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''Admiral Ushakov'' () is a 1953 Soviet
historical History is the systematic study of the past, focusing primarily on the human past. As an academic discipline, it analyses and interprets evidence to construct narratives about what happened and explain why it happened. Some theorists categ ...
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 ...
directed by
Mikhail Romm Mikhail Ilyich Romm (; – 1 November 1971) was a Soviet film director, screenwriter and pedagogue. He was named People's Artist of the USSR in 1950. Life and career Early life He was born in Irkutsk into a family of mixed Russian Jewish ...
and starring
Ivan Pereverzev Ivan Fyodorovich Pereverzev (; 3 September 1914 – 23 April 1978) was a Soviet and Russian stage and film actor. People's Artist of the USSR (1975). From his relationship with the actress Alla Larionova, he had a daughter, Alyona. Filmog ...
,
Boris Livanov Boris Nikolayevich Livanov (; – 22 September 1972) was a Soviet and Russian actor and theatre director. People's Artist of the USSR (1948).Attack from the Sea ''Attack from the Sea'' () is a 1953 Soviet biographical war film directed by Mikhail Romm and starring Ivan Pereverzev, Gennadi Yudin and Vladimir Druzhnikov.Rollberg p.249 The film is about the career of the Russian naval officer Fyodor Ush ...
'', was released the same year. The film is dedicated to the formation of the Russian fleet on the Black Sea.


Plot

In 1780, Captain of the Imperial Navy
Fyodor Ushakov Admiral Fyodor Fyodorovich Ushakov ( rus, Фёдор Фёдорович Ушаков, Fëdor Fëdorovič Ušakov, p=ʊʂɐˈkof; – ) was an Imperial Russian Navy officer best known for his service in the French Revolutionary and Napoleon ...
asks the Commander-in-Chief
Grigory Potemkin Prince Grigory Aleksandrovich Potemkin-Tauricheski (A number of dates as late as 1742 have been found on record; the veracity of any one is unlikely to be proved. This is his "official" birth-date as given on his tombstone.) was a Russian mi ...
to oversee the construction of the Black Sea Fleet. This means giving up a career at the royal court in
St. Petersburg Saint Petersburg, formerly known as Petrograd and later Leningrad, is the second-largest city in Russia after Moscow. It is situated on the River Neva, at the head of the Gulf of Finland on the Baltic Sea. The city had a population of 5,601, ...
. Three years later, Ushakov arrives at the Kherson shipyards with a contingent of sailors and craftsmen. An epidemic of plague rages among the workers. Tikhon Prokofiev, nicknamed the Ragged Ear, encourages the workers to flee the city and set fire to the shipyards, at the instigation of the English spy Orfano. With the help of his sailors, Ushakov stops the rebels and organizes a fire-fighting brigade to put out the fire. A strict quarantine regime is introduced and the plague is brought under control. Viktor Ermolaev, a mere boy, asks Ushakov to enlist in the Russian Navy. Ushakov refuses him, because the ships are not yet finished. While shipbuilders work on constructing the fleet, Ushakov conducts artillery training for the officers. Throughout the film, he stresses the importance of accuracy in artillery firing. Potemkin arrives to witness the launching of the ships. The head of the newly created Black Sea Admiralty board, Count Mordovtsev, informs Potemkin that Ushakov has not been training his officers strictly according to naval statutes. Potemkin sees the potential of a talented naval commander, and dismisses his transgressions. Workmen cut the ropes holding the ''St. Paul'' on drydock, and the battleship is launched into the sea. The boy, Viktor Ermolaev, despite protests from his mother, runs to the ship to join the Navy. Fast forward to 1787. At the head of an entourage of courtiers and foreign ambassadors, Catherine the Great travels to
Crimea Crimea ( ) is a peninsula in Eastern Europe, on the northern coast of the Black Sea, almost entirely surrounded by the Black Sea and the smaller Sea of Azov. The Isthmus of Perekop connects the peninsula to Kherson Oblast in mainland Ukrain ...
to inspect the fleet. Potemkin complains to the ambassadors that Turkish pirates operating in the Black Sea are using English and French weapons. The ambassadors of
Great Britain Great Britain is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean off the north-west coast of continental Europe, consisting of the countries England, Scotland, and Wales. With an area of , it is the largest of the British Isles, the List of European ...
and
France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...
ignore the statements. Potemkin decides to surprise the audience with a display of military might. At his signal, Ushakov commands the battleships to fire on an abandoned fortress. Ushakov, in his excitement at the accurate firing of the gunners, cries out "Well done Vasiliev, a glass of
vodka Vodka ( ; is a clear distilled beverage, distilled alcoholic beverage. Its varieties originated in Poland and Russia. Vodka is composed mainly of water and ethanol but sometimes with traces of impurities and flavourings. Traditionally, it is ...
for everyone!". Despite his indelicacy, the Empress promotes Count Voinovich to Rear Admiral, and Ushakov to Brigadier General. Cut to
London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...
. The British government wishes to maintain its supremacy of the seas and is concerned about the appearance of the Russian fleet on the Black Sea. Prime Minister
William Pitt the Younger William Pitt (28 May 1759 – 23 January 1806) was a British statesman who served as the last prime minister of Kingdom of Great Britain, Great Britain from 1783 until the Acts of Union 1800, and then first Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, p ...
decides the best way to contain the Russian fleet is by goading the Turkish sultan into war against Russia. The sultan takes the bait, orders the Russian ambassador to be imprisoned in the Fortress of the Seven Towers, and declares war on Russia. In Crimea, a liaison officer informs the English spy Orfano that war is beginning. The British are arranging that the Crimean Tatars rise up in revolt when the Turks land in Crimea. Orfano's task is to get rid of Ushakov, and he enlists Tikhon Prokofiev to kill him. Instead of agreeing to the order, Prokofiev attacks Orfano, but is forced to stop when a group of sailors passes by. Orfano informs Count Mordovtsev that Ushakov is harboring a runaway convict. When Mordovtsev goes to report this to Potemkin, Senyavin arrives with the news that Turkey has declared war on Russia. In the second year of the
Russo-Turkish War (1787-1792) The Russo-Turkish wars ( ), or the Russo-Ottoman wars (), began in 1568 and continued intermittently until 1918. They consisted of twelve conflicts in total, making them one of the longest series of wars in the history of Europe. All but four of ...
, the
Battle of Fidonisi The naval Battle of Fidonisi took place on 14 July 1788 ( NS) between the fleets of the Russian Empire under Marko Voinovich's lead and the Ottoman Empire under Cezayirli Hasan Pasha during the Russo-Turkish War (1787–1792) in the area of ...
takes place near
Snake Island (Black Sea) Snake Island, also known as Serpent Island, White Island, Island of Achilles or Zmiinyi Island (; ), is a Ukrainian island located in the Black Sea, near the Danube Delta, with an important role in delimiting Ukrainian territorial waters. The ...
. Fidonisi is the Greek name for the island. The Turks have a clear advantage of 17 battleships against 2 Russian, but Brigadier General Ushakov, commanding the battleship ''St. Paul'' and the frigates ''Berislav'' and ''Strela'', is confident he can achieve victory. He convinces Rear Admiral Count Voinovich to let him act at his own discretion. Before the battle, Prokofiev confesses to Ushakov that he is a runaway convict, but Ushakov orders him to take his post. Ushakov's three ships break away from the squadron and maneuver to the head of the Turkish line. The Turks open fire, but their shots fall short. Ushakov forbids shooting back until the ships are within firing distance. The Turkish commander orders his sailors to prepare for boarding, but the Russian ships open a devastating round of fire on the Turkish line. The Turkish
flagship A flagship is a vessel used by the commanding officer of a group of navy, naval ships, characteristically a flag officer entitled by custom to fly a distinguishing flag. Used more loosely, it is the lead ship in a fleet of vessels, typically ...
is under fire from both sides, causing the Turkish line to turn away and flee. The Russians are victorious. In 1790, the
Battle of Tendra The Battle of Tendra (or the battle of Khadjibey) was a naval action fought on 8 and 9 September 1790 (28 and 29 August, Old Style and New Style dates, O.S.) in the Black Sea as part of the Russo-Turkish War (1787–1792). It ended in a decis ...
results in another Russian victory. In London, officers Edward Foote and
Horatio Nelson Horatio Nelson, 1st Viscount Nelson, 1st Duke of Bronte ( – 21 October 1805) was a Royal Navy officer whose leadership, grasp of strategy and unconventional tactics brought about a number of decisive British naval victories during the French ...
analyze Ushakov's tactics in the battle. Foote sees his violation of the rules of engagement as barbarous, but Nelson admires his innovations. Nelson's superior officer reminds him of the fate of Admiral Bing, who was shot for violating the regulations of the Admiralty. In Constantinople, the Turkish Sultan and his associates discuss the situation. Admiral Said-Ali, an Algerian, reassures the Sultan that new ships from the
Mediterranean Sea The Mediterranean Sea ( ) is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the east by the Levant in West Asia, on the north by Anatolia in West Asia and Southern Eur ...
are faster and more powerful than the Russian ships. He promises the Sultan to bring back Ushakov in an iron cage. At the Battle of Kaliakria, the Russian fleet passes under the fire of coastal batteries, and then falls in line with the Turkish fleet. During the battle, Ushakov's flagship draws close to the flagship of Said-Ali. Ushakov notices the Turkish admiral and shouts to him, "Hey, Said-Ali, I'll teach you to make promises to the Sultan!" The battle lasts until late at night and ends with the defeat of the Turkish fleet. Upon the death of Potemkin in 1791, Mordovtsev becomes Commander of the Black Sea Fleet. He is determined to make Ushakov more obedient. He tells him that an officer has a voice, a boatswain has a pipe, and a sailor is no more than a tool for obeying orders. Without arguing, Ushakov departs and returns to complete the port of
Sevastopol Sevastopol ( ), sometimes written Sebastopol, is the largest city in Crimea and a major port on the Black Sea. Due to its strategic location and the navigability of the city's harbours, Sevastopol has been an important port and naval base th ...
. The people welcome him back as a hero.


Cast

*
Ivan Pereverzev Ivan Fyodorovich Pereverzev (; 3 September 1914 – 23 April 1978) was a Soviet and Russian stage and film actor. People's Artist of the USSR (1975). From his relationship with the actress Alla Larionova, he had a daughter, Alyona. Filmog ...
as Adm. Feodor Feodorovich Ushakov *
Boris Livanov Boris Nikolayevich Livanov (; – 22 September 1972) was a Soviet and Russian actor and theatre director. People's Artist of the USSR (1948).
as Midshipman Vasilyev * Gennadi Yudin as Capt. Dmitri Nikolayevich Senyavin * Vladimir Vasilyev as Sultan Eski Hassan *
Nikolai Svobodin Nikolai Kapitonovich Svobodin (; 20 May 1898 – 20 September 1965) was a Soviet and Russian stage and film actor and theater pedagogue. Personal life He was born in village Uzmorye, Novouzensky Uyezd as Nikolai Kapitonovich Pechkin (). He becam ...
as Mordovtsev *
Nikolai Chistyakov 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 ...
as Voinovich *
Mikhail Pugovkin Mikhail Ivanovich Pugovkin (; 13 July 1923 — 25 July 2008) was a Soviet and Russian comic actor named a People's Artist of the USSR in 1988. He studied in the Moscow Art Theatre school under Ivan Moskvin, took part in World War II and, follow ...
as Pirozhkov * Aleksey Alekseev as Metaksa *
Georgi Yumatov Georgi Aleksandrovich Yumatov ( rus, Гeopгий Алeксандpoвич Юматов, p=ɡʲɪˈorɡʲɪj jʊˈmatəf; 11 March 1926 – 6 October 1997) was a Soviet and Russian film actor. He appeared in 72 films between 1946 and 1994. He ...
as Viktor Ermolaev * Pavel Volkov as Medical Doctor Ermolaev *
Olga Zhiznyeva Olga Andreyevna Zhizneva (Russian: Ольга Андреевна Жизнева; April 17, 1899November 10, 1972) was a Soviet and Russian stage and film actress. People's Artist of the RSFSR (1969). Selected filmography *'' Property of the Rep ...
as Empress Catherine the Great *
Nikolai Khryashchikov 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 ...
as Khvorin, palace guard * Nikolay Volkov as William Pitt * Ivan Solovyov as Admiral Horatio Nelson *
Vladimir Etush Vladimir Abramovich Etush (6 May 19229 March 2019) was a Soviet and Russian film and theater actor of Jewish descent. People's Artist of the USSR (1984). Biography He was born on 6 May 1922 in Moscow into a Jewish family. Father - Abram Shak ...
as Capt. Said-Ali *
Pavel Shpringfeld Pavel ( Bulgarian, Russian, Serbian: Павел; Czech, Slovene, and (although Romanian also uses Paul); ; ; ) is a male given name. It is a Slavic cognate of the name Paul (derived from the Greek Pavlos). Pavel may refer to: People Given ...
as Shipbuilder Orfano *
Grigory Shpigel Grigory Oyzerovich Spiegel (; 24 July 1914 — 28 April 1981) was a Soviet and Russian actor and voice actor. Honored Artist of the RSFSR (1974). Biography He worked as a pleater at a dye factory in Leningrad. He studied at the directing departme ...
as Thomas Grey *
Lev Fenin Lev or LEV may refer to: People and fictional characters *Lev (given name) *Lev (surname) Places *Lev, Azerbaijan, a village *Lev (crater), a tiny lunar crater Religion *an abbreviation for Leviticus, the third book of the Hebrew Bible and the ...
as Robert Ansley *
Pyotr Sobolevsky Pyotr Stanislavovich Sobolevsky (; 22 May 1904 – 26 July 1977) was a Soviet actor. He appeared in more than 50 films between 1926 and 1973. Biography Sobolevsky was born on 22 May 1904 in Tomsk. He studied at the (FEKS) under Grigori Kozintse ...
as English Ambassador * Yan Yanakiyev as French Ambassador *
Georgy Georgiu Georgy may refer to: * Georgy (given name), a list of people with the Slavic masculine name Georgy, Georgi or Georgiy * Georgy, the protagonist in ''Georgy Girl'' novel, film, and song ** ''Georgy'' (musical), a musical based on the novel ''Georgy ...
as Turkish Ambassador *
Vyacheslav Gostinsky Vyacheslav, also transliterated Viacheslav or Viatcheslav (, ; , ), is a Russian and Ukrainian masculine given name. It is the equivalent of Belarusian Вячаслаў/Вацлаў (transliterated ''Viačaslaŭ/Vaclaŭ'', or ''Viachaslau/Vaclau''), ...
as Lanskoy * Nikolay Kutuzov as General *
Viktor Kulakov The name Victor or Viktor may refer to: * Victor (name), including a list of people with the given name, mononym, or surname Arts and entertainment Film * ''Victor'' (1951 film), a French drama film * ''Victor'' (1993 film), a French shor ...
as Korovin * Pyotr Lyubeshkin as Lepekhin


Production

The original version of the script was written by the historian-novelist Anatoly Vinogradov in 1944, during his time at the front. Vinogradov's name is not listed in the credits, but his official bibliography cites the screenplay. The film was commissioned by the
Soviet Navy The Soviet Navy was the naval warfare Military, uniform service branch of the Soviet Armed Forces. Often referred to as the Red Fleet, the Soviet Navy made up a large part of the Soviet Union's strategic planning in the event of a conflict with t ...
under Vice Admiral Nikolai Kuznetsov to publicize the importance of Admiral Ushakov in naval history. During
World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
, the
Order of Ushakov Order, ORDER or Orders may refer to: * A socio-political or established or existing order, e.g. World order, Ancien Regime, Pax Britannica * Categorization, the process in which ideas and objects are recognized, differentiated, and understood ...
was created for Soviet Naval officers for outstanding achievements leading to victory over a numerically superior enemy. The
Ushakov Medal The Medal of Ushakov () is a state decoration of the Russian Federation that was retained from the awards system of the USSR post 1991. Award history The Medal of Ushakov was a Soviet Union, Soviet military award created on 3 March 1944 by deci ...
was also established for sailors who risked their life defending the Soviet Union. The USSR Department of the Navy and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs advised on the script. Filming was conducted at the fortress in
Bilhorod-Dnistrovskyi Bilhorod-Dnistrovskyi (, ; ; ), historically known as Aq Kirmān () or by other names, is a port city in Odesa Oblast, southwestern Ukraine. It is situated on the right bank of the Dniester Estuary leading to the Black Sea, in the historical r ...
.


Historical Inaccuracies

Potemkin is depicted as blind in the left eye. He was blind in the right eye. The same actor portrays the Turkish Sultan both at the beginning and the end of the Russo-Turkish War of 1787-1792. From 1787 to 1789, the sultan was
Abdul Hamid I Abdulhamid I or Abdul Hamid I (, ''`Abdü’l-Ḥamīd-i evvel''; ; 20 March 1725 – 7 April 1789) was the 27th sultan of the Ottoman Empire from 1774 to 1789. A devout and pacifist sultan, he inherited a bankrupt empire and sought military r ...
, and from 1789 to 1792, the sultan was his nephew
Selim III Selim III (; ; was the sultan of the Ottoman Empire from 1789 to 1807. Regarded as an enlightened ruler, he was eventually deposed and imprisoned by the Janissaries, who placed his cousin Mustafa on the throne as Mustafa IV (). A group of a ...
. The Turkish sultan swears that the sky will soon fall to the ground and the waters of the Danube will flow backward than its fleet will be defeated. This phrase was actually the answer of the chief of the fortress Ismail Aidozle-Mehmet Pasha to the ultimatum of Suvorov before the assault. The narrator attributes a victory at Sinop to Ushakov. This battle was won not by him, but by
Pavel Nakhimov Pavel Stepanovich Nakhimov (, ; – ) was a Russian admiral in the Imperial Russian Navy known for his victory in the Battle of Sinop and his leadership in the Siege of Sevastopol (1854–1855) during the Crimean War. He joined the Imper ...
in the
Crimean War The Crimean War was fought between the Russian Empire and an alliance of the Ottoman Empire, the Second French Empire, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, and the Kingdom of Sardinia (1720–1861), Kingdom of Sardinia-Piedmont fro ...
. Perhaps, the actions of the Black Sea Fleet are considered from the Turkish coast in 1789-1790, when a blow was struck on a number of Turkish ports, including Sinop. After the capture of Ishmael, the Ottoman Empire still had a large fleet, so the references to a "broken fleet" are strange. Captured in battle at Tendra, the Turkish battleship "Meleki-Bahri" is depicted as three-deck (that is, carrying at least 90 guns), whereas in reality it was a two-deck 66-gun ship. In addition, Meleki-Bahri was captured by the battleship Mary Magdalene, and not by St. Paul, as the film shows. In the Battle of Fidonisi, Voinovich's ship ''The Transfiguration of the Lord'' won a battle against two ships of the Turkish fleet, sinking the Turkish ''Shebek''. In the film, the whole battle was led by Ushakov while Voinovich prayed. During the Russo-Turkish War, Count Voinovich was about 40 years old and five years younger than Ushakov. In the film, he is shown as an old man. Nikolai Svobodin, the actor who played Mordovtsev, was 55 years old during filming. The real Mordovtsev was 37 years old in 1791, when the film ends. Ushakov's flagship during the entirety of the film is the 66-gun ''St. Paul.'' By the time of the
Battle of Kerch Strait (1790) The naval battle, naval Battle of (the) Kerch Strait (also known as ''Battle of Yenikale'', by the old Turkish name of the strait near Kerch) took place on 19 July 1790 near Kerch, Crimea, was a victory for Imperial Russia over the Ottoman E ...
in 1790, his flagship was the 84-gun ''Nativity of Christ''. The Battle of Kaliakria is shown as a decisive rout of the Turkish fleet, but the Turks did not lose a single ship and were able to sail away thanks to the structural superiority of their ships. However, the Turkish fleet was strongly disorganized - most of the ships scattered along the Rumeli coast, having received damage of varying degrees. The Turkish flagship sank, having already reached Constantinople, which made a heavy impression on the inhabitants of the capital of the Ottoman Empire.


Reception


Critical Response

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...
wrote, "With a huge cast populating a lavish, sprawling assortment of period backgrounds, the picture combines spectacle and a surprisingly simple and persuasive close-up of the hero. 'Admiral Ushakov' is a good example of Soviet free-handedness in old-fashioned, grand-scale pageantry, with no evidence of scrimping."


Awards

Certificate for Best Foreign Film at the Vichy Film Festival (1954).


References


Bibliography

* Rollberg, Peter. ''Historical Dictionary of Russian and Soviet Cinema''. Scarecrow Press, 2008.


External links

* * {{Authority control 1950s war drama films Soviet war drama films Russian war drama films 1950s biographical drama films Soviet biographical drama films Russian biographical drama films 1950s historical drama films Soviet historical drama films Russian historical drama films Mosfilm films 1950s Soviet films 1950s Russian-language films Films directed by Mikhail Romm Films set in the 18th century Films set in the 19th century Seafaring films Cultural depictions of Catherine the Great Cultural depictions of William Pitt the Younger Films about the Russian Empire Films scored by Aram Khachaturian Films set in Crimea Films set in Istanbul Films set in Saint Petersburg Films set in London Cultural depictions of Horatio Nelson Films shot in Russia Soviet epic films Russo-Turkish War (1787–1792) Russian-language war drama films Russian-language biographical drama films Russian-language historical drama films