Soviet/Russian military movies

Andrey

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Here are links on best Soviet movies which I found in www.imdb.com., and it is practically all best Soviet movies about WWII.
As I understood it is possible to buy it in West but I do not understand about translation of these movies in English.
I suppose that it will be useful for you to look on Eastern Front events by eyes of Soviets/Russians.

If anyone from Western public saw it tell your opinion.

I want to repeat that I wrote only about best movies.

Top 10 movies:

1.
http://us.imdb.com/title/tt0073488/
Oni srazhalis za rodinu (1975)
("They fought for the Motherland") - One of best Soviet military movies, very many best Soviet famous actors played in this movie. As I remember, this movie got "Oscar" in USA. Summer of 1942... Remainders of broken regiment are retreating in Don region. Their regiment lost most part of men, they fought and retreat very long time but they do not run, they retreat in order and continue to fight when command order to defend positions. Excellent movie.

2.
http://us.imdb.com/title/tt0057717/
Zhivye i myortvye (1963)
("Alive and dead") - It is one of best military movies. It is about events of 1941, it is based on famous novel of Simonov.

3.
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0212194/
Goryachij sneg (1972)
("Burning snow") - It is one of best military movies. It is company scale story about feat of soldiers of 2nd Guard Army in December of 1942, which stopped tanks of German general Got which tried to breakthrough to Stalingrad for saving of encircled German troops.

4.
http://us.imdb.com/title/tt0063333/
Na vojne, kak na vojne (1968)
("At war is at war") - One of best military movies. Young lieutenant arrives in self-propelled guns unit as commander of self-propelled gun in summer of 1943. He will come in first combat soon and he is nervous... Song from this movie is unofficial hymn of Soviet/Russian tankmen.

5.
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0088777/
"Batalyony prosyat ognya" (1985) (mini)
("Battalions asked for artillery cover")- It is one of best military movies. It is about crossing of Dnepr in 1943.

6.
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0167900/
Dom, v kotorom ya zhivu (1957)
("House where I live") - One of best Soviet movie, it is very sad story about people who lived in one house for many years including WWII and about fates of these people.

7.
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0091251/
Idi i smotri (1985)
("Come and see") - It is one of best movies about partisans, it is very brutal movie, start is quite but in the end spectator will be shocked. It is really cruel movie, in time of USSR this movie was forbidden in DDR, which was considered puppet of USSR in all questions.

8.
http://us.imdb.com/title/tt0151852/
"Osvobozhdeniye" (1970) (mini)
("Liberation") - It is many part movie with same heroes, time of action - from Kursk battle to Berlin operation. There are some propaganda stamps but it is really epic movie.

9.
http://us.imdb.com/title/tt0067517/
Ofitsery (1971)
("Officers") - Story of some generations of Soviet officers from Civil War to 70th. Excellent romantic movie.

10.
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0068161/
A zori zdes tikhiye (1972)
("Lovages are quite here") - This movie almost got "Oscar" - It is about small group of women which were flak crews in Soviet rear. They had to fight against superior group of German paratroopers-saboteurs.


Other good movies:

11.
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0144111/
Blokada: Luzhskij rubezh, Pulkovskij meredian (1974)
("Blockade: Luga line, Pulkov meridian") - Part 1 of large movie about defense of Leningrad.

12.
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0315844/
Blokada: Leningradskij metronom, Operatsiya Iskra (1977)
("Blockade: Leningrad metronome, Operation "Spark") - Part 2 of large movie about defense of Leningrad.

13.
http://us.imdb.com/title/tt0069628/
"Semnadtsat mgnovenij vesny" (1973) (mini)
("17 moments of spring") - Classics of Soviet movies. Names of movie heroes became very famous, there were no crimes when this movie was shown in Soviet TV, all USSR population was near TV sets in this time. Later this movie was used in spy schools of KGB. Spring of 1945. Soviet spy Isaev (he is known as Standartenfuhrer SS Shtirlitz, large scale member of SS security service in Berlin) got order to know about possible separate negotiations between unknown German leader and representatives of US intelligence...

14.
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0052600/
Ballada o soldate (1959)
("Ballade about soldier") - This movie got Oscar in USA - It is about soldier, which got some day leave in summer of 1942 for coming home.

15.
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0326450/
Zvezda (2002)
("Star") - It is very sad story about group of soviet army scouts in rear of German troops.

16.
http://us.imdb.com/title/tt0070861/
V boj idut odni stariki (1973)
("Only veterans come in battle") - It is movie about pilots of fighters in summer of 1944.

17.
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0053628/
Baltijskoye nebo - 1 seriya (1960)
("Baltic sky. Part 1") - It is movie about fighter-pilots in time of blockade of Leningrad.

18.
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0054659/
Baltijskoye nebo - 2 seriya (1960)
("Baltic sky. Part 2") - continuation.

19.
http://us.imdb.com/title/tt0059529/
Obyknovennyj fashizm (1965)
("Usual fascism") - It is very good documentary film about fascism ("Nazism" in West) and it's crimes. Soviet version.

20.
http://us.imdb.com/title/tt0053317/
Sudba cheloveka (1959)
("The fate of the man") - It is very good story about fate of one Soviet soldier.

21.
http://us.imdb.com/title/tt0055181/
Mir vkhodyashchemu (1961)
("Peace for incoming one") - It is very good movie. Soviet truck is moving through Germany in last days of war. German pregnant woman asked to help...

22.
http://us.imdb.com/title/tt0050634/
Letjat zhuravli (1957)
("Cranes are flying") - This movie got "Oscar" in USA. Young man is coming at war, his girl is waiting his...

23.
http://us.imdb.com/title/tt0175809/
Khronika pikiruyushchego bombardirovshchika (1967)
("Chronicle of diving bomber") - This movie is about some days of life of crew of Soviet Pe-2 bomber.

24.
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0049001/
Bessmertnyj garnizon (1956)
("Unfading garrison") - It is about feat of garrison of Brest Fortress (It was Soviet/Russian "Alamo") which was encircled in first day of war but fought for month without of hope and didn't surrender.

25.
http://us.imdb.com/title/tt0141666/
Normandie - Niémen (1960)
("Normandy- Neman") - This movie describes actions of very famous in USSR French fighter squadron (later-regiment) "Normandy" which fought in Eastern front under Soviet command.

26.
http://us.imdb.com/title/tt0067625/
Proverka na dorogakh (1971)
("Checking in roads") - This movie was not shown in USSR before Gorbatchev's Perestroyka. Partisan detachment. Suddenly Soviet soldier, who was POW and joined to pro-German Vlasov's troops for surviving, came to partisans and said that he wants to fight against Germans. How to treat with him? Soldiers of Red Army had order to not surrender but this soldier even is suited in enemy uniform. Command of partisan detachment decided to check his in combat conditions.

27.
http://us.imdb.com/title/tt0062523/
Zhenya, Zhenechka i 'Katyusha' (1967)
(Only names so it is nothing to translate) - This movie was not shown in USSR before Gorbatchev's Perestroyka. It is sad comedy about love in war. Romantic intelligent 18-year boy Zhenya from Moscow serve in “Katysha” unit. He loves girl-signaller who also has name Zhenya, blandly – Zhenechka…

28.
http://us.imdb.com/title/tt0262052/
Torpedonostsy (1983)
("Torpedo-bombers") - It is movie about one week of life of pilots of torpedo-bombers of Northern Fleet.

29.
http://us.imdb.com/title/tt0209212/
Otryad (1984)
("Detachment") - Group of Soviet soldiers worked separately from their unit when war began. Suddenly they understood that they are in German rear. They have no weapon but they decide to go in east for connection with Soviet troops.

30.
http://us.imdb.com/title/tt0089828/
Porokh (1985)
("Powder") - It is about first days of Leningrad blockade. Civilian specialist got order to provide at any price transferring of powder stores from Kronstadt to Leningrad. This movie shows how horrific was that war.

31.
http://us.imdb.com/title/tt0314947/
Zhavoronok (1964)
("Lark") - Germans decided to check ability of anti-tank guns against really moving T-34. They ordered for some POWs to be crew of T-34 (without ammo) and to move on this road...

32.
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0065507/
Byl mesyats maj (1970) (TV)
("It was in May") - Small group of Soviet soldiers got order to live in house of rich German peasant in May of 1945, some days after victory...


33.
http://us.imdb.com/title/tt0040601/
Molodaja gvardija (1948)
("Young guard") - 1942. Germans occupied town Volgodonsk. Group of former schoolboys decided to fight with Germans. It is based on real events.

34.
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0051541/
Dobrovoltsy (1958)
("Volunteers") - It is very good romantic movie about 3 friends and their friendship for many years.
 

BarcelonaBlom

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I'm a little upset... I always wondered if Russia ever made war movies. this list answers that question.. I'll have to be on the lookout for them.. especially for #1 it sounds good.
 

amvas

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Thx, Andrey for this listing.
That movies are really the Gold Fund of Soviet/Russian WW2 movies:toast:
 

joea

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Well, some of these films would be useful for some university Russian language vidoetechs I suppose. I shall look into ordering some for my university. Are there now or were there any Soviet TV series on the lines of "Band of Brothers?"
 

Wolfe Tone

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Great list.

I think I might have seen one of them on TV. The one about the Partisans. It was a very brutal film in Russian. It was about 10 years ago now so I can't remember much.
Good film though.

Thanks for the list.
 

JD Morelock

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Source for Videos/DVDs

Here are a couple of sources for those who want to get copies of some of the movies Andrey lists.

International Historic Films at http://www.Historicvideos.com
This has a number of the films Andrey mentioned, including Come and See and The Cranes Are Flying (I got my copies of these from this company). It also includes documentaries on the Red Army, etc, produced by the Soviet government in the years just before the beginning of WWII, as well as some produced during the war.

RBCmp3.com is another good source of Russian language films (VHS and DVD) as well as music CDs and books. They have a separate section entitled "Russian films with English subtitles" that is useful for those who don't speak Russian, and you can search at this location for "war films". I noticed several of the ones Andrey listed are available at this site.

You also may want to check out Armchair General Issue 6 when it comes out next January. In the Dispatches section, it's planned to have a section on Top 10 War Films, and one of the films Andrey lists made the Top 10 list (not bad considering the fact that most of the films our readers would necessarily be familiar with are mainly limited to those produced in USA, UK, and Germany).
 

Andrey

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Originally posted by joea
Are there now or were there any Soviet TV series on the lines of "Band of Brothers?"
What do you mean as advantage of "Band of brothers"?
 

Andrey

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Re: Source for Videos/DVDs

Originally posted by JD Morelock
RBCmp3.com is another good source of Russian language films (VHS and DVD) as well as music CDs and books. They have a separate section entitled "Russian films with English subtitles" that is useful for those who don't speak Russian, and you can search at this location for "war films". I noticed several of the ones Andrey listed are available at this site.
Here are movies with English Audio or subtittles

You will get it for some days after giving money.

http://www.rbcmp3.com/store/product.asp?dept_id=29810&sku=24115
Torpedonostsy (1983)
("Torpedo-bombers")


http://www.rbcmp3.com/store/product.asp?dept_id=29810&sku=26309
Letjat zhuravli (1957)
("Cranes are flying")


http://www.rbcmp3.com/store/product.asp?dept_id=29810&sku=29172
Zhenya, Zhenechka i 'Katyusha' (1967)

http://www.rbcmp3.com/store/product.asp?dept_id=29810&sku=26306
Ballada o soldate (1959)
("Ballade about soldier")


http://www.rbcmp3.com/store/product.asp?dept_id=29810&sku=34951
A zori zdes tikhiye (1972)
("Lovages are quite here")


Additional movie:

http://www.rbcmp3.com/store/product.asp?dept_id=29810&sku=29343
“Father of soldier”
In 1941 old Georgian arrived in infantry unit for meeting with son. And he joined to unit and became to fight.
 

Andrey

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Originally posted by Janos
Thanks for the list, Andrey!

Band of Brothers is a series of movies (we call it a "mini-series") about a company of paratroopers from the 101 Airborne Division. It is a true story based on the book of the same name.
I know what "Band of brothers" is.

You asked me about Soviet movie like "Band of brothers". What do you mean? Long like "Band of brothers", exact, interesting, or anything other?
 

Andrey

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I want to add some more comments.

As I understand most famous in West Soviet military movies are “The Cranes are Flying” and “Ballade About Soldier”.

But in reality these movies are not “military” movies. These movies are love stories which show mainly DEEP Soviet REAR in time of war.
 

Andrey

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Originally posted by Uberdave
DEEP in the REAR? Is it a homosexual love story between two young soldaty?

:banana:
Did you see these movies?

DEEP REAR is place which is far from frontline.
 

BarcelonaBlom

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Originally posted by Andrey
Did you see these movies?

DEEP REAR is place which is far from frontline.
Andrey could you put a * in front of the action ones and a # in front of the dramas so everyone knows which ones are which... They all look good and I'll watch a drama myself but it would help.
 

amvas

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Andrey, Uberdave....
You laughed me into tears with your "DEEP in the REAR" :banana:

Really this origined with incorrect translation of Andrey.
He meant "IN DEEP REARS" of the USSR or "hinterland", but what he had wrote really can be read in a funny way ;)
 

Uberdave

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@ Andrey
"DEEP REAR is place which is far from frontline."

Yes, I know. I was just making a joke...even if it was a bad one.
:toast:
 
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