Windy Sea

Summary

During the 1970s and 80s, high-budget historical epics were among the films produced within the framework of “brotherly” cooperation between the Soviet Union and Czechoslovakia. One example is this adaptation of the Jiří Marek short story Život pod praporem (Life Under the Banner), filmed in 1973 by Azerbaijani director Eldar Kulijev. The story is set after the 1918 Bolshevik revolution in Baku, where Jan Vacek, a Russian revolutionary of Czech background, organises the retreat of communist forces following the fall of the short-lived Baku Commune. The inspiration for the lead character, portrayed by Alois Švehlík, was real life revolutionary Ivan Prokof'jevič Vacek (1870–1951). Josef Illík served as cinematographer for this adventure film, and was given considerable scope to shoot countless expensive scenes featuring battles and large crowds. Alongside its Soviet stars, the film features several Czechs portraying nefarious foreigners and their Czech colleagues (Josef Langmiler and Radovan Lukavský play English capitalists seeking to exploit Caspian oil).

Synopsis

Note

The main hero is based on a real character of a revolutionary Ivan Prokopovič Vacek (1870–1950). He came to Baku as a young boy with his father, who came from the East Bohemian village of Žiželice as a gunsmith. Ivan Vacek was trained in the same profession and later he actively participated in World War I and World War II. His life story was captured by the Czech writer Jiří Marek after his visit to Azerbaijan in the novel Life under the Flag, published in the Květy magazine.