''T-34'' (russian: Т-34) is a 2019 Russian
war film
War film is a film genre concerned with warfare, typically about naval, air, or land battles, with combat scenes central to the drama. It has been strongly associated with the 20th century. The fateful nature of battle scenes means that war fi ...
written and directed by
Aleksey Sidorov
Aleksey Leonidovich Sidorov (russian: link=no, Алексе́й Леони́дович Си́доров; born August 22, 1968) is a Russian film director, screenwriter and producer.
Biography
Aleksey was born in Severodvinsk. He studied at the ...
. The title references the
T-34
The T-34 is a Soviet medium tank introduced in 1940. When introduced its 76.2 mm (3 in) tank gun was less powerful than its contemporaries while its 60-degree sloped armour provided good protection against Anti-tank warfare, anti-tan ...
, a
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 ...
-era Soviet medium tank used during the
defense of the Soviet Union. The film narrates the life of Nikolai Ivushkin, a tank commander who gets captured by the Germans. Three years later, he begins to plan his ultimate escape, alongside his newly recruited tank crew. It stars
Alexander Petrov as
Junior Lieutenant Junior lieutenant is a junior officer rank in several countries, equivalent to Sub-lieutenant.
Germany
In the National People's Army, the rank of () was introduced in 1956.
Eastern Europe
In many Eastern European countries, the rank of junior l ...
Ivushkin, with
Viktor Dobronravov
Viktor Fyodorovich Dobronravov (russian: link=no, Виктор Фёдорович Добронра́вов; born 8 March 1983) is a Russian theatre actor, dubbing professional, musician, and leader of the Carpet Quartet group. Merited Artist of ...
,
Irina Starshenbaum
Irina Vladimirovna Starshenbaum (russian: Ирина Владимировна Старшенба́ум; born 30 March 1992) is a Russian stage, film and voice actress. For her role in ''T-34'', she won the TEFI award for Best Actress and was a no ...
, Anton Bogdanov,
Yuri Borisov,
Semyon Treskunov
Semyon Alekseevich Treskunov (russian: Семён Алексе́евич Трескуно́в; born 14 November 1999) is a Russian actor. He appeared in more than ten films since 2012.
Early life
Semyon Treskunov was born in Moscow, Russia.
His ...
, and
Artyom Bystrov.
''T-34'' was released in Russia by
Central Partnership
Central Partnership (russian: Централ Партнершип) is a Russian film distribution and production company founded in 1995. The distributor was acquired by Russian gas company Gazprom in 2014.
History
Central Partnership started ...
on January 1, 2019, and for hire converted into
IMAX
IMAX is a proprietary system of high-resolution cameras, film formats, film projectors, and theaters known for having very large screens with a tall aspect ratio (approximately either 1.43:1 or 1.90:1) and steep stadium seating.
Graeme F ...
format. The film was released to generally positive reviews, with critics praising the production quality and visual effects. It was successful commercially, grossing 2.2 billion rubles (about $32 million), against a production budget of 600 million rubles, after a week in cinemas. It is in second place on Russia's biggest blockbusters list with over 8.5 million viewers and 2 billion rubles, and is currently the fourth-highest grossing Russian film of all time.
Plot
In November
1941
Events
Below, the events of World War II have the "WWII" prefix.
January
* January–August – 10,072 men, women and children with mental and physical disabilities are asphyxiated with carbon monoxide in a gas chamber, at Hadamar Eu ...
, just outside
Moscow
Moscow ( , US chiefly ; rus, links=no, Москва, r=Moskva, p=mɐskˈva, a=Москва.ogg) is the capital and largest city of Russia. The city stands on the Moskva River in Central Russia, with a population estimated at 13.0 million ...
,
Red Army
The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army (Russian: Рабо́че-крестья́нская Кра́сная армия),) often shortened to the Red Army, was the army and air force of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic and, after ...
Junior Lieutenant Junior lieutenant is a junior officer rank in several countries, equivalent to Sub-lieutenant.
Germany
In the National People's Army, the rank of () was introduced in 1956.
Eastern Europe
In many Eastern European countries, the rank of junior l ...
Nikolay Ivushkin (
Alexander Petrov) is driving a ramshackle truck and trailer with a young
private
Private or privates may refer to:
Music
* " In Private", by Dusty Springfield from the 1990 album ''Reputation''
* Private (band), a Denmark-based band
* "Private" (Ryōko Hirosue song), from the 1999 album ''Private'', written and also recorde ...
named Vasiliy beside him. A German
Panzer III
The ''Panzerkampfwagen III'', commonly known as the Panzer III, was a medium tank developed in the 1930s by Germany, and was used extensively in World War II. The official German ordnance designation was Sd.Kfz. 141. It was intended to fight oth ...
tank appears over a hill and opens fire on them. Nikolay, who has been trained as an armor officer, maneuvers skillfully and they escape injured, but alive.
Nikolay is assigned to command a damaged
T-34
The T-34 is a Soviet medium tank introduced in 1940. When introduced its 76.2 mm (3 in) tank gun was less powerful than its contemporaries while its 60-degree sloped armour provided good protection against Anti-tank warfare, anti-tan ...
tank whose commander was killed, with orders to delay the Germans' advance with only the single tank and a small number of supporting infantry. Nikolay and his crew lay an ambush for a
platoon
A platoon is a military unit typically composed of two or more squads, sections, or patrols. Platoon organization varies depending on the country and the branch, but a platoon can be composed of 50 people, although specific platoons may range ...
of German
panzer
This article deals with the tanks (german: panzer) serving in the German Army (''Deutsches Heer'') throughout history, such as the World War I tanks of the Imperial German Army, the interwar and World War II tanks of the Nazi German Wehrmacht, ...
s commanded by Klaus Jäger (
Vinzenz Kiefer
Vinzenz Kiefer (born January 29, 1979) is a German actor. He is known for playing the role of police detective Alexander Brandt in the crime series ''Alarm für Cobra 11'', Christian Dassault in ''Jason Bourne'', as well as playing Peter-Jürgen ...
). Through a combination of guile and bravery, their T-34 destroys six panzers, but in a final
duel
A duel is an arranged engagement in combat between two people, with matched weapons, in accordance with agreed-upon Code duello, rules.
During the 17th and 18th centuries (and earlier), duels were mostly single combats fought with swords (the r ...
with Jäger's command panzer, both tanks are disabled, and half the Russian tank crew is killed, and Nikolay and driver Stepan Vasilyonok captured.
Three years later, in
1944
Events
Below, the events of World War II have the "WWII" prefix.
January
* January 2 – WWII:
** Free French General Jean de Lattre de Tassigny is appointed to command French Army B, part of the Sixth United States Army Group in Nor ...
, Jäger, now a
Standartenführer
__NOTOC__
''Standartenführer'' (short: ''Staf'', , ) was a Nazi Party (NSDAP) paramilitary rank that was used in several NSDAP organizations, such as the SA, SS, NSKK and the NSFK. First founded as a title in 1925, in 1928 it became one of ...
, gains permission from
Reichsführer-SS
(, ) was a special title and rank that existed between the years of 1925 and 1945 for the commander of the (SS). ''Reichsführer-SS'' was a title from 1925 to 1933, and from 1934 to 1945 it was the highest rank of the SS. The longest-servi ...
Heinrich Himmler
Heinrich Luitpold Himmler (; 7 October 1900 – 23 May 1945) was of the (Protection Squadron; SS), and a leading member of the Nazi Party of Germany. Himmler was one of the most powerful men in Nazi Germany and a main architect of th ...
and General
Heinz Guderian
Heinz Wilhelm Guderian (; 17 June 1888 – 14 May 1954) was a German general during World War II who, after the war, became a successful memoirist. An early pioneer and advocate of the " blitzkrieg" approach, he played a central role in t ...
to recruit an experienced tank crew from Soviet
POW
A prisoner of war (POW) is a person who is held captive by a belligerent power during or immediately after an armed conflict. The earliest recorded usage of the phrase "prisoner of war" dates back to 1610.
Belligerents hold prisoners of war ...
s in a
concentration camp
Internment is the imprisonment of people, commonly in large groups, without charges or intent to file charges. The term is especially used for the confinement "of enemy citizens in wartime or of terrorism suspects". Thus, while it can simply ...
to act as opponents for training the
12th SS Panzer Division Hitlerjugend. Nikolay has been a prisoner for three years, and has refused to give his name, but Jäger recognizes his photograph from the camp records. Jäger proposes the idea to Nikolay through the camp's interpreter, bilingual Russian prisoner Anya (
Irina Starshenbaum
Irina Vladimirovna Starshenbaum (russian: Ирина Владимировна Старшенба́ум; born 30 March 1992) is a Russian stage, film and voice actress. For her role in ''T-34'', she won the TEFI award for Best Actress and was a no ...
). At first Nikolay refuses, but agrees after Jäger threatens to kill Anya.
Nikolay picks out three other tankers from the POWs – driver Vasilyonok, loader Serafim Ionov, and gunner Demyan Volchok—to crew a
T-34/85
The T-34 is a Soviet medium tank introduced in 1940. When introduced its 76.2 mm (3 in) tank gun was less powerful than its contemporaries while its 60-degree sloped armour provided good protection against anti-tank weapons. The Chr ...
that the Germans just captured. At first, the other tankers refuse to take part, but Nikolay says he has a plan to escape.
The Germans first order the Soviet prisoners to clear out the rotting and burned bodies from inside the tank, but as they remove the bodies, they unexpectedly find a small number of remaining live shells and
hand grenade
A grenade is an explosive weapon typically thrown by hand (also called hand grenade), but can also refer to a shell (explosive projectile) shot from the muzzle of a rifle (as a rifle grenade) or a grenade launcher. A modern hand grenade genera ...
s. Granted permission to bury their comrades, they hide the munitions with the bodies in a
cairn
A cairn is a man-made pile (or stack) of stones raised for a purpose, usually as a marker or as a burial mound. The word ''cairn'' comes from the gd, càrn (plural ).
Cairns have been and are used for a broad variety of purposes. In prehis ...
on the edge of the
training ground
A training ground is an area where professional association football teams prepare for matches, with activities primarily concentrating on skills and fitness. They also sometimes form part of a club's youth system, as clubs consider it important t ...
s. Not trusting the Soviets, Jäger orders
anti-tank mine
An anti-tank mine (abbreviated to "AT mine") is a type of land mine designed to damage or destroy vehicles including tanks and armored fighting vehicles.
Compared to anti-personnel mines, anti-tank mines typically have a much larger explosive c ...
s laid around the entirety of the training grounds. Anya convinces Nikolay to let her escape with them, as only she can steal a map from Jäger's office showing a safe route out of the area, and gain a pass letting her out of the camp for a day.
Before the training exercise, Nikolay and his crew retrieve the munitions and create a smoke screen to mask their movements. Believing the T-34 is unarmed, the Germans are unprepared when the trainees' first
Panther tank
The Panther tank, officially ''Panzerkampfwagen V Panther'' (abbreviated PzKpfw V) with ordnance inventory designation: ''Sd.Kfz.'' 171, is a German medium tank of World War II. It was used on the Eastern and Western Fronts from mid-1943 to ...
is knocked out, and a second shell is fired directly into the observation tower, killing most of the officers inside, except for Jäger and Guderian, who jump out at the last second. The T-34 boldly storms through the training grounds’ car park (crushing many of the officers’ staff cars) and breaks through the main gate, avoiding the minefield. The tankers pick up Anya at a bus stop outside the camp; with her map, Nikolay plots a course toward
Czechoslovakia
, rue, Чеськословеньско, , yi, טשעכאסלאוואקיי,
, common_name = Czechoslovakia
, life_span = 1918–19391945–1992
, p1 = Austria-Hungary
, image_p1 ...
and back to the
Red Army
The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army (Russian: Рабо́че-крестья́нская Кра́сная армия),) often shortened to the Red Army, was the army and air force of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic and, after ...
's lines. In the first town they come to, Nikolay and his hungry crew find badly needed fuel, new clothing, and fresh food. They burn their ragged prisoner clothes as they drive out of town.
At first, Nikolay suggests abandoning the tank and splitting up, believing they have a better chance of survival if they separate, but the crew insist on staying with him. Before dawn, knowing that the Germans will be hunting them, Nikolay puts Anya out of their tank and tells her to make her way east on foot through the forests. Jäger meanwhile takes to the sky in a
Fieseler Storch
The Fieseler Fi 156 ''Storch'' (, "stork") was a German liaison aircraft built by Fieseler before and during World War II. Production continued in other countries into the 1950s for the private market. It was notable for its excellent short fiel ...
to find Nikolay's T-34. He then takes command of four Panthers and prepares an ambush in the small town of
Klingenthal
Klingenthal is a town in the Vogtland region, in Saxony, south-eastern Germany. It is situated directly on the border with the Czech Republic opposite the Czech town of Kraslice, 29 km southeast of Plauen, and 33 km northwest of Karlo ...
.
At night, the T-34 enters the town and stumbles into the first of the four Panthers. Instead of trying to pierce its front armor, Volchok fires a shot under its hull that ricochets off the pavement and penetrates its underbelly. Nikolay realizes they are surrounded by the remaining three Panthers, including Jäger's. Knowing they need to distract the other crews, he sends out Volchok, armed only with a grenade, to disable one. Vasilyonok crashes their T-34 through building walls before unexpectedly colliding with one of the other Panthers. The Russians manually turn their damaged turret and get a shot off just as the Germans are about to fire, destroying the panzer. Meanwhile, the two other Panthers have arrived on the scene and one takes aim at Nikolay. However, Volchok manages to fire a shell out of the German tank he just captured. The third Panther is disabled, but Jäger quickly disposes of the captured Panther, badly wounding Volchok.
Both Jäger and Nikolay emerge from the cupolas of their tanks. Jäger throws down his glove, inviting Nikolay to a duel. Nikolay asks for five minutes to pick up the wounded Volchok. Both tanks then move outside the town and face off over a narrow stone bridge across the river. As the tanks charge at each other, Jäger fires several shots at the T-34, but fails to disable it, while Nikolay waits to fire their last shell directly through the driver's vision port. As in 1941, the two tanks fire simultaneously, badly damaging but not disabling each other. Out of ammunition, Nikolay orders Vasilyonok to ram Jäger's tank, pushing it to the edge of the bridge. Jäger crawls out of his Panther while Nikolay aims a stolen rifle at him. Jäger shouts for Nikolay to shoot him, but Nikolay offers his foe mercy. Jäger extends his hand and the two adversaries exchange a handshake of respect. Nikolay tries to pull Jäger to safety, but Jäger lets go, allowing himself to fall to his death as his Panther tips over the bridge and plummets into the river.
With their tank's
tracks disabled, the crew reunites with Anya outside the town, carrying the wounded Volchok on a makeshift stretcher, and they make their way towards the Russian lines on foot.
The film ends with a dedication to the Red Army tank crews 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 ...
, all of whom earned the status of heroes for fighting against the invasion of their country.
Cast
*
Alexander Petrov as
Junior Lieutenant Junior lieutenant is a junior officer rank in several countries, equivalent to Sub-lieutenant.
Germany
In the National People's Army, the rank of () was introduced in 1956.
Eastern Europe
In many Eastern European countries, the rank of junior l ...
Nikolay Ivushkin, tank officer
*
Vinzenz Kiefer
Vinzenz Kiefer (born January 29, 1979) is a German actor. He is known for playing the role of police detective Alexander Brandt in the crime series ''Alarm für Cobra 11'', Christian Dassault in ''Jason Bourne'', as well as playing Peter-Jürgen ...
as
SS-Standartenführer Klaus Jäger
*
Viktor Dobronravov
Viktor Fyodorovich Dobronravov (russian: link=no, Виктор Фёдорович Добронра́вов; born 8 March 1983) is a Russian theatre actor, dubbing professional, musician, and leader of the Carpet Quartet group. Merited Artist of ...
as
Sergeant
Sergeant (abbreviated to Sgt. and capitalized when used as a named person's title) is a rank in many uniformed organizations, principally military and policing forces. The alternative spelling, ''serjeant'', is used in The Rifles and other uni ...
Stepan Vasilyonok, tank driver
*
Irina Starshenbaum
Irina Vladimirovna Starshenbaum (russian: Ирина Владимировна Старшенба́ум; born 30 March 1992) is a Russian stage, film and voice actress. For her role in ''T-34'', she won the TEFI award for Best Actress and was a no ...
as Anya Yartseva, a translator in a concentration camp
*
Yuri Borisov as Serafim Ionov, loader of the
T-34-85 (1944)
* Anton Bogdanov as Demyan Volchkov "Volchok", tank gunner (1944)
* Artur Sopelnik as
Red Army man
Red Army man () was the lowest military rank in the Red Army of the Soviet Union from 1918 to 1946.
On 30 November 1917, after the October Revolution, the Military Revolutionary Committee cancelled all "officer and class ranks" in keeping with t ...
Ivan Kobzarenko, loader of the
T-34-76
The T-34 is a Soviet medium tank introduced in 1940. When introduced its 76.2 mm (3 in) tank gun was less powerful than its contemporaries while its 60-degree sloped armour provided good protection against anti-tank weapons. The C ...
(1941)
* Pyotr Skvortsov as Andrey Lykov, machine gunner (1941)
*
Semyon Treskunov
Semyon Alekseevich Treskunov (russian: Семён Алексе́евич Трескуно́в; born 14 November 1999) is a Russian actor. He appeared in more than ten films since 2012.
Early life
Semyon Treskunov was born in Moscow, Russia.
His ...
as
Red Army man
Red Army man () was the lowest military rank in the Red Army of the Soviet Union from 1918 to 1946.
On 30 November 1917, after the October Revolution, the Military Revolutionary Committee cancelled all "officer and class ranks" in keeping with t ...
Vasiliy Teterin "Teterya", lorry driver
* Guram Bablishvili as
Starshina Guram Gabuliya, commander of the infantry squad
* Danila Rassomakhin as Vasechkin
*
Artyom Bystrov as
Captain
Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...
Mikhail Korin
*
Wolfgang Cerny
Wolfgang Cerny (born August 31, 1984 in Vienna) is an Austrian actor and producer, best known for his roles in ''Storm of Love'' (2009-2010), '' Sobibor'' (2018) and ''The Red Ghost'' (2021). From 2012 until 2022 he was actively working in Moscow ...
as Wolf Hein, tank sniper
* Dirc Simpson as Grimm, the camp commandant
* Joshua Grothe as Thielicke
Rest of cast listed alphabetically
* Mike Davies as
Generalinspekteur der Panzertruppe Heinz Guderian
Heinz Wilhelm Guderian (; 17 June 1888 – 14 May 1954) was a German general during World War II who, after the war, became a successful memoirist. An early pioneer and advocate of the " blitzkrieg" approach, he played a central role in t ...
* Igor Khripunov as Lapikov
* Robinson Reichel as
Reichsführer-SS
(, ) was a special title and rank that existed between the years of 1925 and 1945 for the commander of the (SS). ''Reichsführer-SS'' was a title from 1925 to 1933, and from 1934 to 1945 it was the highest rank of the SS. The longest-servi ...
Heinrich Himmler
Heinrich Luitpold Himmler (; 7 October 1900 – 23 May 1945) was of the (Protection Squadron; SS), and a leading member of the Nazi Party of Germany. Himmler was one of the most powerful men in Nazi Germany and a main architect of th ...
* Yaroslav Shtefanov as Makeev, machine-gunner
* Anton Shurtsov as
Chief of staff
The title chief of staff (or head of staff) identifies the leader of a complex organization such as the armed forces, institution, or body of persons and it also may identify a principal staff officer (PSO), who is the coordinator of the supporti ...
* Christoph Urban as Schlozer
* Alexandr Zaporozhets as Petya
* Elena Drobysheva as Nikolay Ivushkin's mother
Production
Development
On September 10, 2015, it was announced that the Mars Media film company would start production of the high-budget war action drama ''T-34''.
Later, producer
Leonard Blavatnik
Sir Leonard Valentinovich Blavatnik, russian: Леонид Валентинович Блаватник, Leonid Valentinovich Blavatnik (born June 14, 1957) is a Ukraine-born American-British business magnate and philanthropist. As of March 202 ...
, an investor, owner of Amedia and
Warner Music
Warner Music Group Corp. ( d.b.a. Warner Music Group, commonly abbreviated as WMG) is an American multinational entertainment and record label conglomerate headquartered in New York City. It is one of the " big three" recording companies and t ...
Studios, joined the project and chose this film from a large number of proposals, which was also due to personal motives (as Blavatnik's grandfather was a
Red Army
The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army (Russian: Рабо́че-крестья́нская Кра́сная армия),) often shortened to the Red Army, was the army and air force of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic and, after ...
soldier), and other reasons - the best young artists, a first-class film crew and the successful experience of a partner, Mars Media, and personally Ruben Dishdishyan.
Filming
The shooting process of ''T-34'' started on 23 February and continued for 61 days. Some scenes were shot in
Moscow
Moscow ( , US chiefly ; rus, links=no, Москва, r=Moskva, p=mɐskˈva, a=Москва.ogg) is the capital and largest city of Russia. The city stands on the Moskva River in Central Russia, with a population estimated at 13.0 million ...
,
Kaluga
Kaluga ( rus, Калу́га, p=kɐˈɫuɡə), a city and the administrative center of Kaluga Oblast in Russia, stands on the Oka River southwest of Moscow. Population:
Kaluga's most famous resident, the space travel pioneer Konstantin Tsiol ...
and Moscow regions, others in the
Czech Republic
The Czech Republic, or simply Czechia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Historically known as Bohemia, it is bordered by Austria to the south, Germany to the west, Poland to the northeast, and Slovakia to the southeast. The ...
,
Prague
Prague ( ; cs, Praha ; german: Prag, ; la, Praga) is the capital and largest city in the Czech Republic, and the historical capital of Bohemia. On the Vltava river, Prague is home to about 1.3 million people. The city has a temperate ...
,
Kačina (library),
Loket (Sokolov District)
Loket (; german: Elbogen) is a town of in Sokolov District in the Karlovy Vary Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 3,100 inhabitants. The town centre itself features Loket Castle, a 12th-century Gothic castle. The town centre is well prese ...
,
Rudolfinum
The Rudolfinum is a building in Prague, Czech Republic. It is designed in the neo-renaissance style and is situated on Jan Palach Square on the bank of the river Vltava. Since its opening in 1885, it has been associated with music and art. Curr ...
and
Terezin. For the picture, more than 25 scale sceneries were built, among them a Russian village and a prisoner of war camp.
Five military-historical consultants took part in the making of the film.
Pre-production
In the film, several real
T-34
The T-34 is a Soviet medium tank introduced in 1940. When introduced its 76.2 mm (3 in) tank gun was less powerful than its contemporaries while its 60-degree sloped armour provided good protection against Anti-tank warfare, anti-tan ...
tank
A tank is an armoured fighting vehicle intended as a primary offensive weapon in front-line ground combat. Tank designs are a balance of heavy firepower, strong armour, and good battlefield mobility provided by tracks and a powerful engin ...
s were remade and updated for the film. The film also used several German and Soviet vehicles, such as the
Sd.Kfz. 251
The Sd.Kfz. 251 (''Sonderkraftfahrzeug 251'') half-track was a World War II German armored personnel carrier designed by the Hanomag company, based on its earlier, unarmored Sd.Kfz. 11 vehicle. The Sd.Kfz. 251 was designed to transport the ''Panz ...
half-track. The Panther tanks with
Zimmerit
''Zimmerit'' was a paste-like coating used on mid- and late-war German armored fighting vehicles during World War II. It was used to produce a hard layer covering the metal armor of the vehicle, providing enough separation that magnetically a ...
paste were made from
T-55 tank
The T-54 and T-55 tanks are a series of Soviet main battle tanks introduced in the years following the World War II, Second World War. The first T-54 prototype was completed at Nizhny Tagil by the end of 1945.Steven Zaloga, T-54 and T-55 Mai ...
s distinguishable by the five large main wheels.
Production designer Konstantin Pagutin spent a whole month building an entire village in a field near the village of Starlkowka, Kluj County, although the houses were destroyed at the beginning of the film, each one was designed in its own particular style, including hand-picked decorations and props.
Release
The film was scheduled to be released on December 27, 2018, in cinemas, but instead the picture was released on January 1, 2019, five days later than the planned date, distributors such as the
Central Partnership
Central Partnership (russian: Централ Партнершип) is a Russian film distribution and production company founded in 1995. The distributor was acquired by Russian gas company Gazprom in 2014.
History
Central Partnership started ...
and for rental converted to
IMAX
IMAX is a proprietary system of high-resolution cameras, film formats, film projectors, and theaters known for having very large screens with a tall aspect ratio (approximately either 1.43:1 or 1.90:1) and steep stadium seating.
Graeme F ...
format.
Marketing
''T-34'' premiered at
Comic-Con Russia
Comic-Con Russia is a speculative fiction entertainment annual exhibition and fan convention of computer and video games, TV series and comic movies in Russia, organized by the committee of the Russian Game Developers Conference and Bubble Comi ...
2018, the most attended Russian festival of pop culture, which took place in Moscow from 4 to 7 in October and once again beat attendance records, was held by the Central Partnership company.
Reception
Box office
On the first day of release, the Russian box office amounted to 111,335,337 rubles.
Call for censorship
The Ukrainian Embassy in USA called on local U.S. cinemas to ban the film because they saw it as justifying and promoting Moscow’s hostile foreign and security policy.
Critical response
The film received mixed ratings. According to the aggregator “Criticism” - 5.5 / 10 (based on 26 reviews).
Some publications after the publication of the trailer and the premiere of the film wrote about the similarity of the story with the plot of the 1965 Soviet war film
''The Lark'', noting that ''T-34'' cannot be considered a remake of ''The Lark'': both the method of presentation and the general outline of the narrative, and the ending of these two films are very different.
According to film critic
Anton Dolin, the authors made a high-budget military
blockbuster
Blockbuster or Block Buster may refer to:
*Blockbuster (entertainment) a term coined for an extremely successful movie, from which most other uses are derived.
Corporations
* Blockbuster (retailer), a defunct video and game rental chain
** Bl ...
, almost clearing it of the propaganda and ideological component: «The film about 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 ...
successfully managed without patriotic propaganda».
The creators do not pretend that the ''T-34'' is a picture of real events, at its core it is «a pure fantasy adapted for
teenager
Adolescence () is a transitional stage of physical and psychological development that generally occurs during the period from puberty to adulthood (typically corresponding to the age of majority). Adolescence is usually associated with the te ...
s». The critic notes the schematic plot and the weak study of the characters' characters. «This is exemplary fearlessness, this programmatic heroism is a little embarrassing. At first, you don’t understand what. And then you remember what ''T-34'' is building up its genealogy: for Soviet films about the war. In the best of them, the adversaries were not the Germans, as here, but the war as such. In ''
Fate of a Man
''Fate of a Man'' (russian: Судьба человека, translit. Sudba Cheloveka), also released as ''A Man's Destiny'' and ''Destiny of a Man'' is a 1959 Soviet film adaptation of the short story by Mikhail Sholokhov, and also the directori ...
'', ''
Ivan's Childhood
''Ivan's Childhood'' (russian: Ива́ново де́тство, ''Ivanovo detstvo''), sometimes released as ''My Name Is Ivan'' in the US, is a 1962 Soviet war drama film directed by Andrei Tarkovsky. Co-written by Mikhail Papava, Andrei Konch ...
'', ''
The Cranes Are Flying
''The Cranes Are Flying'' (russian: Летят журавли, translit. ''Letyat zhuravli'') is a 1957 Soviet film about the Second World War. It depicts the cruelty of war and the damage done to the Soviet psyche as a result of war, which ...
'', ''
Ballad of a Soldier'', and ''
Trial on the Road
''Trial on the Road'' (russian: Проверка на дорогах, translit=''Proverka na dorogakh'') is a 1971 black-and-white Cinema of the Soviet Union, Soviet film set in World War II, directed by Aleksei Yuryevich German, Aleksey German, st ...
'', for all the differences, there was one conceptual similarity: they showed how a person retains his humanity through the desire for peace and memory about him. The space ''T-34'' is arranged fundamentally different. It is given to a total never-ending war in which comforting simplicity reigns: there are ours, there are enemies, and enemies must be beaten to a victorious end. Without pain and bitterness, with excitement and frenzy of the players of the computer championship».
Browser "
Novaya Gazeta
''Novaya Gazeta'' ( rus, Новая газета, t=New Gazette, p=ˈnovəjə ɡɐˈzʲetə) is an independent Russian newspaper known for its critical and investigative coverage of Russian political and social affairs. It is published in Mo ...
" Larisa Malyukova reflects on the role of tanks in modern Russian cinema. Sidorov took into account the shortcomings of the «tank» films of 2018
''Tankers'' (film) and ''Tanks'' (
ru): «In his picture, the propaganda itch was partly tamed by uncomplicated adventures and vigorous battles, seasoned with humor, and reddened by love bliss».
Like Dolin, Malyukova compares the film with Soviet films on a military theme: «In those films, the Faulkner idea was beating with a living pulse: one cannot come from a war as a winner. They were aware of the global catastrophe, which was for our people the Second World War. In the latest domestic cinema war, one cannot find the author's point of view. Instead of resorting to myth, mythologization of history. Instead of the anti-war spirit - the motto is “We can repeat it!”, A call to achievement. Instead of a brutal clever enemy - solid idiots. The romanticization of war, the feeling of the ease of victory covers the screen».
The critic
Valery Kichin
Valery Sergeyevich Kichin (russian: Валерий Сергеевич Кичин; born 12 October 1992) is a Kyrgyz-Russian professional footballer who plays as a left back or centre back for Russian club Yenisey Krasnoyarsk.
Career Club
On 2 ...
writes in
Rossiyskaya Gazeta
' (russian: Российская газета, lit. Russian Gazette) is a Russian newspaper published by the Government of Russia. The daily newspaper serves as the official government gazette of the Government of the Russian Federation, publishi ...
that one cannot form an idea of what the Great Patriotic War is in reality: «According to the plot, this is a legend like ''
Bumbarash
''Bumbarash'' (russian: Бумбараш, Bumbarash) is a 1971 Soviet adventure film, a musical comedy in two episodes loosely based on some early works and the novel ''Bumbarash'' by Arkady Gaidar.
Plot
During the Russian Civil War, former Imperi ...
'' or ''
The Elusive Avengers
''The Elusive Avengers'' (russian: Неуловимые мстители, translit. ''Neulovimye mstiteli'') is a 1967 Soviet adventure film directed by Edmond Keosayan and made by Mosfilm. It is loosely based on the novel ''Red Devils'' b ...
'', in style - a script for a computer game called ''T-34''. That is, spectacles are primarily spectacular and gambling».
The dashing adventurous plot, the conditional situation of the action, the peculiar beauty even in the process of destruction - «yes, this is a movie about the feat of arms of the very folk hero who, as you know, rides, rides, doesn't whistle, but doesn’t let him go. And the authors, undoubtedly, were inspired by the style of the battle quest: they use game techniques that are well-known to the modern viewer, and the wonderful feeling that the characters have several lives in stock accompanies the entire film. And the actors here are not so much playing as playing: at the moments of the most implausible plot somersaults, a sly spark of cheerful excitement slips in their eyes. This sincerity removes all claims: people who went through a real front removed military classics, now people with combat experience in the quest have come, they have different skills and ideas about the war».
Evgeny Bazhenov, a video blogger and columnist for Russian YouTube films, (known by his pseudonym
BadComedian
Evgeny Vladimirovich Bazhenov ( rus, Евге́ний Влади́мирович Баже́нов, p=jɪvˈɡʲenʲɪj vlɐˈdʲimʲɪrəvʲɪdʑ bɐˈʐɛnəf; born May 24, 1991), better known by his internet nickname BadComedian (or Evgen BadCo ...
) criticized the film in its video review. According to the observer, the film is historically unreliable and justifies
Nazism
Nazism ( ; german: Nazismus), the common name in English for National Socialism (german: Nationalsozialismus, ), is the far-right totalitarian political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party (NSDAP) in Na ...
, concentration camps in the film are shown harmless, and SS Klaus is shown as almost a positive character, which rather offends the memory of the heroes of the Great Patriotic War than perpetuates it.
on
YouTube
YouTube is a global online video platform, online video sharing and social media, social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by ...
)
Accolades
See also
*
''The Lark'' (1965 film), a
Soviet
The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, ...
film
*
''White Tiger'' (2012 film)
*
''Fury'' (2014 film)
References
External links
*
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:T-34
2019 films
2010s Russian-language films
2010s action war films
Russian action war films
Russian historical action films
Eastern Front of World War II films
Films about armoured warfare
Films set in the Soviet Union
Films set in Europe
World War II prisoner of war films
Fiction about tanks
Films shot in Russia
Films shot in the Czech Republic
Russian World War II films
Mars Media films
Mosfilm films
World War II films based on actual events
Films produced by Nikita Mikhalkov