The structure of Gorky's autobiography presented director Mark Donskoy with his greatest problem. A series of anecdotes, characters, observations, and philosophical reminiscences, the three volumes are tautly written though loose in form. In the construction of the films, it has been necessary to compress material, combine events by minor violations of chronology, and to except liberally. This is accomplished with great skill, and almost invariably the characters are presented with Gorky's sympathy and grimy clarity.