Treasure of the Wrecked Vessel

1935 Adventure 78 minutes Directed by Volodymyr Braun

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About Treasure of the Wrecked Vessel

Alexei Panov, one of EPRON's best divers, gets an offer from the steward Rodopulo: crack the captain's safe on a sunken English ship that is about to be raised, split the gold, and leave the country. Panov has already served time for a crime of that sort. Petty officer Dodonov, dive commander Viktor Mikhailovich, and Tanya push him toward what he will do with the coins.

Cast & crew

More about Treasure of the Wrecked Vessel

Vladimir Braun and Isaac Menaker directed Boris Lipatov's script at Lenfilm. The premiere was 8 December 1935. The steamship Armenia stood in for the wreck. Underwater scenes were shot on the bottom near Balaklava with EPRON divers and consultant Konstantin Pavlovsky. An EPRON booklet printed a note to viewers from EPRON chief Alexeyev.

Themes

  • a diver and a stolen safe
  • gold on a wreck
  • a second chance after prison
  • comrades versus a flight abroad
  • EPRON
  • diver
  • sunken English ship
  • safe
  • gold coins
  • Black Sea

Background

EPRON, the state Special-Purpose Underwater Expedition, was the salvage service that the plot puts on the wreck.

Reviews

Pyotr Bagrov calls the film Vladimir Braun's first serious success. He writes that the mixed genres and uneven pace of early sound pictures are both the fault and the interest of the picture, and that the plot turns on Panov's private choice rather than on the safe full of coins.

Look

Solomon Belenky filmed a gas torch cutting open the safe inside the sunken ship. Bagrov counts that passage among the first underwater scenes in Soviet cinema carried out at this scale.

Technique

Underwater filming on the Black Sea bottom near Balaklava, with EPRON, including the safe-cutting shot.

Music

Yury Kochurov composed the score.

Notes

  • Nikolai Batalov plays Panov. Pyotr Bagrov writes that it was Batalov's last role and that he was terminally ill.
  • Solomon Belenky is credited as the cameraman (the titles spell him Belenky). Khecho Nazaryants also operated.
  • Pyotr Yakimov designed the film. Yury Kochurov wrote the music. Pyotr and Gleb Vitsinsky recorded the sound.
  • Adolf Bergunker was assistant director. Igor Chernyak was the production manager.
  • The Russian title is Sokrovishche pogibshego korablya. Some listings use the plural Sokrovishcha.

Scenes

  • Rodopulo offers Panov half the gold if he will open the safe and flee.
  • A gas torch cuts into the safe inside the wreck.