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the Pamirs in the west to the Great Khangan
(Hangyan Norvu) range in the east, and from
the Altai in the north to central Tibet in the
south, a region that was unknown in the West.
From his travels he brought back an enormous
botanical and zoological collection. His name is
associated with the exploration of the Kunlun
Mountains, the peaks of northern Tibet, the
basins of the Lob-Nor and Kuku-Nor, and the
sources of China's Yellow River. Przhevalsky dis-
covered a whole series of animal life such as the
Tibetan bear, the wild camel, and, most notably,
a wild horse, which later was named the Przhe-
valsky horse.
II, Pskov was occupied by Germans from 1941 to
1944 and suffered extensive damage in the pro-
cess. Currently, a city of less than 300,000 inhab-
itants, Pskov has managed to preserve important
architectural structures, such as a 13th-century
kremlin
(citadel) and several 14th and 15th cen-
tury churches.
Pudovkin, Vsevolod Ilarionovich
(1893-1953)
film director
One of the great directors of Soviet silent cin-
ema, Pudovkin was born in the town of Penza,
in central Russia, on February 28, 1893. He
began studying science at Moscow University,
but shortly before graduation he was drafted to
serve in World War I, where he was wounded
and taken as a prisoner of war to Germany. On
his return to Moscow, he became caught up in
the artistic upheaval that accompanied the Rus-
sian Revolution, and in 1922 he joined the
experimental film workshop run by the great
Soviet theorist and filmmaker Lev
KULESHOV
.
Pudovkin's early films showed an ability to work
in various styles.
Shakhmatnaya goryachka
(Chess
fever, 1925) was “light and inventive, while
Mekhanika golovnogo mozga
(The mechanics of the
brain, 1926) was used as an instructional film for
Ivan
PAVLOV
's experiments in physiology, and
Mat
(Mother, 1926) was a classic drama adapted
from Maksim
GORKY
's novel about the 1905
Revolution. Pudovkin established his name in
the field of Soviet cinema with two widely
acclaimed films,
Konets Sankt-Peterburga
(The end
of St. Petersburg, 1927) and
Potomok Chingis-
Khan
(Storm over Asia, 1928). The former was
intended as a complement to
EISENSTEIN
's
October,
while the latter treats the topic of revolution in
Mongolia. With the advent of sound film,
Pudovkin's career entered into a relative decline,
accompanied by poor health. In the final years
of his life, he produced two well-received histor-
ical films:
Admiral Nakhimov
(1946) and
Vozvrash-
chenie Vassilia Bortnikova
(The return of Vassili
Bortnikov), the latter issued shortly before his
death in Riga in June 1953. Overshadowed by
Pskov
An ancient city in northwestern Russia, located
about 150 miles to the southwest of St. Peters-
burg, Pskov figured prominently in the medieval
period of Russian history until its annexation by
Moscow in 1510. Pskov was founded in 903
along the shores of the Velikava River, not far
from the southeastern edge of the historic Lake
Peipus, or Chud, where in 1242
ALEXANDER
NEVSKY
defeated the Teutonic Knights who had
captured the town during the previous year.
Until 1348 Pskov remained a dependency of the
city of
NOVGOROD
. As an independent principal-
ity, Pskov's development mirrored that of Nov-
gorod in some respects, but its smaller size and a
lesser degree of social differentiation accounted
for important differences. Thus, the powers of
the prince of Pskov were more greatly restricted
than in Novgorod, and the institution of the
veche
played a far greater role than in Pskov's former
“big brother.” Unlike Novgorod, Pskov did not
pose a threat to Moscow, and in fact requested
Muscovite assistance against outside attacks.
Annexation by Moscow in 1510 was followed
by deportations and greater taxes, and Pskov
slipped into relative obscurity. In 1648, however,
the town was caught up in the urban rebellions
that spread from Moscow to other cities across
Russia, such as Novgorod, in protest against
excessive taxation and the corruption associated
with advisers to Czar
ALEKSEI
. During World War
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