Sailing ships, stars, angels and executioners – The Mark of Cain chronicles the vanishing practice and language of Russian Criminal Tattoos. Captured in some of Russia’s most notorious prisons, including the fabled White Swan, the film traces the animus of the flowers of this carnal art by way of the brutality of it’s origins- the penitentiary and the criminal environment. Incisive interviews with prisoners, guards, and criminologists reveal the secret language of The Zone and The Code of Thieves of the vory v zakone. As early as the 1920’s, Russian prisons and Gulag began to attract the attention of researchers. The prisoners of the Stalinist Gulag, or "Zone," as it is called, developed a complex social structure that incorporated highly symbolic tattooing as a mark of rank. The very existence of these inmates at prisons and forced labor camps was treated by the state as a deep secret, and their tattoo art was considered a forbidden topic. In the last decade, Russia's prison population has exploded; overcrowding has reached unimaginable proportions. Few other nations have had such a massive prison population. The most conservative estimates suggest that in the last decades, over thirty million of Russia's inmates have had tattoos even though the process is against the law inside prison. According to The Book of Genesis, God placed a mark on the world's first murderer before sending him into exile. The mark of Cain proclaimed its bearer as a criminal and social outcast; for centuries, prisoners and those who broke social codes were forcibly tattooed. In Russian prisons, tattooing emerged as a visual mode of communication linked with social division. The Mark of Cain tells the story of a fading art form and how that practice's death reflects transition in broader Russian society.
Further Information:

In Russian with English Subtitles

Catalog Number: MC-775	Type: Feature	Genre: Documentary
Copyright: 2007	Length: 73 minutes	Format:  DVD  Region: 0 (All)
TV System: NTSC	ISBN:	UPC: 880198077592
Label: Napoca Inc.

Notes: In Russian with English subtitles
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Films In Compilation

2008-05-28  Media Reviews Online By Ronald Saskowski Jr. The Mark of Cain presents a rare intriguing look into the world of the Russian prison system and uncovers the history behind criminal tattoos. Each tattoo tells a different story providing a glimpse into the person who wears it. Tattoos have a variety of meanings ranging from power to station in the prison caste. Mr. Lambert mixes interviews with prisoners as well as non-prisoners resulting in a nicely rounded piece. The inclusion of historical film clips allows the viewer further glimpses into a once restricted world. While the majority of the film takes place in a male prison, a female prison is visited toward the end. The original music is hauntingly appropriate and helps to set the tone of the piece. Russian is spoken throughout the majority of the movie. The film is to be commended on its use of subtitles which are easy to read and quite distinguishable from the background. There is a brief shower scene with frontal nudity which is in no way gratuitous but is worth noting. The tattoos and the environment in which the prisoners live can be a bit overwhelming at times. This film is recommended with reservations for the intended audience. For the faint of heart, the tattoos and the environment can be a little hard to watch. With that being said, the ability to look inside a world that until now has been of limits is worth it. College and university libraries with programs in criminal justice and psychology would benefit from having this in their collection.

2008-01-30   By David Cronenberg This is a very courageous documentary on the tattooing subculture in Russian prisons. I don’t know how it ever got made, but it’s beautiful, scary, and heartbreaking.

2008-01-30  Artforum International By Tim Griffin … a remarkable portrait of the Russian penitentiary system as seen through the prism of it’s convicts’ tattoos.

2008-01-30  Feminist Review By This documentary is highly recommended. Despite the dark subject, it captivates you. Alix Lambert is to be commended.

2008-01-30  Feminist Review By This documentary is highly recommended. Despite the dark subject, it captivates you. Alix Lambert is to be commended.

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