Name: John Doe

Code #: 1014

Region: Russia

Title of movie: Prisoner of the Mountains

Film Setting: Southeast Russia

Actual Filming Location: Rechi, Dagestan, Russia

Reference: imdb.com

The setting of this film is focused mainly near Chechnya, in the small republic of Dagestan (Interview with Sergei Bodrov). This area is located near the southern boarder of Russia and exhibits a dry cool steppe climate according to map 6 of the SAWG. An early scene in the film shows a couple of soldiers riding in an army vehicle through the mountainous terrain of the region. This concurs with the CIA website, which states that the southern part of Russia is made up of uplands and mountains. According to the definition of a cool steppe climate, most of the region is grassland. This is observed in the film, and one can notice that there are not many trees in the area. The region demonstrates a very dry surrounding. According to map 3d of the SAWG, this area receives an annual precipitation of only 20-25cm (10-20 in.). The amount of rainfall corresponds with the dry climate of Dagestan. In the film, there was no sign of precipitation, which also leads to the fact that there was a very low variation in vegetation and almost no crops are planted in the surroundings. However, Altitudinal Zonation plays an important roll in the film. More vegetation could be noticed, in the lower latitudes opposed to the higher latitudes. For example, the number of trees increases as the prisoners are escaping down the mountains.

The terrain in the film consists of hills and mountains. According to map 11 of the SAWG, this area contains mountains with local peaks above 3,000ft. The area is located near the Caucasus Mts., which can reach higher then 18,000ft. The film exhibits numerous scenes to prove this. The scene where the two prisoners (Vania and Sacha) are trying to escape, they have to maneuver across a fair share of hills and steep areas. The initial scene, as I have already mentioned above, where the soldiers are ambushed while riding in the army vehicle is also an example. The last scene in the film, where the father (Abdul) is taking prisoner (Vania) up the hills to terminate him, is yet another scene that proves the terrain of Dagestan. Overall, more then ¾ of the scenes in the film consist of heavy terrain.

The temperature in the region was fairly cold. The higher the latitude, the colder the temperature (Altitudinal Zonation), and since Dagestan was located up in the mountains, it was chilly up there. This is evident due to the fact that the villagers were always wearing heavy clothing. The clothing was not too heavy, but sufficient enough to withstand the chill. According to map 4a of the SAWG, the area exhibits hot summers and cold winters. Since the film seemed to be shot during the fall season, one could assume that the temperature was beginning to drop. During the entire film, one could observe how dry it seemed in the village. There wasn’t too much wind or precipitation, therefore the temperature seemed fairly consistent. In other words, it did not seem like humidity or a cold breeze played a part in the temperature. Snowcaps on mountaintops were also evident in a few scenes in the film, contributing to the fact that as the latitude increased, the temperature dropped.

Culturally speaking, the majority of Dagestan’s population seemed to be on the poor side of the spectrum. This is evident in the movie because the inhabitants live in underdeveloped housing and they are wearing cheap clothing. There was a scene in the film where the prisoners were waiting to go to the bathroom. It seemed as though there might have been only a small amount of bathrooms around, however that is strictly an opinion. Another observation that one may pick up is that the Russians had better weapons then the people of Dagestan. The Russians even had helicopters and tanks, yet the Chechnyans (people of Dagestan) barely had an Army. According to map 32 of the SAWG, the GNP per capita of the Dagestan area in only $761 - $3,030; hence proving the fact that most of these people are not well off.

The most prominent religion in Dagestan is Islam. Most of the people from there do not consider themselves to be Russian. This concurs with the CIA website, which states that the religions in Russia include Russian Orthodox and Muslim. This also evident in various scenes throughout the movie. For example, the scene where an old man is praying in the house on the traditional praying rug (janamas) is proof that he is practicing Islam. Another example is when one can hear the prayer cal towards the beginning of the film when the prisoners are being brought to the village. The prayer call is in Arabic, which is the most recognized language of Islam. Another observation is that the women in the film are all wearing a scarf of some sort over their heads, which is a requirement for most Muslim women. Dina, Abdul’s daughter, states in one of the scenes that girls get married early in her religion. This is yet another characteristic of Islam. Another religion that was also exhibited was Russian Orthodox (as cited from the CIA website). The two soldiers that were held prisoner were followers of that religion. According to map 18 of the SAWG, the Dagestan area’s predominant religion is Islam (Sunni), surrounded by areas of Christianity (eastern churches). The languages spoken in the film were mainly Russian and Arabic. Some people of Dagestan spoke both. Similar to how minorities do in America.

Both physical and cultural aspects of the film have been covered, so lets elaborate on a situation where both of them would take part. In situation where the people of Dagestan would go to war (possibly a holy war) with another area would be a cultural aspect. The fact that Dagestan is located in the mountains gives it a great advantage in the war because it is hard over something in such a rough terrain; this is the physical aspect. This is a valid situation, because the Russians have had a history of conflict with the Chechnyans. The Chechnyans are predominantly Muslim and it seems as though they do not want to be a part of Russia. There have been numerous situations where Chechnyan rebels have attacked Russians or vice versa. According to a CNN article (03/25/02), 73 Chechnyan rebels were killed during a Russian operation to flush out militants in mountainous areas. This is proof that conflicts are still on the rise in that region. So it would be no surprise if a serious altercation breaks out amongst the Russians and the Muslims of Chechnya. Therefore, both cultural and physical aspects of that region have a great impact.