Synopsis

Novocherkassk was primarily known as the capital of the Don Cossacks until, in 1962, a worker’s strike turned ugly and violent and tragic. Konchalovsky brings all his rage to bear as he recounts the day the strike transformed into a massacre. Shot in striking black and white, the effect renders everything that happens with such stark clarity–the action is viewed from the perspective of a party activist. The effect is immediate and overwhelming.