Elisso (1928) was directed by one of the great figures in Georgian cinematography, Nikolai Shengelaya. It is a Georgian historical epic, evoking the tragic fate of a nation pacified in 1864 by the Tsarist Russian Empire. When authorities begin to appropriate arable lands, the peasants are forced to evacuate under terrible conditions. An entry in Cinema: The Magic Vehicle (Garbicz and Klinowski) notes: "The majestic rhythm of Shengelaya's cinematic poem appears to be organically ingrown to the land of which it speaks. The raw, but ravishingly beautiful mountain landscapes, in a way a co-director of the picture, determine the atmosphere of the work and explain human actions and characters."