Plot: A six-hour long epic (original director's cut) about the life of Don Cossacs in a village in southern Russia between 1912 and 1922. The leading character Grigori Melekhov is a rugged Cossac, who is torn between his first and true love Aksiniya, and his wife Natalya. Grigori Melekhov's personal life is shown as a rough journey through the experience of World War One, the Russian Revolution, and the following Civil War. The Cossacs are shown as traditional farmers and warriors, who are suffering through the most dramatic events in the history of Russia.
Alternative Plot: Based on the novel by Mikhail Sholokhov, this sprawling epic chronicles the life of Grigori (Elina Bystritskaya), a Cossack who lives in the Don River valley during the early 20th century. When Grigori begins an affair with the married Aksiniya (Pyotr Glebov), a feud between two families begins, and it plays out during a particularly unstable time in Russian politics. As their romance blossoms, it is threatened by the outbreak of World War I and the Bolshevik Revolution.
Rate this movie!