Band Of Comrades
That Russkywood Goes To War matinee double feature the other day proved to be popular, so here’s a few more and we’ll make a Russian Front movie night out of it:
THEY FOUGHT FOR THEIR MOTHERLAND/ oni sraszalis za rodinu. Amazon reviewer Bernardo Cavaliere comments:
This movie is a down and dirty tale about life for the soviet troops retreating again and again before the dramatic reversal at the battle of Stalingrad. It is full of combat and also humorous and poignant vinguettes of individual and group soldierly life for these soldiers and the condition of privation in which they struggle from day to day.
It is a very graphic film with no cgi… all real equipment and props and explosions… the Russkis like to blow up stuff REAL good in their war movies and spare no expense! Their war movies are almost always done on an epic scale… when Mother Russia does something, they always do it BIG and so is this film! I think they delight in seeing how much bigger they can make things than we do here in the west! LOL! anywho, if you like WW2 movies and are a Russophile or just would just like to know how they view their WW2 war efforts, then this is a must see, along with “The Hot Snow”. Do Svedanya, Komrades!
Sounds good to me. You know my cinematic theory in these matters: Commies and Nazis killing each other, it’s hard to know which side to cheer for.
The Star/Zvezda. Amazon description:
The Second World War in Russia. The year 1944. The Star is a radio call sign for a group of war scouts who went on an assignment behind the German front line. Having found the location of German tank concentration, they report to the headquarters, at the cost of their lives, about the impending attack.Intense and dramatic, the film makes one realize who had won in that war, and at what price. The movies superb directing, stunning cinematography and poignant, sensuous music immerse the viewer in the atmosphere of war, when just one erroneous step may lead to fatal consequences. Based on the story by Emmanuil Kazakevich.
Amazon reviewer gushes:
I had seen some Russian war films while on travel in Asia and was impressed with how well done they were, so I took a chance on The Star and was glad I did. The story of a reconnaissance team’s mission behind German lines is, for the most part, realistically depicted and soldiers, in particular, will enjoy this film. The degree of accuracy in weapons, equipment, tactics, and movement is very high. The studio really had some depth of resources when it came to period weapons and equipment. No doubt, much of this was captured originals. The tanks – of which there were quiet a few – appeared to be soviet with a variety of detailed visual modifications to make them resemble Tiger’s, Panthers, and Mark IVs. The actors were clearly well coached in their roles by knowledgeable technical advisors. The action occurs in the woods, weeds, swamps, mud, and streams of eastern russia. A good use of location far beyond the studio back lot. The standard compromises for unbelievable daring and heroics, the need to speak loud enough for the audience to hear, and staging action in broad daylight so that there will be something other than shadows for the audience to see all apply, but are dealt with plausibly. Relatively little dialog is needed because the director is up to the job of conveying the story of the mission visually. You can really tell what is happening in the action and pursuit scenes both day and night. Good cinematography and a very good transfer to DVD. There a subtitles, but they are not intrusive. The Russian language adds to the realism and immersion. Yeah, it’s violent on the R-rated level and not for the kids. The Russian soldiers are stereotypically heroic patriots. There are no German characters, at least that live long. The Germans are depicted as evil targets to be interrogated and disposed of. Those that are on screen for any time at all are well costumed and acted, but, much as in the Dirty Dozen, they receive little sympathy and are a poor insurance risk.
The Hot Snow also got a thumbs up from Cavaliere.
The Hot Snow is a well done technically good war movie… all real actors and props and vehicles…. no CGI…. too old for that I think… good production values… interesting plot and execution… great battle scenes.
Good if you want to know how it was on the Eastern Front in WW2 for Russian troops around the time of the battle of Stalingrad.
Well, it pretty much sucked and they died a lot, at the hands of their own officers and the NKVD when the Germans weren’t killing them.
From the earlier Saving Private Ivan post, THE 9TH COMPANY is an excellent tale of the Soviet Afghan War. Shtrafbat is a well-received film about a World war II punishment battalion.
Posted by Jules Crittenden at 1:30 pm Comments (0) on Tuesday, June 23, 2009
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