''I Remember Everything, Richard'' () is a 1966 film produced during Soviet period at the

Riga Film Studio Riga Film Studio (, ) is a Latvian film production company based in Riga and founded in 1940 on the basis of the earlier private film companies. In 1948, the Riga Documentary Film Studio was founded. In 1970–80, the company produced 10-15 fil ...

. Another name for the film is ''Rock and Splinters'' (), which is normally applied to the uncut version. The film's director was

Rolands Kalniņš Rolands Kalniņš (9 May 1922 – 17 May 2022) was a Latvian film director, screenwriter, and producer. Biography Rolands Kalniņš was born on 9 May 1922 in Vecslabada, Istra Parish, Latvia to a post worker family. From 1937 to 1940, he s ...

Plot

Three friends — Jānis, Zigis, and Ričards — are mobilized into the

Latvian Legion The Latvian Legion () was a formation of the Nazi German Waffen-SS during World War II. Created in 1943, it consisted primarily of ethnic Latvians.Gerhard P. Bassler, ''Alfred Valdmanis and the politics of survival'', 2000, p150 Mirdza Kate Balta ...

during

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, where they fight against the

Red Army The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army, often shortened to the Red Army, was the army and air force of the Russian Soviet Republic and, from 1922, the Soviet Union. The army was established in January 1918 by a decree of the Council of People ...

in the

Volkhov Volkhov () is an industrial types of inhabited localities in Russia, town and the administrative center of Volkhovsky District in Leningrad Oblast, Russia, located on the river Volkhov (river), Volkhov east of Saint Petersburg, St. Petersbu ...

Marshes. Zigis is killed while attempting to

desert A desert is a landscape where little precipitation occurs and, consequently, living conditions create unique biomes and ecosystems. The lack of vegetation exposes the unprotected surface of the ground to denudation. About one-third of the la ...

to the Soviets. After the war, Jānis is amnestied and remains in Soviet Latvia, accepting the new order, while Ričards is missing. Twenty years later, the two surviving friends meet again. Ričards, who has returned from abroad on a secret mission, has become an agent of Western intelligence services hostile to the Soviet regime. The film portrays the events surrounding the participation of the

in battles against the Soviets on the

Leningrad Front The Leningrad Front () was formed during the 1941 German approach on Leningrad (now Saint Petersburg) by dividing the Northern Front into the Leningrad Front and Karelian Front on August 27, 1941. History The Leningrad Front was immediately ...

, particularly during the

Battle of Leningrad The siege of Leningrad was a Siege, military blockade undertaken by the Axis powers against the city of Leningrad (present-day Saint Petersburg) in the Soviet Union on the Eastern Front (World War II), Eastern Front of World War II from 1941 t ...

, with the focus on a critical moment where Ričards takes part in executing a captured Latvian

soldier to save his friend Zigis. Afterward, Ričards is sent to Germany, recruited by Western powers, and tasked with a mission in Latvia to destroy the Latvian Warriors' Monument at the Brothers' Cemetery, Riga. In the finale, Ričards kills his friend Jānis and realizes that he has lost everything—his wife, his friend, and his homeland. His secret mission is exposed, and he is arrested. While produced during the Soviet period and full of

Soviet propaganda Propaganda in the Soviet Union was the practice of state-directed communication aimed at promoting class conflict, proletarian internationalism, the goals of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union, and the party itself. The main Soviet cen ...

clichés, the film rather objectively describes the events surrounding the participation of the

in battles against Soviets on the

during World War II.

Cast

The film's cast included several notable Latvian actors:

Eduards Pāvuls Eduards is a Latvian masculine given name, which is a cognate of the English name Edward, meaning "rich guard".''Behind the Name''"Given Name Edward" Retrieved on 22 January 2016. The name may refer to: *Eduards Andersons (1914–1985), Latvian ...

, Antra Liedskalniņa, Harijs Liepiņš,

Pauls Butkēvičs Pauls Butkēvičs (born 8 August 1940 in Riga) is a Latvian film and theater actor, best known for starring in '' I Remember Everything, Richard'' and '' Elpojiet dziļi!'' (1967, also known as ''Četri balti krekli''). He also starred in '' Ilgai ...

Uldis Pūcītis Uldis Pūcītis (15 April 1937 – 14 December 2000) was a Latvian television, theater and film actor, scriptwriter and film director. Early life and stage career Uldis Pūcītis was born in Ranka parish, Gulbene district to Jānis Pūcītis ...

References

External links

*
Akmens un šķembas on VHS - Gilde Film Studio
* (in Latvian) 1966 films 1966 war films 1960s Soviet films 1960s Russian-language films Russian-language war drama films Soviet war drama films Soviet World War II films Soviet black-and-white films Soviet-era Latvian films Latvian drama films Films shot in Latvia Films set in Latvia Latvian-language films Latvian Legion Riga Film Studio films {{Latvia-film-stub