One of the best Nikita Mikhalkov's pictures. A gripping, rather confusing adventurous plot, fragmentary editing, mysterious look of heroes - all this became a fresh breeze in the soviet cinematography of the 70th. The excellent crew including a big number of greatest russian actors in the beginning of their career. Beautiful and piercing main theme by Edward Artemyev thinly transfers the mood of the movie combining the romanticism of the 70th and the dramatic line of the picture. In 1974 the movie was sworn by critics. But years went by. And now it's considered to be the cult one.
