Živyje i mjortvyje

One of the key Soviet war films of the 1960s, in which the time of its creation is very important. It was 1964 and the peak of the Khrushchev thaw. Just a few years before and shortly after its completion, it would not have been possible to make a similar film. The film depicts the first half-year of the Great Patriotic War, a period of heavy retreat battles and great disillusionment. On the other hand, even here, the creators did not dare to tell the truth about this war, and the film remains in many ways obedient to the official line. It is characteristic that although many things are hinted at in the film, in the most intense moments and most intimate testimonies of individual characters, things and events are not called by their proper names. A high-ranking military commander who survived the purges in the officer corps only vaguely describes that he lost a certain period of his life, and the paranoia of the time is portrayed only through a series of hints. The reality was incomparably worse. The filmmakers worked with a limited budget, and this war drama is far from as spectacular as, for example, Ozerov's epic war films. A real battle appears in the film only once and is shot rather schematically. Most of the time, the film moves forward through dialogues, in many cases pathetic and strongly marked by ideological phrases. Soldiers from the besieged units, who for several days fight their way back to the front without rest, meet their commander and light up like sunshine after rain. Some commanders or soldiers loudly proclaim slogans to the camera. The propaganda character of the film, so typical for Soviet filmmaking, cannot be overlooked despite some positive changes. Overall impression: 45%. (15.03.2009)