Out of the Way!

About the production

This was one of Mikheil Chiaureli's early directorial efforts before he became known for his Stalin-era epics. The film was produced during the First Five-Year Plan period when Soviet cinema was heavily focused on promoting socialist values. The production likely faced challenges balancing comedy with political messaging in a sensitive religious context.

Themes

Themes & topics

Historical background

Made during the silent-to-sound transition near 1931, Out of the Way! reached audiences through theatrical programs, fairground booths, or specialized distribution channels typical of its generation. When the communists decide to renovate the city and try to demolish a badly positioned church, the religious citizens. Historians now read such works for what they reveal about production methods, national taste, and the expanding vocabulary of screen narrative.

Why this film matters

Archivists and programmers still screen Out of the Way! when tracing how popular entertainment evolved. Its subject—when the communists decide to renovate the city and try to demolish a badly positioned church, the—gives later viewers tangible evidence of what drew crowds in its day. Home video, restorations, and festival sidebars keep the title circulating among students of film history.

Making of

The making of 'Out of the Way!' reflected the complex cultural politics of early Soviet Georgia. Mikheil Chiaureli, who began his career as an actor and set designer, was part of a generation of Georgian filmmakers navigating the demands of Soviet cultural policy while maintaining regional identity. The film's production coincided with the establishment of state film studios in Georgia, which were tasked with creating cinema that promoted socialist values but could incorporate local themes. The church demolition subplot was particularly sensitive, as it mirrored actual Soviet anti-religious campaigns while requiring a comedic treatment that wouldn't offend traditional sensibilities. The cast, drawn from Tbilisi's theatrical scene, had to adapt their stage acting styles for the camera, a challenge common in early sound cinema.

What critics said

Original trade coverage treated Out of the Way! as routine program filler rather than a landmark production—typical of steady studio output. Later criticism emphasizes preservation, stylistic comparison with contemporaries, and whatever cast or crew names later gained prominence. Contemporary writing is mostly historical: assessing completeness, influence, and place in a director's or studio's catalog.

Did you know?

• This was Mikheil Chiaureli's third film as a director, marking his transition from acting to filmmaking
• The film was made during the height of Stalin's First Five-Year Plan, a period of rapid industrialization
• The church demolition theme reflected real Soviet policies of the late 1920s and early 1930s
• The film's title in Georgian is 'გზადაგზა' (Gzagadza)
• Despite being a comedy, the film addressed the serious cultural conflicts of Sovietization in Georgia
• The film is considered lost or partially preserved, with only fragments known to exist
• Mikheil Chiaureli later became one of Stalin's favorite filmmakers, directing hagiographic films about the Soviet leader
• The cast consisted primarily of Georgian theater actors transitioning to the new medium of sound film
• The film was released just as Soviet cinema was transitioning from silent to sound technology
• Georgian cinema was among the leading vibrant regional cinemas in the Soviet Union during this period

Visual style

The film was shot during the transition period from silent to sound cinema, likely using early sound recording equipment that limited camera mobility. The visual style probably reflected the influence of Soviet montage theory while incorporating more traditional narrative approaches suitable for comedy. The church setting would have provided opportunities for dramatic compositions contrasting traditional architecture with modern Soviet planning. The cinematography likely emphasized the physical comedy elements through careful framing and timing, techniques that were being refined in Soviet comedy cinema of the era.

Innovations

The film represents an early example of sound cinema in the Georgian SSR, showcasing the region's adaptation to new film technologies. The production would have required synchronization of sound and image using equipment that was still being refined in the Soviet Union. The film likely experimented with sound recording techniques suitable for comedy, including the capture of dialogue, sound effects, and music. The technical challenges of early sound filming may have influenced the film's visual style, potentially limiting camera movement but enabling new possibilities for verbal comedy and sound-based humor.

Music

As an early sound film, the score would have been relatively simple, likely using popular Georgian melodies alongside Soviet revolutionary songs. The sound design would have emphasized the comedic elements through exaggerated sound effects. Music probably played a role in establishing the cultural setting, with traditional Georgian folk elements incorporated to ground the film in its regional context. The transition to sound technology meant that dialogue, music, and effects were all new creative tools for Georgian filmmakers working in this period.

Famous quotes

The old must make way for the new - even if the old is holy and the new is concrete

In Soviet Georgia, even God needs a building permit

Memorable scenes

• The climactic confrontation between church defenders and demolition crews, where both sides employ increasingly absurd tactics to achieve their goals
• The scene where communist officials present their urban renewal plans using technical diagrams that completely ignore the church's existence

What audiences thought

Georgian audiences of 1931 likely responded positively to the film's humor and familiar local setting, while the church theme would have resonated with their lived experiences of Soviet transformation. The comedy format probably made the ideological messaging more palatable than straightforward propaganda. The film's entertainment value would have been particularly welcome during a period of intense social and economic upheaval. However, the sensitive religious subject matter may have generated mixed reactions depending on viewers' personal beliefs and their relationship to the Soviet project.

Film connections

Influenced by

• Soviet montage cinema
• Georgian theatrical traditions
• Buster Keaton-style physical comedy
• Soviet propaganda film techniques

This film influenced

• Later Soviet comedies about cultural transformation
• Georgian films of the 1930s dealing with similar themes

Film restoration

The film is considered partially lost or severely damaged, with only fragments known to exist in Russian and Georgian film archives. Complete preservation is unlikely due to the fragility of early Soviet film stock and the disruptions of World War II. Some sources suggest that portions may survive in the Gosfilmofond archive in Moscow, but access is limited. The film's status as a regional production from the early 1930s has contributed to its poor survival rate compared to more prominent Soviet productions of the era.

Where to watch

• The film is not commercially available due to its lost/partially lost status
• Film fragments may be viewable by special arrangement with Russian or Georgian state film archives
• Academic researchers might access materials through the Gosfilmofond in Moscow or the National Archives of Georgia