In the azure steppe

Three novellas based on M. Sholokhov's early stories about the first years of the formation of Soviet power on the Don. (1) “Koloverť”. Two Cossack brothers and their elderly father fight for the Bolsheviks, but when only Ignat and his father return to their White-held stanitsa, their third brother betrays them, sealing their fate by handing them over for execution. (2) “Chervotočina”. Idealistic Stepan joins the Komsomol against his wealthy Cossack family’s wishes, but when two oxen he lends to a poor neighbor vanish, his enraged father and brother beat both Stepan and the neighbor to death. (3) “Prodkomissar”. Commissar Ignat Bodiagin is charged with requisitioning grain for the Red Army, only to find his own father condemned for hoarding; he must preside over his execution and soon dies himself leading the resisting Cossacks away from the grain convoy.

Directed by Vitaly Koltsov, Oleg Bondarev, Valeri Lonskoy, Vladimir Shamshurin, In the azure steppe leans on a strong ensemble — Valentina Berezutskaya, Nadezhda Fedosova, Yevgeni Gerasimov — to carry a story that balances spectacle with character.

The film landed with audiences for its craft and performances, and remains one of the most talked-about drama titles of 1971.