Cinema
An Extraordinary Assignment
Արտակարգ հանձնարարություն
Erazm Karamyan · 1965
Synopsis
In 1917, as the civil war begins, Lenin entrusts Kamo, the revolutionary from the Caucasus, with an extraordinary mission: to carry from Petrograd to Tiflis the mandate appointing Stepan Shaumian extraordinary commissar for the Caucasus, together with a large sum in gold intended for the struggle against the Whites. Kamo deliberately chooses the shortest and most dangerous route, through the regions held by the White Cossacks, for he knows that Boris Savinkov, the Socialist-Revolutionary terrorist, has set out on his trail to make the mission fail and to kill him.
Context
Second part of the trilogy that Armenfilm devoted to the revolutionary Simon Ter-Petrossian, known as Kamo, the film was co-directed by Kevorkov and Karamyan from a screenplay by Konstantin Isaev, with music by Edgar Hovhannisyan. Gurgen Tonunts reprises the role of Kamo opposite Semyon Sokolovsky, who plays Savinkov, with Boris Chirkov, Nina Alisova and Elza Lezhdey in support. The third part was shot by Kevorkov without his co-director. In France, the film was not shown in Paris and circulated only in the provinces, through Sovexportfilm.
Who it is for
One hour forty-two minutes, in black and white; the DVD carries only a Russian track. A direct sequel to the first instalment, whose hero it takes up again.
Prizes and reception
Ninth most watched film in the Soviet Union in 1966, with 30.8 million viewers; State Prize of Armenia in 1967, together with the first instalment.