Synopsis
A 1949 two-part Soviet epic war film about the Battle of Stalingrad, directed by Vladimir Petrov. The script was written by Nikolai Virta.
The Battle of Stalingrad
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Alternative Titles
Stalingradskaya Bitva, The Victors and the Vanquished, Bitva o Stalingrad, Sztálingrádi csata, Η μάχη του Στάλινγκραντ, Die Stalingrader Schlacht, 斯大林格勒战役, La bataille de Stalingrad
Releases by Date
Theatrical
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Russian Federation
Releases by Country
Russian Federation
11 Nov 1949
- Theatrical
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I love cynical historical revisionism as much as anyone, but there is something awesome about World War Two propaganda films when they are done right, and the Soviets really did it with gusto.
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Really fascinating movie, mostly as a time capsule of course. It’s basically Soviet edutainment, as we get a play-by-play of the Nazi invasion of Stalingrad in part 1* and the Soviet counteroffensive in the second part (complete with animated geographic diagrams!), cutting between Stalin and a few of his top generals, scenes of field commanders receiving orders and responding, cuts of warfare, and some screen time for the Nazi officers cut in the same cloth. Technically all very boring, and it would have been utterly— if not for the intrigue of the positive light of Stalin’s depiction, stoic and carefully worded, speaking to each person as if to a baby, and the truly impressive aformentioned scenes of warfare. I am…
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Dull conference room discussions and military briefings intercut with incredibly impressive combat sequences that will make any film fan's jaw drop.
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Rather than construct some character drama or dig into the experiences of soldiers on the frontline, 'The Battle of Stalingrad' tells its story through the political and military leaders of both Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union, with Stalin as its leading character. It's a fairly well crafted dramatisation which transparently aims to strengthen the heroic post-war image of Stalin with even the leaders of the other Allied powers talking him up.
Whilst there is a great deal of desperate and intense combat woven into the film, some of which seemed to be actual footage of the battle, events mainly play out in meetings between those leading the direction of the war on both sides.
The presentation of those meetings…
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The two Stalingrad films are basically glorified Soviet docudramas. Especially the first one. The second one gets a little better in the drama department, but it's never amazing in that regard. Which is a shame because it had something interesting to tell and it could have been told in a much grander and engaging way. The war room scenes with world leaders were incredibly uninspired and wooden, while the battle scenes were.... great! There was such a difference in ambition between those two aspects that it was hard to take.
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Its a very generic propaganda war film but just like a lot of eastern European war propaganda its so massive in spectacle (like seriously how did they not make a giant monster movie when they had these massive productions) that I kind of forgot just how boring all the generals talking in rooms scenes are
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Stalingradskaya bitva II (aka The Battle of Stalingrad Part II)(1949) The second part of Vladimir Petrov's epic story of the turning point of World War II is much like the first part -- ponderous in the strategy scenes, which are each shot almost identically, and near-astounding in the combat sequences. The film ticks back and forth between the two in highly predictable fashion. But this time there is a touch more humanity to the characters, particularly General Paulus, commander of the German forces. Vladimir Gajdarov is superb in this part, evoking an astonishing amount of sympathy for a Nazi officer, at least compared to other characters in the film. And he is cast so perfectly, physically, that, knowing very well what both men look like, I cannot tell if the accompanying still is of Gajdarov or the real Paulus. Despite some sources' claims, Nikolay Cherkasov does not repeat his cameo as FDR in this chapter. Well worth seeing.
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Stalingradskaya bitva I (aka The Battle of Stalingrad Part I)(1949) Docudrama, with emphasis on the docu, about the pivotal battle between Germany and the USSR. Scenes featuring well-cast actors as Stalin, Hitler, and Roosevelt (Nikolay Cherkasov) are largely expository and rather flatly shot. Stalin comes off quite avuncularly in Aleksei Dikij's performance (interestingly, Dikij was approved to play Stalin by Stalin AFTER having served several years in a gulag on Stalin's orders!). It is the scenes of the actual battle that are remarkable. It is hard to believe it is not mostly real-life footage of the battle, except that it uses filmmaking techniques that would have been impossible in an actual battle. Some real expertise is at work in these combat scenes, some of which are truly massive. A very interesting film, the first half of two pictures.
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Like a rough draft of the following years The Fall Of Berlin, weaker than that movie in several clearly-visible ways. The pyrotechnics are still pretty awesome here.