THE SEASONS (USSR, 1975)

Artavazd Pelechian, born in Armenia in 1938, is regarded as the last master of montage to emerge from "the Soviet school". Pelechian is a documentarian who has made a dozen films of short to medium length that combine visuals and music. Like the American Frederick Wiseman, Pelechian "comments" through the editing of his films as there is no voice-over or narration. The Seasons is set in an Armenian village and concerns the clash of man and nature. The main activity of the village is sheep herding. The sheep must be taken to the other side of the river before winter arrives. This requires each sheep to be carried down a steep mountain and across the rapids one by one. It's odd, and quite spectacular to witness. Pelechian use of slow motion and Vivaldi's The Four Seasons during these sequences renders them otherworldly and sublime. This b&w film is 29 minutes long. It's not available on video.