Just happened to catch this on TCM and my jaw dropped. This movie was made<br /><br />in 1929, folks... The imagery, the editing... both superb. This is one of the most visually inventive films I have ever seen, and any film buff or artist will, I think, agree with me wholeheartedly.<br /><br />Prepare for some Soviet propagandist themes in this "documentary." I wasn't<br /><br />sure that there weren't in fact a few professional actors in the cast -- there were some moments when the content came across as more drama than<br /><br />documentary; several scenes felt staged. No matter, I was fascinated by the<br /><br />people whose lives in the remote Svanetia village form the center of the story. And, it bears repeating, the cinematography is gorgeous, surprising at every<br /><br />turn and just plain mesmerizing at times.<br /><br />Definitely worth a look if you can find it.