Description:

Two fishermen lose their boat and are left stranded on a small, rocky island in the Arctic Ocean north of the White Sea. Based on a historical event that happened in autumn 1857, recorded by ethnographer Boris Shergin.

The Pomors (translates to "coast-dwellers") are Russians who live near the White Sea in the north, and have a regional identity/culture.

The text of the carved epitaph that is the subject of this film was found on a nameless island in the Arctic Ocean and recorded by Boris Shergin. His account can be read here. A translation of the original epitaph can be found on Wikipedia.

This film was also included as the final part of Nosyrev's (highly recommended) longer feature film, Laughter and Grief by the White Sea, which was finished that same year. It seems that that version was the primary one that the director focused on - in this version, there is a slightly incongruous cut at 8:30 with a break in the music, which in the feature film is filled by a short scene with the narrator (with no musical break).

The above video above unfortunately has a bit of visual jumping around that wasn't in the original. A good 35mm film scan is also available, though not on Youtube.