(NEOTPRAVLENNOYE PISMO, Mikhail Kalatozov, Soviet Union 1959, 97 min., Russian/subtitles)

Kalotozov’s masterful follow-up to The Cranes are Flying follows a guide and three geologists through the virgin forests of Central Siberia as they search for diamonds. Success comes at a price: before the team can return to civilization, they are trapped in a vast forest fire. As they did with Cranes and later with I Am Cuba, Kalatozov and his cinematographer Sergei Urushevsky inspire the audience to consistently ask, “How’d they do that?” with their spectacular camera work.