Letter Never Sent (Neotpravlennoye pismo) (1959)

A group of Russian geologists hunting for diamonds in Siberia becomes trapped by a forest fire.

Critic Reviews

Dennis Schwartz, Ozus' World Movie Reviews
Classic socialist realism film that is enhanced by erotic melodramatics and powerful stylish nature images.
Christopher Long, Movie Metropolis
Elaborate, gliding tracking shots provide a sense of mastery over nature that the characters can't achieve
James Kendrick, Q Network Film Desk
elevates the familiar into something both emotionally engaging and existentially disarming
Eric Melin, Scene-Stealers.com
What is remarkable is how quickly it can whip from being a realistic survival story to an impressionistic one, sometimes within the same minute. The cinematography is also shifting POV constantly.

Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)

Rotten (59% or fewer critics rated the movie positively)

Randy T

Stark, raw and a little artsy. Fantastic performances all-around.
Walter M

"The Letter That Was Never Sent" is an awesomely shot but politically troubling tale of three geologists and their guide who are searching for diamonds in the pristine wilderness of Siberia.(Two of whom, Andrei(Vasili Livanov) and Tanya(Tatyana Samojlova,) are in love.) In… More
"The Letter That Was Never Sent" is an awesomely shot but politically troubling tale of three geologists and their guide who are searching for diamonds in the pristine wilderness of Siberia.(Two of whom, Andrei(Vasili Livanov) and Tanya(Tatyana Samojlova,) are in love.) In summer, they have no luck, so they decide to stay until fall when curiosity turns into obsession. In America, the above plot could well have been about greed. In the Soviet Union, all four characters are devoted to serving the State(The movie is dedicated to all such explorers.) which is noble, I guess, but personal safety should always be a consideration. And a bigger factor than nationality should be the earth and the care it requires. I say that knowing the environmental movement does not happen until at least ten years after this movie was made, but some thought should have been given to the natural beauty that could be ruined by any diamond mining. (Originally reviewed in the blog section on January 28, 2008.)

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