''Time, Forward!'' (, ''Vremya, vperyod!'') is a 1965

Soviet The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...

part industrial

drama film In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. The drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular ...

directed by Sofiya Milkina and

Mikhail Schweitzer Mikhail (Moisei) Abramovich Schweitzer (, 16 February 1920, Perm, Russia, Perm – 2 June 2000, Moscow) was a Soviet and Russian film director and screenwriter. People's Artist of the USSR (1990). Biography Mikhail Schweitzer graduated from the ...

based on the 1932 novel and a

screenplay A screenplay, or script, is a written work produced for a film, television show (also known as a '' teleplay''), or video game by screenwriters (cf. ''stage play''). Screenplays can be original works or adaptations from existing pieces of w ...

Valentin Kataev Valentin Petrovich Kataev (; also spelled Katayev or Kataiev; – 12 April 1986) was a Soviet writer and editor who managed to create penetrating works discussing post-revolutionary social conditions without running afoul of the demands of ...

. The film was produced by

Mosfilm Mosfilm (, ''Mosfil’m'' , initialism and portmanteau of Moscow Films) is a film studio in Moscow which is among the largest and oldest in the Russian Federation and in Europe. Founded in 1924 in the USSR as a production unit of that nation's fi ...

, a unit of the

State Committee for Cinematography Goskino USSR () is the abbreviated name for the USSR State Committee for Cinematography (Государственный комитет по кинематографии СССР) in the Soviet Union. It was a central state directory body for Sovi ...

(Goskino). The famous musical score was composed by

Georgy Sviridov Georgy Vasilyevich Sviridov (; 16 December 1915 – 6 January 1998) was a Soviet and Russian composer. He is most widely known for his choral music, strongly influenced by the traditional chant of the Russian Orthodox Church, as well as his orch ...

. The title is derived from

Vladimir Mayakovsky Vladimir Vladimirovich Mayakovsky ( – 14 April 1930) was a Russian poet, playwright, artist, and actor. During his early, Russian Revolution, pre-Revolution period leading into 1917, Mayakovsky became renowned as a prominent figure of the Ru ...

's play ''

The Bathhouse ''The Bathhouse'' (Баня, Banya) is a play by Vladimir Mayakovsky written in 1929, for the Meyerhold Theatre. It was published for the first time in the November, No.11 issue of '' Oktyabr'' magazine and released as a book by Gosizdat in 1930. ...

'' (). The film is set in the 1930s, depicting one day of the construction work of

Magnitogorsk Iron and Steel Works Magnitogorsk Iron and Steel Works (), abbreviated as MMK, is an iron and steel company located in the city of Magnitogorsk, Russia. As of 2017, it was the 30th largest steel company in the world. In 2021, the company's revenue amounted to 786 bil ...

(or ''Magnitka''). The characters are construction workers and

Komsomol The All-Union Leninist Young Communist League, usually known as Komsomol, was a political youth organization in the Soviet Union. It is sometimes described as the youth division of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union (CPSU), although it w ...

members who are eager to work. Learning that their colleagues in Kharkov have set a record, they are mobilized in order to beat them. Everyone at the construction site has embraced socialist competition. They are ready to win at any cost to speed up construction and complete the work on time. A

Moscow Moscow is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Russia by population, largest city of Russia, standing on the Moskva (river), Moskva River in Central Russia. It has a population estimated at over 13 million residents with ...

journalist comes to cover the scope of the great construction project, seeking a hero for his story.

Plot

The film is set in May 1930, on a construction site in the Ural Mountains during the early 1930s, the heyday of

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 ...

's Five-Year Plans, and chronicles a day in the construction of the Magnitogorsk Metallurgical Plant. News arrives that concrete workers from Kharkiv have set a record for the number of concrete batches mixed in a single shift. Two teams, led by Ishchenko and Khanumov, are eager to break this record, but the site manager, Margulies, must balance their enthusiasm with the need for quality and proper planning. Meanwhile, a visiting writer, Ogniyev, seeks inspiration from the monumental project. Although initially cautious, Margulies approves Ishchenko’s attempt to surpass the record, setting the stage for a day of intense labor and personal challenges. As the workers push themselves to their limits, personal struggles come to the forefront. Ishchenko’s wife goes into labor, forcing him to rush her to the hospital. Meanwhile, two disruptive members of his team are expelled for shirking their duties. Stormy weather and a sudden shortage of cement threaten the effort, prompting Korenev, a foreman, to procure supplies by any means necessary. Just as Ishchenko's team nears the Kharkiv record, news arrives that workers at the Kuznetsk construction site have raised the bar to an astonishing 402 batches. Undeterred, the team presses on. Even Khanumov, initially a competitor, helps automate part of the process. Despite bureaucratic interference, the team triumphantly reports a world-record 415 batches by the end of the shift. A commission arrives to test the concrete’s quality, leaving Margulies and the workers uncertain of their achievement's ultimate validation. As night falls, Margulies, exhausted but still working, walks Shura Soldatova, the enthusiastic worker behind the motivational posters. Their relationship is revealed to be romantic, and Shura impulsively proposes marriage. Margulies, in his reserved manner, responds with a quiet but heartfelt acknowledgment of their mutual bond, ending the day on a note of personal and professional resolution.

Cast

* Sergei Yursky as David Margulies * Inna Gulaya as Shura Soldatova * Tamara Syomina as Olya Trigubova *

Leonid Kuravlyov Leonid Vyacheslavovich Kuravlyov (; 8 October 1936 – 30 January 2022) was a Soviet and Russian film actor. He became a People's Artist of the RSFSR in 1976. Early life Kuravlyov was born in Moscow into a working-class family. His father Vyac ...

as Korneyev *

Vladimir Kashpur Vladimir Terentyevich Kashpur (; October 26, 1926 – October 17, 2009) was a Russian and Soviet actor. A native of Severka, Altai Krai, Kashpur appeared in '' Ballad of a Soldier'' and about 115 other films, with roles ranging from Vladimi ...

as Kanunnikov * Stanislav Khitrov as Sayenko * Yefim Kopelyan as Nalbandov * Bruno O'Ya as Thomas Bixby *

Tatyana Lavrova Tatyana Yevgenievna Lavrova (; real name Andrikanis, June 7, 1938 — May 16, 2007) was a Soviet and Russian actress of theater and cinema. People's Artist of the RSFSR. Biography The daughter of cinematographers Yevgeniy Nikolayevich Andri ...

as Klava * Aleksander Yanvaryov as Ishchenko *

Mikhail Kokshenov Mikhail Mikhailovich Kokshenov (16 September 1936, Moscow – 4 June 2020, Krasnogorsky District, Moscow Oblast) was a Soviet and Russian actor, film director and screenwriter. People's Artist of Russia (2002). Biography Mikhail Kokshenov wa ...

as Kanunnikov *

Yuri Volyntsev Yuri Vitalyevich Volyntsev (; 28 April 1932 – 9 August 1999) was a Soviet and Russian stage and film actor. People's Artist of the RSFSR (1984).Русский драматический театр: Энциклопедия / Под общ. ре� ...

as Writer * Viktor Sergachyov as Semechkin * Larisa Kadochnikova as Katya *

Igor Yasulovich Igor Nikolayevich Yasulovich (; 24 September 1941 – 19 August 2023) was a Soviet and Russian film and theater actor, film director and pedagogue. Biography Yasulovich was born in the village of Reinsfeld (now Zalesye) in Koshkinsky District ...

as Vinkich * Vadim Zobin as Mosya *

Viktor Markin Viktor Fyodorovich Markin (; born 23 February 1957 in the village of Oktyabrsky, Ust-Tarksky District, Novosibirsk Oblast ) is a former Soviet athlete, winner of two gold medals at the 1980 Summer Olympics. After graduating from a se ...

as Reporter * Radner Muratov as Zagirov *

Klara Rumyanova Klara Mikhailovna Rumyanova (; 8 December 1929 – 18 September 2004) was a Soviet and Russian actress, voice actress and singer. She was active from 1951 to 1999. Her childlike and endearing voice was easily recognized by generations of Soviet ...

as Lushka * Boris Yurchenko as Filonov

Theme

Sviridov's orchestral suite written for this film was one of the most recognizable music pieces of the Soviet era, and became a sort of calling card for the

Soviet Union The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...

itself. Since 1968 it has been used as the theme song of ''

Vremya ''Vremya'' (, lit. "Time") is the main evening newscast in Russia, airing on Channel One Russia (Russian: , Pervy kanal) and previously on Programme One of the Central Television of the USSR (CT USSR, Russian: ). The programme has been on th ...

'', the TV news program on USSR Central Television and Russian Channel One (although the tune has been re-orchestrated a few times since then). It was also used as the opening theme for the four-part Channel 4 documentary ''Spitfire Ace'' in Great Britain. The theme has been used in subsequent films, most notably Theodore Ushev's '' Tower Bawher'' and

Guy Maddin Guy Maddin (born February 28, 1956) is a Canadian screenwriter, director, author, cinematographer, film editor and installation artist. He is known for his fascination with lost Silent film, Silent-era films and for incorporating their aestheti ...

's short film " The Heart of the World". Two remixed versions of the theme has appeared in 2006 Russian videogame " The Stalin Subway" made by

Buka Entertainment Buka Entertainment JSC () — is one of the oldest Russian video game developers and publishers. Headquartered in Moscow, the company was officially established in 1994. Since 2008, it is a part of the 1C Company. Although Buka produces its own ...

Olympics association

It was performed at the close of the 2010 Olympic ceremony in

Vancouver Vancouver is a major city in Western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the cit ...

, conducted live by

Valery Gergiev Valery Abisalovich Gergiev (, ; ; born 2 May 1953) is a Russian conducting, conductor and opera company director. He is currently general director and artistic director of the Mariinsky Theatre and of the Bolshoi Theatre and artistic director o ...

, to present the

2014 Winter Olympics The 2014 Winter Olympics, officially called the XXII Olympic Winter Games () and commonly known as Sochi 2014 (), were an international winter multi-sport event that was held from 7 to 23 February 2014 in Sochi, Russia. Opening ro ...

, which were held in Sochi, Russia. At the 2014 opening ceremony in Sochi, the theme was used again during a scene depicting national industrialization and the collectivization of agriculture in the Soviet Union. The dancers wore red and black costumes while they interacted with huge figurative tractors, giant ditch-diggers, gears, and similar engine parts.NBC 2014 Winter Olympic Games video replay at 2:51:50
February 7, 2014. The Russian

rhythmic gymnastics Rhythmic gymnastics is a sport in which gymnasts perform individually or in groups on a floor with an apparatus: hoop (rhythmic gymnastics), hoop, ball (rhythmic gymnastics), ball, Clubs (rhythmic gymnastics), clubs, ribbon (rhythmic gymnastics), ...

team used the Overture in their gold medal winning all-around routine at the

2016 Summer Olympics The 2016 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the XXXI Olympiad () and officially branded as Rio 2016, were an international multi-sport event held from 5 to 21 August 2016 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, with preliminary events i ...

References

External links

*
Listen to the main theme
* with English subtitles * with English subtitles 1965 films Soviet black-and-white films 1965 drama films Mosfilm films 1960s Soviet films 1960s Russian-language films Films directed by Mikhail Shveytser Orchestral suites Films based on Russian novels Soviet drama films Russian-language drama films Films scored by Georgy Sviridov {{1960s-USSR-film-stub