''Lenin in 1918'' (, ''Lenin v 1918 godu'') is a Soviet biographical drama film released in 1939. It gives the background of the

Russian Civil War The Russian Civil War () was a multi-party civil war in the former Russian Empire sparked by the 1917 overthrowing of the Russian Provisional Government in the October Revolution, as many factions vied to determine Russia's political future. I ...

after the

October Revolution The October Revolution, also known as the Great October Socialist Revolution (in Historiography in the Soviet Union, Soviet historiography), October coup, Bolshevik coup, or Bolshevik revolution, was the second of Russian Revolution, two r ...

. The film was directed by

Mikhail Romm Mikhail Ilyich Romm (; – 1 November 1971) was a Soviet film director, screenwriter and pedagogue. He was named People's Artist of the USSR in 1950. Life and career Early life He was born in Irkutsk into a family of mixed Russian Jewish ...

with E. Aron and I. Simkov as co-directors. The script was written by Aleksei Kapler together with Taisiya Zlatogorova.

Plot

The film depicts events from 1918 in Moscow, at the height of the Russian

Civil War A civil war is a war between organized groups within the same Sovereign state, state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies.J ...

, a time marked by famine and devastation. Amidst this turmoil, the Soviet government, led by Lenin and Stalin, works tirelessly within the Kremlin to guide the country out of crisis. Despite the intense pressures of governance, Lenin finds time to meet with emissaries from the people. A pivotal moment in the film is Lenin’s meeting with a wealthy peasant from

Tambov Tambov ( , ; rus, Тамбов, p=tɐmˈbof) is a types of inhabited localities in Russia, city and the administrative center of Tambov Oblast, Central Federal District, central Russia, at the confluence of the Tsna River (Moksha basin), Tsna ...

. At the same time, a conspiracy against the government begins to take shape. The plot is uncovered by Commander Matveyev, but the conspirators manage to escape and later organize an assassination attempt on Lenin. The attempt takes place during Lenin's speech at the Michelson Factory, where Fanny Kaplan fires the shot that wounds him. Lenin endures a prolonged recovery but eventually regains his health and resumes his work, continuing to lead the nation through its challenges. The film captures this critical period in Soviet history, highlighting both the hardships of the time and the resilience of its leaders.

Cast

* Boris Shchukin as

Vladimir Lenin Vladimir Ilyich Ulyanov ( 187021 January 1924), better known as Vladimir Lenin, was a Russian revolutionary, politician and political theorist. He was the first head of government of Soviet Russia from 1917 until Death and state funeral of ...

* Mikheil Gelovani as

Joseph Stalin Joseph Vissarionovich Stalin (born Dzhugashvili; 5 March 1953) was a Soviet politician and revolutionary who led the Soviet Union from 1924 until Death and state funeral of Joseph Stalin, his death in 1953. He held power as General Secret ...

(removed from cut version) * Nikolay Bogolyubov as

Kliment Voroshilov Kliment Yefremovich Voroshilov ( ; ), popularly known as Klim Voroshilov (; 4 February 1881 – 2 December 1969), was a prominent Soviet Military of the Soviet Union, military officer and politician during the Stalinism, Stalin era (1924–195 ...

* Nikolay Cherkasov as

Maxim Gorky Alexei Maximovich Peshkov (; – 18 June 1936), popularly known as Maxim Gorky (; ), was a Russian and Soviet writer and proponent of socialism. He was nominated five times for the Nobel Prize in Literature. Before his success as an aut ...

* Vasily Markov as

Felix Dzerzhinsky Felix Edmundovich Dzerzhinsky (; ; – 20 July 1926), nicknamed Iron Felix (), was a Soviet revolutionary and politician of Polish origin. From 1917 until his death in 1926, he led the first two Soviet secret police organizations, the Cheka a ...

* Leonid Lyubashevsky as

Yakov Sverdlov Yakov Mikhailovich Sverdlov ( – 16 March 1919) was a Russian revolutionary and Soviet politician. A key Bolshevik organizer of the October Revolution of 1917, Sverdlov served as chairman of the Secretariat of the Russian Communist Party from ...

*Zoya Dobina as

Nadezhda Krupskaya Nadezhda Konstantinovna Krupskaya ( rus, links=no, Надежда Константиновна Крупская, p=nɐˈdʲeʐdə kənstɐnʲˈtʲinəvnə ˈkrupskəjə; – 27 February 1939) was a Russian revolutionary, politician and politic ...

* Nikolay Okhlopkov as comrade Vasily, Lenin's assistant and bodyguard *Klavdiya Korobova as Natalya, Vasily's wife * Vasili Vanin as

Kremlin The Moscow Kremlin (also the Kremlin) is a fortified complex in Moscow, Russia. Located in the centre of the country's capital city, the Moscow Kremlin (fortification), Kremlin comprises five palaces, four cathedrals, and the enclosing Mosco ...

commandant Matveyev * Yelena Muzil as Yevdokiya Ivanovna, Lenin's housekeeper * Iosif Tolchanov as Andrei Fyodorovich, physician * Aleksandr Khokhlov as professor * Dmitry Orlov as Stepan Ivanovich Korobov, old St. Petersburg proletarian *Serafim Kozminsky as Bobylyov, Lenin's assistant * Nikolai Plotnikov as kulak from Tambov Governorate * Nikolai Svobodin as Valerian Rutkovsky, socialist revolutionary *Viktor Tretyakov as Ivan Grigoryevich Novikov, socialist revolutionary * Natalya Yefron as Fanny Kaplan * Aleksandr Shatov as Konstantinov, counter-revolutionary conspiracy organizer * Vladimir Solovyov as Sintsov, chekist-traitor * Sergei Antimonov as Polyakov (uncredited) * Viktor Kulakov as

Nikolai Bukharin Nikolai Ivanovich Bukharin (; rus, Николай Иванович Бухарин, p=nʲɪkɐˈlaj ɪˈvanəvʲɪdʑ bʊˈxarʲɪn; – 15 March 1938) was a Russian revolutionary, Soviet politician, and Marxist theorist. A prominent Bolshevik ...

(uncut version, uncredited) * Rostislav Plyatt as military expert (uncut version, uncredited) *Georgy Bogatov as

Vyacheslav Molotov Vyacheslav Mikhaylovich Molotov (; – 8 November 1986) was a Soviet politician, diplomat, and revolutionary who was a leading figure in the government of the Soviet Union from the 1920s to the 1950s, as one of Joseph Stalin's closest allies. ...

(uncredited) * Anatoli Papanov as episode (uncredited)

Production

The shooting started on 10 August 1938 and lasted for eighty-seven days. Shchukin never saw Lenin in real life, but he did intense research, immersing himself in everything related to him. During the production of ''Lenin in 1918'', Boris Shchukin constantly suffered from ill health. Exactly six months after his appearance in the film and while a sequel was being developed Shchukin died.

International audience

During China's

Cultural Revolution The Cultural Revolution, formally known as the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution, was a Social movement, sociopolitical movement in the China, People's Republic of China (PRC). It was launched by Mao Zedong in 1966 and lasted until his de ...

, ''Lenin in 1918'' along with '' Lenin in October'' were the only Soviet feature films repeatedly screened to the public.

References

External links

* 1939 drama films 1939 films 1930s biographical drama films 1930s Russian-language films Russian Civil War films Films about Vladimir Lenin Cultural depictions of Joseph Stalin Films directed by Mikhail Romm Films set in 1918 Mosfilm films Russian biographical drama films Russian black-and-white films Soviet biographical drama films Soviet black-and-white films 1930s Soviet films Russian-language biographical drama films {{bio-film-stub