black Hundreds were also noted for extremist russocentric doctrines, xenophobia and anti-semitism (wiki)

The film version of this is not working for me. Maybe I'll try the paper read at some point.