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TheOstern ("Eastern";Russian:истерн,romanized: Istern; orостерн) is afilm genre created in theSoviet Union andEastern Bloc as a variation of theWestern films. The wordOstern is aportmanteau derived from theGerman wordOst, meaning "East", and theEnglish wordwestern. Two subgenres may be distinguished (although the terms may be used interchangeably):
American Westerns were among the US films imported into the early Soviet Union.[1] As a result, certain Soviet films at the time are seen to incorporate Western elements. For example, the image of the Western cowboy is used to symbolize the United States and the West as a whole in the Soviet silent comedyThe Extraordinary Adventures of Mr. West in the Land of the Bolsheviks (1924).Red Devils is a revolutionary action film that also borrows from the Western genre. As cultural restrictions tightened during the Stalinist era, however, Western-inspired films in the Soviet Union became rare. However, Stalin was an avid enjoyer of Hollywood Western films, and is argued by some to have desired the Western genre within the Soviet Union.[2]
1957'sMiles of Fire is one of the earliest examples of a Soviet Western as it was released years before the Ostern genre became formalized and prevalent. The Western genre saw a resurgence in the Soviet Union in the 1960s, largely resulting from theKhrushchev Thaw. In 1962, the USSR allowed for the screening of certain US and foreign films.The Magnificent Seven, an American Western starring Steve McQueen, become the most successful of these films commercially, becoming an instant cult classic amongst Soviet moviegoers.[3] The overwhelming popularity and commercial demand of films likeThe Magnificent Seven enticed Soviet filmmakers and state-run film institutions to experiment with Western elements in their own productions, resulting in the creation of the Soviet Western.[4]
The Czechoslovakian comedyLemonade Joe or the Horse Opera (1964) gained popularity amongst Soviet citizens and those in the Eastern Bloc.[5] Though the film is largely a parody of the Western genre, its commercial success nonetheless furthered the familiarity of Western tropes within the Eastern Bloc and the general Soviet audience.
Karl May'sTreasure of the Silver Lake, West Germany, co-production with Yugoslavia, was seminal for the beginning of the era of German Red Westerns. The film prompted a highly successful series ofIndianerfilme ("Indian Films") aboutWinnetou and others, produced by the East GermanDEFA studios.[6] The East GermanThe Sons of the Great Bear (1966) was a seminal Red Western that turned the traditional American "Cowboy and Indian" conventions on their head, casting the Native Americans as theheroes and the American Army as the villains, a motif inspired by highly successful German Osterns. These films were immensely popular among the East German audience, furthering the widespread German fascination of Native American culture[7] (seeNative American Hobbyism in Germany).
A considerable strain into the genre was added by Romanian cinematographers, which included adaptations ofFenimore Cooper stories, with many of them being co-productions with Western directors.[6]
White Sun of the Desert (1970) stands out as the quintessential Ostern, with its release considered by some to usher in the "golden era" of Soviet Western film.[8] Set in rural Turkmenistan, the film incorporates many elemental Western characteristics, namely wide shots of empty skies and nature, transportation via horse and leather saddle, and the lone stoic protagonist. The film quickly obtained a cult-like status, with multiple catchphrases from the film making its way into casual conversation.[9]
"Gibanica Western" was a short-lived term for theYugoslav equivalent of the Ostern, more commonly known aspartisan film and, sometimes, the Partisan Western. They were made in the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s, and were about the partisans inWorld War II.Gibanica is a traditional Balkan pastry, and the name of the genre is dubbed in an analogy with "spaghetti Western".[10]
The Goulash Westerns are the Easterns ofHungarian directorGyörgy Szomjas. He directed two films (The Wind Blows Under Your Feet andWrong-Doers) in the 1970s, shot in theHortobágy National Park, the best approximation of wastelands he could find in the country.[11]
