The creators of "White Sun of the Desert..." managed to craft an original and unique take on the western genre, which is so popular in the West. However, what they produced isn't a "western," but rather an "eastern," as the action unfolds in the eastern part of the country, in the arid landscapes of Central Asia.
Due to its storyline, the film does not feature an abundance of technical elements and weaponry. Nevertheless, among the props depicted, several items of varying sizes stand out, each linked to intriguing moments.
Japan Steel
You watch your favorite movie - the fifth time, the tenth, the twentieth... And on the twenty-first, suddenly, amidst the seemingly familiar scenes, your eye catches something unusual.
This kind of revelation happened to the author of these lines as well. In the scenes featuring the colorful member of Abdullah's gang, Sub-Lieutenant Semyon - the one who uttered the famous line about "grenades of the wrong system," I noticed a strange detail about his equipment.
It is quite understandable that, having joined the ranks of the Basmachis, the former officer of the imperial army does not burden himself with strict adherence to the rules of wearing a uniform, from which Semyon has retained only a few fragments. However, his personal weapon has undergone a much more mysterious transformation. This concerns the blade in the scabbard attached to his shoulder belt.
Instead of the standard sabre, Semyon has somehow acquired... a Japanese katana! Or is that just an illusion?
A correspondent from "MK" sought comments from an expert.
“Judging by the frames where the sub-lieutenant is shown in a relatively close-up, I can confirm that what is on Semyon's hip is not an officer's sabre but something resembling its Japanese 'replacement',” explained cold weapon expert Mikhail Tsymleev. “The characteristic shape of the hilt, the presence of a unique pommel... It closely resembles a shin-gunto. This is a modernization of the classic Japanese swords. However, the catch is that such 'newest swords' only appeared in the early 1930s, at least a decade after the events depicted in the film.
A strange 'time travel' trick! Perhaps the film’s Semyon was armed with a blade from the future simply because it appeared more visually striking?
If the sub-lieutenant had an old-style katana, it would be quite explicable from a historical perspective. During the Russo-Japanese War, many of our officers took trophy Japanese blades for themselves. This weapon could have been useful later - during the Civil War. Yet again, the question arises: Semyon, by age, does not seem to fit as a participant in the military campaign of 1904-1905. Although it is possible that he received such a specific blade later from a colleague - a veteran of the Russo-Japanese War.”
“...I won't give you the machine gun”
From the enemy’s weaponry to the arsenal of the positive heroes. In several scenes, we see how Comrade Sukhov carries a machine gun with him for protection against Abdullah and his gang. Moreover, according to specialists, the 'identity' of this 'shooting machine' is quite specifically identified: the English 'Lewis' model of 1913. Questions also arise regarding this military equipment.
Firstly, it is unclear where Fyodor Ivanovich acquired such a 'barrel.' Vereshchagin did not wish to share his supplies with him, remember the classic line: “No, guys, I won't give you the machine gun”? (By the way, judging by the film's frames, Pavel Artemyevich had a 'tool' of a different system - 'Hotchkiss.')
The 'Lewis' appears 'out of nowhere' in a scene where Anatoly Kuznetsov's character is sitting inside one of the rooms of the museum, organized in the old Pejentskaya fortress, and repairing it using improvised means - substituting the handle of an old pistol for a hammer. One could speculate that he unearthed the 'Englishman' along with 'prehistoric' 'barrels' from the museum archives, collected by the tireless old curator. But how did a relatively modern weapon model end up there, complete with a full drum of ammunition? Surely the museum keeper intended to seriously defend his establishment. (There are other similarly inexplicable situations related to weaponry and ammunition in 'White Sun of the Desert...'. Just recall, for instance, the box of dynamite sticks that found itself in the middle of the street near the head of one of the elders lying close to Vereshchagin's house. Truly, 'the East is a delicate matter'!)
Samples of 'Lewis' machine guns from World War I can be found in the prop warehouses of film studios, so acquiring such a 'machine' for the filming of 'White Sun of the Desert...' was not particularly difficult. However, Vladimir Motyl needed the retro weapon not only to look good on screen but also to actually 'speak' in some scenes. And for that, a fully functional old 'barrel' was required.
This problem could not be resolved by the film crew. Such a conclusion arises after a closer look at the frames where Sukhov is firing the machine gun at the Basmachis (specifically from the top of the oil tank). Here you can notice that the machine gun is not the same one that the 'main guard of the harem' was repairing earlier. Experienced gunsmiths deciphered the substitution. Instead of the 'Lewis,' the Red Army soldier is firing from a domestic machine gun, disguised as the former (a mock casing was constructed around the barrel, and the drum was thickened with an additional round attachment), created by the well-known designer Degtyarev - the DP-27.
Wristwatch from a criminal 'authority'
Among the memorable props in the film are the wristwatch on Comrade Sukhov, which are shown quite prominently. You wouldn't even want to call them wristwatches. They're almost the size of an alarm clock!
This raises the question - are we dealing with a prop? A directorial exaggeration used just for laughs? In reality, as it turns out, experts confirmed that the 'timepiece' is genuine and attributed Sukhov's chronometer. It is a so-called carpet watch (also known as 'diligence watches,' as they could be hung on the wall of a diligence or carriage with a special element to allow travelers to keep track of time on their journey) made by 'Pavel Bure.' They are indeed larger than regular pocket watches, which, due to a habit formed in the early 20th century, the military began to wear using a strap on their wrist. The presence of such a 'behemoth' on Fyodor Ivanovich's wrist is quite explicable: the enlarged sizes of the dial and hands of the 'diligence' allowed one to tell the time even in twilight.
When the filmmakers were shooting on location, this ancient device piqued genuine interest among the local residents. It ended with one incident during the shooting of episodes in Dagestan when the 'Pavel Bure' was stolen.
Meanwhile, the antique 'device' holds significant importance for the film's plot. It is precisely thanks to 'Pavel Bure' that Sukhov manages to escape when Abdullah's henchmen unexpectedly catch him off guard while he is bathing on the shore: the agile Red Army soldier throws the watch he took off his wrist at the bandit, thus distracting the enemy's attention, and immediately seizes his pistol and shoots, taking him down.
Due to the theft, work on the set had to be halted: after all, this dynamic episode had not yet been filmed. To find the watch, Vladimir Motyl chose not to contact the police; instead, he preferred to 'deal with it himself.' The director found out who was the most authoritative figure in the local criminal world and went to negotiate with him. Upon meeting this man named Ali, Vladimir Yakovlevich offered him a role in the film's episodes. When the 'authority' showed interest in the prospect of appearing on screen, Motyl lamented that filming could be organized as soon as tomorrow, but alas - the main character's watch had gone missing, and without it, the entire plot would be in vain. Ali immediately promised to deal with the thief.
By the next morning, 'Pavel Bure' and several other stolen props were returned to the film crew.
After that, the director kept his word. The Dagestani criminal authority was indeed captured in two small scenes of the action movie. Initially, he plays a Basmachi, dressed in a red shirt, cautiously moving through the museum's rooms with a rifle at the ready, scouting for the enemy. Later, on the shore, he participates in the capture of the unsuspecting Sukhov: the bandit, played by Ali, aims his rifle at the Red Army soldier, and moments later, he is shot, having been taken down by the agile Fyodor Ivanovich, who managed to seize a Mauser.
“Get off the boat!”
One of the largest mechanical