Am blauesten aller Meere

Boris Barnet's films are not the easiest to track, down so I have no idea how representative this one is of that lesser know celebrity of the Soviet Industry.

BY THE BLUEST OF SEAS however proves to be a pleasant surprise and pleasant is a surprise among these - no invaders driven back into the sea, now vicious landowners, no loving portrait of a national military leader.

Filmed in glowing sunshine, spaced by a menacing storm, it covers the two sailors banded up with the Caspian "Light of Communism" (well what to you expect?) fishing co-op who divide their time between making the boats run and competing for the lanky blond chair-lady of the board. The three leads are appealing, slim and unconventional and we enjoy our time with them. The storm is filmed with some ingenuity, with the cabin tilting in some sound stage machine and the ocean pounding the deck.

The story is pretty slight and finally propagandist, with the blond remaining faithful to her sailor fiancé off battling the nation's maritime enemies, but it never has the heavy handedness of the body of the Russian product which survives.

Things are helped by an excellent mid tone copy.