''Six P.M.'' is the 1946 American release title of the 1944 Soviet

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

film ''At 6 P.M. After the War'' (russian: В 6 часов вечера после войны, V shest chasov vechera posle voyny, (also ''At six o'clock in the evening after the war'') by

Ivan Pyryev Ivan Aleksandrovich Pyryev (russian: Ива́н Алекса́ндрович Пы́рьев; – 7 February 1968) was a Soviet-Russian film director and screenwriter remembered as the high priest of Stalinist cinema. He was awarded six Stali ...

Plot

In the very beginning of the

Great Patriotic War The Eastern Front of World War II was a theatre of conflict between the European Axis powers against the Soviet Union (USSR), Poland and other Allies, which encompassed Central Europe, Eastern Europe, Northeast Europe (Baltics), and Sout ...

, a young artillery officer Pavel (

Ivan Lyubeznov Ivan Aleksandrovich Lyubeznov (russian: Ива́н Алекса́ндрович Любе́знов; 19 April (2 May) 1909, in Astrakhan – 5 March 1988, in Moscow) was a Russian theater and film actor, reader during the rule of the Soviet Unio ...

) receives a package from an orphanage. In a leave, his comrade and he go to the orphanage to see the children who sent it. Pavel meets there a young woman Varia (

Marina Ladynina Marina Alekseyevna Ladynina (russian: Мари́на Алексе́евна Лады́нина; June 24 .s. 11 1908 in Skotinino, Smolensk, Russian Empire – March 10, 2003 in Moscow, Russian Federation) was a popular Soviet film and theatre ...

). They fall in love from the first sight. They agree to meet again in Moscow "in 6 p.m. after the War'. Varia joins the army and becomes an

anti-aircraft gunner Anti-aircraft warfare, counter-air or air defence forces is the battlespace response to aerial warfare, defined by NATO as "all measures designed to nullify or reduce the effectiveness of hostile air action".AAP-6 It includes surface based, ...

. Varia and Pavel meet again after the War.

The title

The Russian film title alludes to the agreement of

the Good Soldier Švejk ''The Good Soldier Švejk'' () is an unfinished satirical dark comedy novel by Czech writer Jaroslav Hašek, published in 1921–1923, about a good-humored, simple-minded, middle-aged man who pretends to be enthusiastic to serve Austria-Hungary i ...

and sapper Vodička on their way to the front, to meet at the pub "By the Chalice" (U Kalicha) "at 6 p.m. after the war". In the film, the two young lovers agree to meet at 6 p.m. after the war at the

Bolshoy Kamenny Bridge Bolshoy Kamenny Bridge (russian: Большой Каменный мост, ''Greater Stone Bridge'') is a steel arch bridge spanning Moskva River at the western end of the Moscow Kremlin. Its predecessor was the first permanent stone bridge in Mo ...

in Moscow. Since then the expression has become a Russian

catch phrase A catchphrase (alternatively spelled catch phrase) is a phrase or expression recognized by its repeated utterance. Such phrases often originate in popular culture and in the arts, and typically spread through word of mouth and a variety of mass ...

. Another version connects the title with a poem written by the Soviet poet

Yevgeniy Dolmatovsky Yevgeny Aronovich Dolmatovsky (; 5 May 1915 – 10 September 1994) was a Soviet and Russian poet and lyricist. He was born and died in Moscow. Examples of his songs * Ballad of the Siberian Land (music by Nikolai Kryukov) - 1947 :The theme son ...

during the

Winter war The Winter War,, sv, Vinterkriget, rus, Зи́мняя война́, r=Zimnyaya voyna. The names Soviet–Finnish War 1939–1940 (russian: link=no, Сове́тско-финская война́ 1939–1940) and Soviet–Finland War 1 ...

with Finland in 1940. The poem entitled merely '6 P.M." has the line "at 6 P.M. after the War" as the refrain.

Facts about the film

* The film predicted that the War would end in May. * The film earned the 1946

Stalin Prize Stalin Prize may refer to: * The State Stalin Prize in science and engineering and in arts, awarded 1941 to 1954, later known as the USSR State Prize * The Stalin Peace Prize, awarded 1949 to 1955, later known as the Lenin Peace Prize The Int ...

of 2nd degree for the director, the composer

Tikhon Khrennikov Tikhon Nikolayevich Khrennikov (russian: Тихон Николаевич Хренников; – 14 August 2007) was a Russian and Soviet composer, pianist, and General Secretary of the Union of Soviet Composers (1948–1991), who was also known ...

, screenwriter

Viktor Gusev Viktor Mikhaylovich Gusev (; 30 January 1909 – 23 January 1944) wrote lyrics to accompany several patriotic Soviet military tunes, including 'Polyushko Pole' and ' March of the Artillerymen'. He wrote the play ''Spring in Moscow'', which was t ...

, and lead actors

, and

Yevgeny Samoylov Yevgeny Valerianovich Samoilov (russian: Евгений Валерианович Самойлов) (16 April 1912 in St. Petersburg – 17 February 2006 in Moscow) was a Soviet actor who gained prominence in youthful heroic parts and was named a ...

.В шесть часов вечера после войны

Cast

- Varia Pankova *

- Lieutenant Pavel Demidov *

- senior lieutenant Vasily Kudryashov *Ariadne Lisak - Fenya, Varia's friend *Elena Savitskaya - Aunt Katya, building manager *

Yevgeny Morgunov Yevgeny Alexandrovich Morgunov (russian: Евге́ний Алекса́ндрович Моргуно́в; April 27, 1927 – June 25, 1999) was a Soviet and Russian actor, film director, and script writer, Merited Artist of Russian SFSR (1978 ...

- artilleryman *

Mikhail Pugovkin Mikhail Ivanovich Pugovkin (russian: Михаи́л Ива́нович Пу́говкин; July 13, 1923, Rameshki, Chukhlomsky District of Kostroma Oblast — July 25, 2008, Moscow) (aged 85) was a Soviet and Russian comic actor named a People' ...

- artilleryman *

Tatyana Barysheva Tatyana Semyonovna Barysheva (russian: Татья́на Семёновна Ба́рышева; 31 December 1896 - 10 February 1979) was a Soviet stage and film actress. Life Barysheva was born in Moscow. From 1915 to 1918 she was an actress at th ...

- resident of house number 5 *Irina Murzaeva - pianist *Lyudmila Semyonova - anti-aircraft gunner * Aleksandr Antonov - commander *Margarita Zharov - collective farm girl (uncredited) *Alexandra Danilova - anti-aircraft gunner (uncredited) *Stepan Krylov - military (uncredited) *Tatiana Govorkov - neighbor (uncredited)

References

1944 films 1944 war films 1944 in the Soviet Union 1940s romantic musical films 1940s musical drama films 1940s war romance films 1940s war drama films 1944 romantic drama films 1940s Soviet films 1940s Russian-language films Soviet musical drama films Soviet war drama films War romance films Soviet romantic drama films Soviet black-and-white films Soviet World War II films Mosfilm films Films scored by Tikhon Khrennikov {{WWII-drama-film-stub