''White Tiger'' (russian: Белый тигр,
translit. Belyy tigr) is a 2012 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 ...
, directed by
Karen Shakhnazarov
Karen Georgievich Shakhnazarov, PAR (russian: Каре́н Гео́ргиевич Шахназа́ров; born 8 July 1952) is a Soviet and Russian filmmaker, producer and screenwriter. He became the Director General of Mosfilm studios in 1998.
...
and co-written with
Aleksandr Borodyansky based on the novel ''Tankist, ili "Belyy tigr"'' (''The Tankman'', or ''The White Tiger'') by Russian novelist Ilya Boyashov. The film is about a badly wounded Soviet tank commander on the
Eastern Front of
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 ...
who becomes obsessed with tracking down and destroying a mysterious, invincible Nazi tank, which the Soviet troops call the "White Tiger". The Soviets design a new, more powerful
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 and assign the tank commander the job of destroying the White Tiger.
The film was selected as the Russian entry for the
Best Foreign Language Oscar at the
85th Academy Awards
The 85th Academy Awards ceremony, presented by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS), honored the best 2012 in film, films of 2012 and took place on February 24, 2013, at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, Los Angeles, Hollywood, ...
, but it did not make the final shortlist.
Plot
In the aftermath of a tank battle in the summer of 1943, a tank driver is found alive in a disabled Soviet tank, among other wrecked vehicles. Miraculously recovering from burns over 90% of his body with no scarring, he has
retrograde amnesia
In neurology, retrograde amnesia (RA) is a loss of memory-access to events that occurred or information that was learned in the past. It is caused by an injury or the onset of a disease. It tends to negatively affect episodic, autobiographical, ...
: he does not know who he is, but retains all his skills. He is given the name Ivan Naydenov (from the Russian word найденный, "found") and returned to duty. Naydёnov believes he can communicate with tanks as if they were people, though he tries not to advertise this.
In the meantime, rumors arise about a new, invincible Nazi tank that appears seemingly out of nowhere, wreaks destruction and disappears back into the forest. A captured German soldier describes it as a
Tiger (P)
The VK 45.01 (P), also informally known as Tiger (P) or Porsche Tiger, was a gasoline-electric drive heavy tank prototype designed by Porsche in Germany. Losing to its Henschel competitor on trials, it was not selected for mass production and t ...
painted completely in white. This mysterious tank is dubbed the "White Tiger" by both Soviet and German forces. Naydёnov remembers something from his past: he was injured by this tank and the tank is dead.
During a debrief after another tank battle with the "White Tiger" near a forest where the Soviets suffered major tank losses, they review reports that the "White Tiger" seems to appear at the battle ground only to disappear after the battle. They are puzzled by this because behind the forest is swamp land through which they believe is impossible for tanks to traverse.
The Soviet officers believe the Tiger sank into the swamp behind the forest, but Naydenov is sure it is still out there somewhere in the forest.
In response to this threat, the Soviets build a prototype tank, an upgraded version of 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 ...
with stronger armor, a more powerful engine,
stabilized for accurate firing on the move and only needing three crew members. The best of the best are chosen for the crew: Naydenov, the commander and driver; Kryuk, the gunner; and Berdyev, the loader. Naydenov is ordered to destroy the White Tiger. He conceals his tank in a hole dug in the forest, covers it with tree branches and uses another T-34 to lure the White Tiger into an ambush. The White Tiger appears, destroys the other T-34 and hits Naydenov's tank from behind at close range, but only inflicts minor damage before inexplicably retreating back into the forest. Naydenov's crew is puzzled on why the Tiger didn’t destroy them when it easily could have.
Naydenov believes in "The Tank God". He thinks the Tank God wants him to destroy the White Tiger. He believes this is why he can understand the tanks and why he survives his battles, he thinks that when shells are fired at him his own tank warns him of the incoming danger and he avoids it. Naydenov becomes obsessed with finding the mysterious Nazi tank. He is convinced that the enemy tank is unmanned, a ghost of the war. Counterintelligence Major Fedotov comes to believe Naydenov and assists him. A captured German officer also reveals that he has no knowledge of this Tiger and he remarks that the legend of the death tank is generating fear rather than hope in the German Army.
While advancing, a Soviet tank force is completely wiped out by the White Tiger, which fires faster and more accurately than any human crew would be capable of doing, destroying tanks with every single shot. When it withdraws, Naydenov gives chase in his tank and comes upon an abandoned village. He detects and destroys a
Panzer IV
The ''Panzerkampfwagen'' IV (Pz.Kpfw. IV), commonly known as the ''Panzer'' IV, was a German medium tank developed in the late 1930s and used extensively during the Second World War. Its ordnance inventory designation was Sd.Kfz. 161.
The Panze ...
concealed in a barn, then comes upon the White Tiger and engages it. Kryuk hits it, disabling its turret, but while maneuvering, Naydenov's T-34's gun barrel gets some mud stuck in it. The gun misfires and the barrel explodes when Kryuk tries to finish off the enemy, allowing the White Tiger to safely retreat.
Fedotov attempts to convince his commanding general that both the White Tiger and the "born-again" Naydenov are creations not of man, but of the war itself. The general is unconvinced and sends him on a ten-day leave.
After the
Battle of Berlin
The Battle of Berlin, designated as the Berlin Strategic Offensive Operation by the Soviet Union, and also known as the Fall of Berlin, was one of the last major offensives of the European theatre of World War II.
After the Vistula– ...
and the
unconditional surrender of Nazi Germany in May 1945, Fedotov meets Naydenov in a field and tries to convince him to go home, saying that the war is over. Naydenov disagrees, saying that the war will not truly end until the White Tiger is destroyed. He believes it is just biding its time, healing from its wounds and waiting to strike again. Fedotov returns to his vehicle, but when he turns around, Naydenov has vanished along with his tank.
In the final scene,
Hitler
Adolf Hitler (; 20 April 188930 April 1945) was an Austrian-born German politician who was dictator of Germany from 1933 until his death in 1945. He rose to power as the leader of the Nazi Party, becoming the chancellor in 1933 and then ...
is shown seated in a large room with a fireplace, talking to a shadowy stranger and defending his actions during the war. His monologue begins with an observation that he and Germany will from now on be seen as monsters, then proceeds with an insinuation that the
destruction of the Jews and his
attack on Russia was only a realization of what all of Europe silently wanted and were uneasy to openly admit. He finally ends with saying that war has no beginning or end and that it is the original human state.
Cast
* Aleksey Vertkov as Ivan Naydenov
*
Vitali Kishchenko
Vitali Eduardovich Kishchenko (russian: Вита́лий Эдуа́рдович Ки́щенко; born May 25, 1964) is a Soviet and Russian actor. Merited Artist of the Russian Federation
Merited Artist of the Russian Federation (russian: l ...
as Major Fedotov
* Gerasim Arkhipov as Captain Sharipov
* Aleksandr Bakhov as Kryuk
* Vitaliy Dordzhiev as Berdyev
* Dmitriy Bykovskiy-Romashov as General Smirnov
* Valeriy Grishko as
Marshal of the Soviet Union
Marshal of the Soviet Union (russian: Маршал Советского Союза, Marshal sovetskogo soyuza, ) was the highest military rank of the Soviet Union.
The rank of Marshal of the Soviet Union was created in 1935 and abolished in 19 ...
Georgy Zhukov
Georgy Konstantinovich Zhukov ( rus, Георгий Константинович Жуков, p=ɡʲɪˈorɡʲɪj kənstɐnʲˈtʲinəvʲɪtɕ ˈʐukəf, a=Ru-Георгий_Константинович_Жуков.ogg; 1 December 1896 – ...
* Vilmar Biri as
Generaladmiral Hans-Georg von Friedeburg
Hans-Georg von Friedeburg (15 July 1895 – 23 May 1945) was a German admiral, the deputy commander of the U-boat Forces of Nazi Germany and the second-to-last Commander-in-Chief of the Kriegsmarine. He was the only representative of the armed ...
*
Klaus Gryunberg as
Generaloberst
A ("colonel general") was the second-highest general officer rank in the German ''Reichswehr'' and ''Wehrmacht'', the Austro-Hungarian Common Army, the East Germany, East German National People's Army and in their respective police services. ...
Hans-Jürgen Stumpff
__NOTOC__
Hans-Jürgen Stumpff (15 June 1889 – 9 March 1968), was a German general during World War II and was one of the signatories to Germany's unconditional surrender at the end of the war.
Military career
Stumpff joined the army in 190 ...
*
Vladimir Ilin as Chief of the Hospital
* Dmitriy Kalyazin as young sailor
* Karl Krantskovski as
Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler (; 20 April 188930 April 1945) was an Austrian-born German politician who was dictator of Nazi Germany, Germany from 1933 until Death of Adolf Hitler, his death in 1945. Adolf Hitler's rise to power, He rose to power as the le ...
* Andrey Myasnikov as General
* Leonid Orlov as German POW
*
Christian Redl
Christian Redl (born 20 April 1948) is a German actor and singer.
Life
Christian Redl is the son of a teacher. He grew up in Kassel, trained from 1967 to 1970 at the Schauspielschule Bochum and was then engaged in theatres in Wuppertal, Frankf ...
as
Generalfeldmarschall
''Generalfeldmarschall'' (from Old High German ''marahscalc'', "marshal, stable master, groom"; en, general field marshal, field marshal general, or field marshal; ; often abbreviated to ''Feldmarschall'') was a rank in the armies of several ...
Wilhelm Keitel
Wilhelm Bodewin Johann Gustav Keitel (; 22 September 188216 October 1946) was a German field marshal and war criminal who held office as chief of the '' Oberkommando der Wehrmacht'' (OKW), the high command of Nazi Germany's Armed Forces, duri ...
* Maykl Shenks
* Mariya Shashlova as Voennvrach
See also
*
*
References
External links
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:White Tiger
2012 films
2010s action war films
2012 science fiction action films
2010s science fiction war films
2010s German-language films
2010s Russian-language films
Russian action war films
Russian science fiction action films
Russian science fiction war films
Eastern Front of World War II films
Films about amnesia
Films about armoured warfare
Films directed by Karen Shakhnazarov
Mosfilm films
Cultural depictions of Adolf Hitler
Cultural depictions of Georgy Zhukov
Fantasy war films
Films set in 1943
Films set in 1944
Films set in 1945
Russian World War II films
World War II films based on actual events
2012 multilingual films
Russian multilingual films