''The Battle of Stalingrad'' (russian: Сталинградская битва) is a 1949 two-part

Soviet The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen nation ...

war film War film is a film genre concerned with warfare, typically about navy, naval, air force, air, or army, land battles, with combat scenes central to the drama. It has been strongly associated with the 20th century. The fateful nature of battle s ...

about the Battle of Stalingrad, directed by Vladimir Petrov. The script was written by Nikolai Virta.

Plot

Film I

In the Kremlin,

Stalin Joseph Vissarionovich Stalin (born Ioseb Besarionis dze Jughashvili; – 5 March 1953) was a Georgian revolutionary and Soviet political leader who led the Soviet Union from 1924 until his death in 1953. He held power as General Secretar ...

analyzes the

Wehrmacht The ''Wehrmacht'' (, ) were the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany from 1935 to 1945. It consisted of the ''Heer'' (army), the '' Kriegsmarine'' (navy) and the ''Luftwaffe'' (air force). The designation "''Wehrmacht''" replaced the previo ...

's movements and concludes that the Germans aim to capture Stalingrad.

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 ...

, who believes the city is the key to final victory, orders his generals take it at all costs. As the enemy approaches Stalingrad, the Red Army and the local population rally to defend it in bitter house-to-house combat, stalling the German advance. In Moscow, Stalin plans the counter-offensive.

Film II

The Wehrmacht launches a last, massive assault, intended to overwhelm the defenders of Stalingrad. As the Red Army is pushed back to the Volga, Stalin orders the commencement of

Operation Uranus Operation Uranus (russian: Опера́ция «Ура́н», Operatsiya "Uran") was the codename of the Soviet Red Army's 19–23 November 1942 strategic operation on the Eastern Front of World War II which led to the encirclement of Axis ...

. The German 6th Army is encircled, and efforts to relieve the Stalingrad pocket fail. General

Friedrich Paulus Friedrich Wilhelm Ernst Paulus (23 September 1890 – 1 February 1957) was a German field marshal during World War II who is best known for commanding the 6th Army during the Battle of Stalingrad (August 1942 to February 1943). The battle ende ...

, ordered by Hitler to hold to the end, refuses to surrender while his soldiers starve. The Soviets close on the city, battering the German forces as they advance. After Red Army soldiers enter his command post, Paulus orders his remaining troops to surrender. The Soviets hold a victory rally in liberated Stalingrad; in Moscow, Stalin looks at a map, setting his eyes on Berlin.

Production

The film is the last of the 'Artistic Documentaries', a series of propaganda epics that recreated the history of the Second World War with a Stalinist interpretation of the events. Like all of the other films in the genre, ''The Battle of Stalingrad'' consists mainly of battle scenes and staff meetings, reconstructing the campaign from the point of view of the soldiers and the generals, in a heroic manner fitting the state's ideology.

Reception

The movie won the Crystal Globe in the 1949

Karlovy Vary Film Festival The Karlovy Vary International Film Festival ( cs, Mezinárodní filmový festival Karlovy Vary) is a film festival held annually in July in Karlovy Vary, Czech Republic. The Karlovy Vary Festival is one of the oldest in the world and has become ...

Aleksei Dikiy Aleksei Dikiy (russian: Алексей Денисович Дикий) (24 February 1889 – 1 October 1955) was a Soviet actor and director who worked at Moscow Art Theatre and later worked with Habima Jewish theatre in Tel Aviv. He was arrested ...

, who portrayed Stalin, received the 1949 Gottwaldov Film Festival's prize, and director Vladimir Petrov won the Czechoslovak Workers' Film Festival Best Director Award. Petrov, cinematographer Yuri Yekelchik and four actors –

, Nikolay Simonov, Yuri Shumsky and Vladimir Gaidarov – were awarded the

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 USSR State Prize (russian: links=no, Государственная премия СССР, ...

at 1950 for their role in the film. French critic

André Bazin André Bazin (; 18 April 1918 – 11 November 1958) was a renowned and influential French film critic and film theorist. Bazin started to write about film in 1943 and was a co-founder of the renowned film magazine ''Cahiers du cinéma'' in 1951, ...

wrote that the film portrayed Stalin as a super-human leader, showing him planning the Soviet war effort almost on his own: "Even if we grant Stalin a hyper-

Napoleonic Napoleon Bonaparte ; it, Napoleone Bonaparte, ; co, Napulione Buonaparte. (born Napoleone Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French military commander and political leader wh ...

military genius... It would be childish to think that events in the Kremlin unfolded as they are seen here." Richard Taylor listed ''The Battle of Stalingrad'' as "a

personality cult A cult of personality, or a cult of the leader, Mudde, Cas and Kaltwasser, Cristóbal Rovira (2017) ''Populism: A Very Short Introduction''. New York: Oxford University Press. p. 63. is the result of an effort which is made to create an id ...

film".''Film Propaganda'', , page 48.

Cast

–

Joseph Stalin Joseph Vissarionovich Stalin (born Ioseb Besarionis dze Jughashvili; – 5 March 1953) was a Georgian revolutionary and Soviet political leader who led the Soviet Union from 1924 until his death in 1953. He held power as General Secretar ...

* Maksim Shtraukh ''–''

Vyacheslav Molotov Vyacheslav Mikhaylovich Molotov. ; (;. 9 March Old_Style_and_New_Style_dates">O._S._25_February.html" ;"title="Old_Style_and_New_Style_dates.html" ;"title="nowiki/>Old Style and New Style dates">O. S. 25 February">Old_Style_and_New_Style_dat ...

Viktor Khokhryakov Viktor Ivanovich Khokhryakov (russian: Виктор Иванович Хохряков; 1913–1986) was a Soviet Russian film actor, theater actor and director. He played the composer Alexander Glazunov in the 1954 film ''Rimsky-Korsakov''.Mitch ...

''–''

Georgy Malenkov Georgy Maximilianovich Malenkov ( – 14 January 1988) was a Soviet politician who briefly succeeded Joseph Stalin as the leader of the Soviet Union. However, at the insistence of the rest of the Presidium, he relinquished control over the p ...

*Mikhail Kvarelashvili –

Lavrentiy Beria Lavrentiy Pavlovich Beria (; rus, Лавре́нтий Па́влович Бе́рия, Lavréntiy Pávlovich Bériya, p=ˈbʲerʲiə; ka, ლავრენტი ბერია, tr, ; – 23 December 1953) was a Georgian Bolsheviks ...

* Nikolai Dorokhin –

Nikita Khrushchev Nikita Sergeyevich Khrushchev (– 11 September 1971) was the First Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union from 1953 to 1964 and chairman of the country's Council of Ministers from 1958 to 1964. During his rule, Khrushchev s ...

* Vladimir Solovyov –

Mikhail Kalinin Mikhail Ivanovich Kalinin (russian: link=no, Михаи́л Ива́нович Кали́нин ; 3 June 1946), known familiarly by Soviet citizens as "Kalinych", was a Soviet politician and Old Bolshevik revolutionary. He served as head of st ...

* Yuri Tolubeyev ''–''

Andrei Zhdanov Andrei Aleksandrovich Zhdanov ( rus, Андре́й Алекса́ндрович Жда́нов, p=ɐnˈdrej ɐlʲɪˈksandrəvʲɪtɕ ˈʐdanəf, links=yes; – 31 August 1948) was a Soviet politician and cultural ideologist. After World War ...

Nikolai Ryzhov Nikolai or Nikolay is an East Slavic variant of the masculine name Nicholas. It may refer to: People Royalty * Nicholas I of Russia (1796–1855), or Nikolay I, Emperor of Russia from 1825 until 1855 * Nicholas II of Russia (1868–1918), or Niko ...

''–'' Lazar Kaganovich *Garri Mushegyan – Anastas Mikoyan *

Mikhail Derzhavin Mikhail Mikhajlovich Derzhavin(russian: Михаи́л Миха́йлович Держа́вин; 15 June 1936, Moscow – 10 January 2018, Moscow) was a Soviet and Russian actor. Biography Mikhail Mikhajlovich Derzhavin was born in the famil ...

–

Kliment Voroshilov Kliment Yefremovich Voroshilov (, uk, Климент Охрімович Ворошилов, ''Klyment Okhrimovyč Vorošylov''), popularly known as Klim Voroshilov (russian: link=no, Клим Вороши́лов, ''Klim Vorošilov''; 4 Februa ...

* Yuri Shumsky ''–'' General

Aleksandr Vasilevsky Aleksandr Mikhaylovich Vasilevsky ( ru , Алекса́ндр Миха́йлович Василе́вский) (30 September 1895 – 5 December 1977) was a Soviet career-officer in the Red Army who attained the rank of Marshal of the Soviet ...

* Vasili Merkuryev – General

Nikolay Voronov Nikolay Nikolayevich Voronov (; - 28 February 1968) was a Soviet military leader, chief marshal of the artillery (1944), and Hero of the Soviet Union (7 May 1965). He was commander of artillery forces of the Red Army from 1941 until 1950. Voro ...

* Boris Livanov ''–'' General

Konstantin Rokossovsky Konstantin Konstantinovich (Xaverevich) Rokossovsky ( Russian: Константин Константинович Рокоссовский; pl, Konstanty Rokossowski; 21 December 1896 – 3 August 1968) was a Soviet and Polish officer who bec ...

* Nikolai Kolesnikov – General

Andrey Yeryomenko , birth_date = , death_date = , image = Маршал Советского Союза Герой Советского Союза Андрей Иванович Ерёменко (cropped).jpg , image_size = , caption = Y ...

* Nikolay Simonov ''–'' General

Vasily Chuikov Vasily Ivanovich Chuikov (russian: link=no, Васи́лий Ива́нович Чуйко́в; ; – 18 March 1982) was a Soviet military commander and Marshal of the Soviet Union. He is best known for commanding the 62nd Army which saw h ...

* Vasily Orlov – General Nikolay Krylov * Sergei Brzhesky – General Aleksandr Rodimtsev *

Nikolai Plotnikov Nikolai Sergeyevich Plotnikov (russian: Николай Сергеевич Пло́тников; 5 November 1897 – 3 February 1979) was a Soviet film actor. He appeared in the 1949 biopic ''Ivan Pavlov''. Selected filmography * ''Dawn of Paris'' ...

– Commissioner Gurov * Boris Smirnov – Lieutenant Kaleganov * Leonid Knyazev ''–'' Sergeant Yakov Pavlov *Vladimir Golovin ''–'' General

Nikolai Vatutin Nikolai Fyodorovich Vatutin (russian: Никола́й Фёдорович Вату́тин; 16 December 1901 – 15 April 1944) was a Soviet military commander during World War II. Vatutin was responsible for many Red Army operations in Ukraine ...

* Aleksei Krasnopolsky – General Nikolai Trufanov * Mikhail Nazvanov – Colonel Ivan Lyudnikov * Nikolai Kryuchkov ''–'' Lieutenant Ivanov * Aleksandr Antonov ''–'' Colonel Popov * Nikolay Cherkasov ''–''

Franklin D. Roosevelt Franklin Delano Roosevelt (; ; January 30, 1882April 12, 1945), often referred to by his initials FDR, was an American politician and attorney who served as the 32nd president of the United States from 1933 until his death in 1945. As the ...

* Viktor Stanitsyn ''–''

Winston Churchill Sir Winston Leonard Spencer Churchill (30 November 187424 January 1965) was a British statesman, soldier, and writer who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom twice, from 1940 to 1945 during the Second World War, and again from ...

/General

Fyodor Tolbukhin Fyodor Ivanovich Tolbukhin (russian: Фёдор Ива́нович Толбу́хин; 16 June 1894 – 17 October 1949) was a Soviet military commander and Marshal of the Soviet Union. Early life and military career Tolbukhin was born into ...

* Konstantin Mikhailov ''–'' W. Averell Harriman *

Mikhail Astangov Mikhail Fyodorovich Astangov (russian: Михаи́л Фёдорович Аста́нгов), real surname Ruzhnikov () ( in Warsaw – 20 April 1965 in Moscow) was a Soviet and Russian stage and film actor. People's Artist of the USSR (1955). ...

''–''

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 ...

* Mikhail Garkavi –

Hermann Göring Hermann Wilhelm Göring (or Goering; ; 12 January 1893 – 15 October 1946) was a German politician, military leader and convicted war criminal. He was one of the most powerful figures in the Nazi Party, which ruled Germany from 1933 to 1 ...

* Nikolai Komissarov ''–'' Field Marshal

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 ...

*Boris Svoboda ''–'' General Alfred Jodl *Nikolai Rybnikov ''–'' Field Marshal Maximilian von Weichs * Vladimir Vsevolodov ''–'' General Arthur Schmidt * Vladimir Gaidarov ''–'' Field Marshal

* Yevgeny Kaluzhsky ''–'' General Wilhelm Adam (first film) *Nikolai Nikolayevsky ''–'' General Wilhelm Adam (second film) *Vladimir Chernyavsky – General Kurt Zeitzler * Rostislav Plyatt ''–'' General

Hermann Hoth Hermann Hoth (12 April 1885 – 25 January 1971) was a German army commander, war criminal, and author. He served as a high-ranking panzer commander in the Wehrmacht during World War II, playing a prominent role in the Battle of France and on t ...

* Sergei Blinnikov – Alexander Poskrebyshev (uncredited) * Yuri Levitan – Narrator

References

External links

Part I
an
Part II
on the

IMDb IMDb (an abbreviation of Internet Movie Database) is an online database of information related to films, television series, home videos, video games, and streaming content online – including cast, production crew and personal biographies, ...

. *
The Battle of Stalingrad
' on Kino-teatr.ru.

on ostfilm.de. {{DEFAULTSORT:Battle of Stalingrad Mosfilm films 1940s Russian-language films Soviet epic films Soviet biographical films Soviet historical action films 1948 films 1949 films Crystal Globe winners Biographical action films 1940s historical action films Films about the Battle of Stalingrad Films about Joseph Stalin Films scored by Aram Khachaturian Films released in separate parts Cultural depictions of Adolf Hitler Cultural depictions of Franklin D. Roosevelt Cultural depictions of Lavrentiy Beria Cultural depictions of Nikita Khrushchev Cultural depictions of Winston Churchill Soviet black-and-white films 1940s biographical films Soviet World War II films Russian World War II films