The Extraordinary Adventures of Mr. West in the Land of the Bolsheviks

Soviet critical attitudes in the '20s towards America and American art were often contradictory. On the one hand, American vitality and innovation were highly prized and admired. On the other, the U.S. was a capitalist powerhouse. This paradox can be clearly seen in Mr. West, which film scholar Denise Youngblood has called the finest Soviet film comedy of that decade. An American businessman, Mr. West, travels to Russia under the protection of his faithful cowboy bodyguard Jeddie. Suspicious of everyone, he eventually comes to realize that the Bolshies aren't so bad after all. The paper-thin plot is basically a premise for Kuleshov and members of his acting troupe-which includes directors Boris Barnet and Vsevelod Pudovkin's to engage in a series of wonderful stunts and sight gags while roasting various American and Russian stereotypes.

by Richard Pena