The House on the Volcano

Plot

An aging drilling foreman reflects on his past experiences in the oil fields of pre-revolutionary Baku, recounting the brutal suppression of a workers' strike that took place years earlier. Through his memories, the film depicts the harsh conditions faced by oil workers and their struggle for better working conditions and rights. The narrative shifts between the present day and the past, showing the foreman's current life while vividly recreating the violent confrontation between striking workers and authorities. The film culminates in a powerful portrayal of the workers' sacrifice and the eventual triumph of the revolutionary spirit, serving as both a personal story and a broader historical allegory about class struggle and revolutionary change.

Historical Background

The House on the Volcano was produced during a crucial period in Soviet cultural history, when the government was encouraging the development of national cinemas within the various Soviet republics. The film deals with the Baku oil workers' strikes of 1904-1905, which were significant precursors to the 1905 and 1917 revolutions. By 1928, the Soviet Union was undergoing rapid industrialization under Stalin's First Five-Year Plan, and films about workers' struggles were officially encouraged as propaganda. However, this particular film was notable for its relatively nuanced portrayal of the workers' suffering and the brutality of the suppression, which made it controversial in later years. The film also reflects the growing sophistication of Soviet cinema in the late 1920s, moving from pure propaganda toward more artistically ambitious works that still served ideological purposes.

Making Of

The production of The House on the Volcano was a significant undertaking for the young Armenian film industry. Director Hamo Bek-Nazaryan, who had studied under influential Soviet filmmakers, brought a sophisticated visual style to the project. The film was shot during the summer of 1928, with the crew facing extreme heat and difficult working conditions in the Baku oil fields. Bek-Nazaryan insisted on using real oil workers as extras in the strike scenes, which required extensive coordination with local unions and party officials. The film's recreation of the historical strike was meticulously researched, with the director consulting archives and interviewing survivors of the actual events. The production employed innovative camera techniques for the time, including low-angle shots of the oil derricks and dynamic tracking shots during the confrontation scenes. The synchronized musical score was recorded separately and then matched to the film during projection, a cutting-edge technique for 1928.

Visual Style

The cinematography of The House on the Volcano, handled by Dmitri Feldman, was considered innovative for its time. The film features striking visual compositions that contrast the towering oil derricks against the flat Baku landscape, creating powerful metaphors for industrial might and human vulnerability. Feldman employed dramatic low-angle shots to emphasize the scale of the oil machinery and high-angle shots during the strike scenes to convey the chaos of the confrontation. The use of natural lighting in the outdoor scenes and the careful composition of group scenes showing the workers' solidarity were particularly praised. The film also features some of the earliest examples of tracking shots in Soviet cinema, used to follow the movement of workers during the strike sequences. The visual style combines elements of Soviet montage theory with more traditional narrative techniques, creating a distinctive aesthetic that influenced later Armenian filmmakers.

Innovations

The House on the Volcano was technically innovative for its time in several respects. It was one of the first films to use the Phonofilm system for synchronized sound in the Soviet Union, predating the widespread adoption of sound cinema. The production employed mobile camera units to film in the challenging terrain of the Baku oil fields, requiring specially designed equipment that could operate in the industrial environment. The film's recreation of historical events required elaborate crowd scenes involving hundreds of extras, which was coordinated using early forms of production management techniques. The cinematography featured complex lighting setups to capture both the industrial landscape and intimate character scenes. The film also experimented with narrative structure, using flashbacks and memory sequences that were relatively sophisticated for silent cinema storytelling.

Music

The House on the Volcano featured a synchronized musical score composed by Aram Khachaturian in one of his earliest professional works. The score incorporated Armenian folk melodies and revolutionary songs, reflecting the film's dual identity as both a national and Soviet work. The music was recorded using the Phonofilm system, which allowed for synchronized sound with the film projection. Khachaturian's composition included leitmotifs for the main characters and themes representing the oil industry, workers' solidarity, and revolutionary struggle. The soundtrack also featured sound effects of drilling machinery and crowd noises, adding to the film's realism. This early experiment with synchronized sound was technically ambitious for 1928 and demonstrated the Soviet film industry's rapid technological development during this period.

Memorable Scenes

• The opening sequence showing the vast oil fields of Baku at dawn, with the silhouettes of drilling rigs against the rising sun
• The dramatic confrontation scene where striking workers face armed authorities, shot from multiple angles to emphasize the chaos and violence
• The foreman's monologue sequence where he recounts the events of the strike, using innovative flashback techniques
• The final scene showing the next generation of workers continuing the struggle, symbolizing the ongoing nature of the revolutionary fight

What Critics Said

Upon its release in 1928, The House on the Volcano received generally positive reviews from Soviet critics, who praised its powerful imagery and authentic depiction of workers' life. The film was particularly noted for its innovative cinematography and the strong performance by Hrachia Nersisyan in the lead role. International critics at film exhibitions in Vienna and Paris also recognized the film's artistic merits, with some comparing it favorably to the works of Eisenstein and Pudovkin. However, during the Stalinist era, the film fell out of favor and was criticized for its 'formalist tendencies' and insufficiently optimistic portrayal of revolutionary struggle. In modern times, film historians have reevaluated the work as a significant achievement in early Soviet cinema, appreciating its artistic qualities and its importance in the development of Armenian film culture.

What Audiences Thought

Contemporary audience reception to The House on the Volcano was generally positive, particularly among workers and intellectuals who appreciated its realistic portrayal of labor struggles. The film resonated strongly in Baku, where many viewers recognized locations and events from their own history or that of their parents. In Armenia, the film was celebrated as a major achievement of national cinema and drew large crowds during its theatrical run. However, like many Soviet films of the era, its audience was limited to urban centers with proper cinema facilities. The film's ban in the 1930s meant that subsequent generations were unable to see it until its rediscovery in the 1970s, when it was screened at retrospectives and film festivals, introducing it to new audiences who appreciated its historical significance and artistic qualities.

You Might Also Like