How Long Is “Russia”?

With a narration by diplomat Harrison Salisbury, this documentary film takes viewers to 12 of the 15 states of the former USSR. The filmmaker claims that about 20 percent of his footage was lost during Soviet officialdom's handling of the film. Scenes of restored landmark churches and mosques are of particular interest. Among the sites visited are Leningrad, the Baltic States, Tashkent, the Central Asian provinces, Armenia, Georgia, parts of Siberia and, finally, Moscow. Peaceful, bucolic scenes contrast sharply with the mordant commentary of Mr. Salisbury, who clearly had his own propagandistic axe to grind.