''The Deserter'' (russian: Дезертир, ''Dezertir'') is a 1933

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 ...

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. Drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular super ...

directed by

Vsevolod Pudovkin Vsevolod Illarionovich Pudovkin ( rus, Всеволод Илларионович Пудовкин, p=ˈfsʲevələt ɪlərʲɪˈonəvʲɪtɕ pʊˈdofkʲɪn; 16 February 1893 – 30 June 1953) was a Russian and Soviet film director, screenwrite ...

. It was his first sound picture.

Plot

Karl Renn, a Hamburg shipyard worker, is a member of the Communist Party of Germany and is commissioned by the

USSR 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 nationa ...

to organize a general strike and exert pressure on employers. When the strike comes, several fights take place with the police. After a month of strike, many workers are already so exhausted that they become strike-breakers. There arises an armed conflict that even Karl's wife goes to; but he stays at home because of his cowardice. Nevertheless, as a delegate of the party, he is sent together with four comrades to a meeting in the Soviet Union. He stays there, works in a blast furnace and is enthusiastic about the communist system. After a few weeks the news reaches him that his Party Chief in

Hamburg (male), (female) en, Hamburger(s), Hamburgian(s) , timezone1 = Central (CET) , utc_offset1 = +1 , timezone1_DST = Central (CEST) , utc_offset1_DST = +2 , postal ...

had been slain. He then travels back to Germany to continue the struggle of the workers.

Cast

Boris Livanov Boris Nikolayevich Livanov (russian: Бори́с Никола́евич Лива́нов; – 22 September 1972) was a Soviet and Russian actor and theatre director. People's Artist of the USSR (1948).

- Ludwig Zelle * Aleksandr Chistyakov - Fritz Muller *

Tamara Makarova Tamara Fyodorovna Makarova (russian: Тама́ра Фёдоровна Мака́рова; 13 August 1907 – 19 January 1997) was a Soviet and Russian film actress and pedagogue. People's Artist of the USSR (1950) and Hero of Socialist La ...

- Greta Zelle * Semyon Svashenko - Bruno *Dmitri Konsovsky - Strauss *Yudif Glizer - Marcella Zelle *M. Oleshchenko - Bertha *

Sergey Martinson Sergey Alexandrovich Martinson (russian: Серге́й Александрович Мартинсон; – 2 September 1984) was a Russian eccentric comic actor, the master of pantomime, buffoonery and grotesque. He became People's Artist of t ...

- Passer-by *

Maksim Shtraukh Maksim Maksimovich Shtraukh (russian: Макси́м Макси́мович Штра́ух; 1900–1974) was a Soviet and Russian film and theater actor. He was awarded the People's Artist of the USSR in 1965, Lenin Prize and Stalin Prize betwee ...

* Sergei Gerasimov * Sergei Komarov - Worker *

Vladimir Uralsky Vladimir Mikhailovich Uralsky (russian: link=no, Владимир Миха́йлович Уральский) was a Soviet actor. Vladimir played in more than 100 films. Selected filmography * 1924 — ''Aelita'' * 1925 — ''Strike'' * 1925 � ...

*Ivan Lavrov - Richter * Ivan Chuvelyev *A. Besperstny

Reception

Grigori Roshal Grigori Lvovich Roshal (russian: Григорий Львович Рошаль; October 21, 1899 – January 11, 1983) was a Soviet film director and screenwriter. He directed 26 films between 1926 and 1968. Biography Grigori Roshal was born o ...

praised the stylistic aspects of the film; "The pattern of shots attains such vividness, one shot flowing into another, becoming fused one with the other, that ordinary shots create an extraordinary impression." ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...

'' gave a review which stated that "Pudovkin again demonstrates his ability to hold screen audiences, but be could have reduced the running time of "Deserter" by about fifteen minutes without lessening its value." Graham Greene's review for ''

The Spectator ''The Spectator'' is a weekly British magazine on politics, culture, and current affairs. It was first published in July 1828, making it the oldest surviving weekly magazine in the world. It is owned by Frederick Barclay, who also owns ''The ...

'' described it as "a bad film with some superb moments", nevertheless he also wrote; "But the film should be seen: there are moments magnificent as well as naive..." Author and film critic

Leonard Maltin Leonard Michael Maltin (born December 18, 1950) is an American film critic and film historian, as well as an author of several mainstream books on cinema, focusing on nostalgic, celebratory narratives. He is perhaps best known for his book of fi ...

awarded the film three and a half out of four stars, praising the film's visuals, and experimental use of sound, calling it "an essential visual and aural experience."

References

External links

* * * * 1933 films 1933 drama films Gorky Film Studio films Films directed by Vsevolod Pudovkin Films set in Hamburg Films about the labor movement Films shot in Moscow Russian drama films 1930s Russian-language films Soviet black-and-white films Soviet drama films Russian black-and-white films {{1930s-USSR-film-stub