this be one of my favourite film and date back to my childhood . set in the remote wilderness of siberia at the turn of the century and a small community be stir when an extremely cold winter force two tiger to come down from the mountain in search of food and preying on outlying farm . in this atmosphere we be introduce to avakum and a hermit fur trapper and who live out in the wild and a he come to the village to sell his annual catch to boris and his close and and rather only and friend in the village and who run a store . at boris request and avakum accompanies his friend arrogant son and ivan and on the hunt for the menacing tiger . personality crash and temper flare a the old and more experienced avakum criticises ivan amateur method and an encounter notice also by the other member of the hunt . on the second day and the hunter sight their prey and give chase . in a thick wood and ivan wound one of the tiger and which then attack the hapless man . avakum and see ivan tangle with the enrage beast and fire and but accidently hit ivan . he kill the tiger a it flee . the other hunter arrive on the scene and suspicious . back in the village and the doctor work to save the wounded ivan . avakum attempt to leave the village and but be confront by ivan friend . the trapper brush them off however and and speed off with his dog drawn sled . the young villager swear after him that they will come for him if ivan dy and which he later do and but before die explains to his father that it be an accident . old boris and upon learning of his close friend be run out of the village and straighten out the gathering lynch mob and go out after avakum and to find him and set thing right . and so the main story begin . a simple film and it raise the conflict of man and civilisation versus nature and mainly avakum struggle to survive alone out in the wilderness . the winter landscape be very well film . perhaps the strong element in the film be the soundtrack by jimmie haskell . very sentimental and evocative and the main theme reminiscent of albinoni adagio . other movement reflect russian style and as well a a couple of folk music type tune . unfortunately and this film be not available to buy and to my knowledge and which be rather a shame . the copy i own and record off tv nearly twenty year ago be slowly deteriorate . this film be a must see for those who can appreciate it and if they can find it . positive .