''Moscow Strikes Back'' is a

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 ...

war War is an armed conflict between the armed forces of states, or between governmental forces and armed groups that are organized under a certain command structure and have the capacity to sustain military operations, or between such organi ...

documentary film A documentary film (often described simply as a documentary) is a nonfiction Film, motion picture intended to "document reality, primarily for instruction, education or maintaining a Recorded history, historical record". The American author and ...

about the

Battle of Moscow The Battle of Moscow was a military campaign that consisted of two periods of strategically significant fighting on a sector of the Eastern Front during World War II, between October 1941 and January 1942. The Soviet defensive effort frustrated H ...

between October 1941 and January 1942. It was directed by Ilya Kopalin and . It was one of four films that won a 1942 Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature.

Plot

The film begins in

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 ...

, with civilians preparing defences in their streets. Men in civilian clothes with rifles prepare for battle. Women machine shell cases and prepare

hand grenade A grenade is a small explosive weapon typically thrown by hand (also called hand grenade), but can also refer to a Shell (projectile), shell (explosive projectile) shot from the muzzle of a rifle (as a rifle grenade) or a grenade launcher. A mod ...

s. An apparently huge

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 ...

makes a battle speech in

Red Square Red Square ( rus, Красная площадь, Krasnaya ploshchad', p=ˈkrasnəjə ˈploɕːɪtʲ) is one of the oldest and largest town square, squares in Moscow, Russia. It is located in Moscow's historic centre, along the eastern walls of ...

to thousands of cheering

Red Army The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army, often shortened to the Red Army, was the army and air force of the Russian Soviet Republic and, from 1922, the Soviet Union. The army was established in January 1918 by a decree of the Council of People ...

soldiers on

parade A parade is a procession of people, usually organized along a street, often in costume, and often accompanied by marching bands, floats, or sometimes large balloons. Parades are held for a wide range of reasons, but are usually some variety ...

with

greatcoat A greatcoat (also watchcoat) is a large, woollen overcoat designed for warmth and protection against wind and weather, and features a collar that can be turned up and cuffs that can be turned down to protect the face and the hands, while the Cap ...

ushanka An ushanka (, , from , ), also called an ushanka-hat (, ), is a Russian fur hat with ear-covering flaps that can be tied up on the crown of the cap, or fastened at the chin to protect the ears, jaw, and lower chin from the cold. An alternativ ...

s, and fixed

bayonet A bayonet (from Old French , now spelt ) is a -4; we might wonder whether there's a point at which it's appropriate to talk of the beginnings of French, that is, when it wa ... , now spelt ) is a knife, dagger">knife">-4; we might wonder whethe ...

s. Men, trucks,

tank A tank is an armoured fighting vehicle intended as a primary offensive weapon in front-line ground combat. Tank designs are a balance of heavy firepower, strong armour, and battlefield mobility provided by tracks and a powerful engine; ...

s, and

artillery Artillery consists of ranged weapons that launch Ammunition, munitions far beyond the range and power of infantry firearms. Early artillery development focused on the ability to breach defensive walls and fortifications during sieges, and l ...

advance into battle. Anti-aircraft guns fire into the night sky, which is crisscrossed by searchlight beams. A crashed German bomber is seen in close-up. Russian fighters and bombers are readied and armed. Artillery guns of many types fire many times. Tank crewmen scramble to their tanks and jump aboard. Tanks race across snow-covered plains towards the enemy. Snow-

camouflage Camouflage is the use of any combination of materials, coloration, or illumination for concealment, either by making animals or objects hard to see, or by disguising them as something else. Examples include the leopard's spotted coat, the b ...

d troops parachute behind enemy lines. They collect skis parachuted to them and go into battle, lying down under fire before attacking again. Tanks rush from a forest across the snow, infantrymen riding on their rear decks or skiing into battle in large numbers. A tank is hit and explodes as the attack goes on. Russian infantry in greatcoats storm a village and clear the houses of surrendering German soldiers. Towns and cities are liberated. The Russian soldiers are greeted by smiling civilians. An old woman kisses several soldiers. German atrocities are shown. The elegantly preserved houses of the playwright

Anton Chekhov Anton Pavlovich Chekhov (; ; 29 January 1860 – 15 July 1904) was a Russian playwright and short-story writer, widely considered to be one of the greatest writers of all time. His career as a playwright produced four classics, and his b ...

and the novelist

Leo Tolstoy Count Lev Nikolayevich Tolstoy Tolstoy pronounced his first name as , which corresponds to the romanization ''Lyov''. () (; ,Throughout Tolstoy's whole life, his name was written as using Reforms of Russian orthography#The post-revolution re ...

are seen badly damaged, the museum exhibits destroyed. The bodies of murdered civilians are shown. Quantities of destroyed German armour and transport are scattered across the landscape. Captured artillery is to be used against the Germans. The bodies of dead Germans are seen frozen in the snow. Maps show the extent of the Russian advance. The front line has retreated far from Moscow. File:Moscow Strikes Back title frame.jpg, Title frame) File:Moscow Strikes Back - still 09-41 women making shells.jpg, 09:41 – Russian women making artillery shells File:Moscow Strikes Back 14-24 AA guns muzzle flash.jpg, 14:24 – Anti-aircraft guns fire at night File:Moscow Strikes Back 20-15 Tank Crewman Jumps Aboard.jpg, 20:15 – A crewman jumps aboard his snow-camouflaged tank File:Moscow Strikes Back 24-56 Tanks and Ski Infantry attack together.jpg, 24:56 –Tanks and ski infantry attack File:Moscow Strikes Back 27-40 Germans Surrendering.jpg, 27:40 – German soldiers surrender File:Moscow Strikes Back 46-08 German Soldier dead in snow.jpg, 46:08 – dead German soldier, snow on back

Production

Russian versions

''Moscow Strikes Back'' was produced as "Project 6004; Information film #5", under the working titles of "Know Your Ally: Russia" and "War in the East". Preparation of the scenario started on 1 April 1942. A print of the completed film was provided to the Soviet authorities on 9 July 1943. Much of the footage was new; some was from American sources including newsreels, and some from captured German sources. Existing Russian films including

Sergei Eisenstein Sergei Mikhailovich Eisenstein; (11 February 1948) was a Soviet film director, screenwriter, film editor and film theorist. Considered one of the greatest filmmakers of all time, he was a pioneer in the theory and practice of montage. He is no ...

's 1938 ''

Alexander Nevsky Alexander Yaroslavich Nevsky (; ; monastic name: ''Aleksiy''; 13 May 1221 – 14 November 1263) was Prince of Novgorod (1236–1240; 1241–1256; 1258–1259), Grand Prince of Kiev (1249–1263), and Grand Prince of Vladimir (1252–1263). ...

'' were sampled. Three Russian versions were produced, consisting respectively of 6, 9, and 10 reels of film. The cinema release was in two parts, the first covering events up to 1941, and the second the subsequent events on the eastern front. The film is said to have been translated into several languages for showing in different parts of the Soviet Union.

Foreign versions

The English version's narration was written by Albert Maltz, with uncredited writing by Jay Leyda, and Elliot Paul. It was distributed by Artkino Pictures and

Republic Pictures Republic Pictures is currently an acquisition-only label owned by Paramount Pictures. Its history dates back to Republic Pictures Corporation, an American film studio that originally operated from 1935 to 1967, based in Los Angeles, California ...

. The film was first shown in the New York on 15 August 1942 at the

Globe Theatre The Globe Theatre was a Theater (structure), theatre in London associated with William Shakespeare. It was built in 1599 at Southwark, close to the south bank of the Thames, by Shakespeare's playing company, the Lord Chamberlain's Men. It was ...

. 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 ...

'' credits it as: "Russian documentary produced by the Central Studios, Moscow, USSR; English commentary by Albert Maltz, narrated by Edward G. Robinson; editing and montage by Slavko Vorkapich; musical score arranged by Dimitri Tiomkin; released here through Artkino Pictures, Inc. At the

Footage In filmmaking and video production, footage is raw, unedited material as originally filmed by a movie camera or recorded by a digital video camera, which typically must be film editing, edited to create a motion picture, digital video, video cli ...

was included in

Frank Capra Frank Russell Capra (born Francesco Rosario Capra; May 18, 1897 – September 3, 1991) was an Italian-American film director, producer, and screenwriter who was the creative force behind Frank Capra filmography#Films that won Academy Award ...

's '' The Battle of Russia''. A French version, translated by André David, was narrated by

Charles Boyer Charles Boyer (; 28 August 1899 – 26 August 1978) was a French-American actor who appeared in more than 80 films between 1920 and 1976. After receiving an education in drama, Boyer started on the stage, but he found his success in American fi ...

Reception

In 1942, the ''

'' reviewed the film favourably, stating that the work of "Russian front-line cameramen" would "live in the archives of our time." The review stated that it was not "to be described in ordinary reviewer's terms" as the film was not staged but recorded in actual combat. It had a powerful effect, "sting nglike a slap in the face of complacence", and "lift ngthe spirit with the courage of a people who have gone all-out." The ''Times'' reviewer described the film in detail, admitting that words are inadequate, and adds that "The savagery of that retreat is a spectacle to stun the mind." He found "infinitely more terrible" the sight of the atrocities, "the naked and slaughtered children stretched out in ghastly rows, the youths dangling limply in the cold from gallows that were rickety, but strong enough." The review concluded that "To say that ''Moscow Strikes Back'' is a great film is to fall into inappropriate cliché." Slavko Vorkapich's editing is described as brilliant; Albert Maltz's writing as terse, Robinson's voice-over as moving, "but that does not tell the story of what the heroic cameramen have done", filming "amid the fury of battle". Stalin is said to have told Capra on his visit to Russia that he was happy with the film.

Awards

In the

USSR 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 ...

, the film was awarded the Stalin Prize. In America, it was one of four winners at the 15th Academy Awards for Best Documentary Feature. This was the USSR's first Oscar, awarded for the American cut of the film. This had been shortened by 14 minutes, recut, and re-narrated, without much of the Soviet ideology, from the Russian-language original. It gained an American audience of some 16 million. It also won the

National Board of Review The National Board of Review of Motion Pictures is a non-profit organization of New York City area film enthusiasts. Its awards, which are announced in early December, are considered the first major harbinger of the film awards season that ...

award for best documentary in 1942, and a New York Film Critics Circle Award for Best War Fact Film.

Notes

References

External links

*
Moscow Strikes Back (Razgrom Nemetzkikh Voisk Pod Moskvoi [Defeat of the Germans near Moscow
/nowiki>)">efeat of the Germans near Moscow">Moscow Strikes Back (Razgrom Nemetzkikh Voisk Pod Moskvoi [Defeat of the Germans near Moscow
/nowiki>)at the British Film Institute * * *
interview with ''Moscow Strikes Back'' front-line cameraman
NewTimes.ru. February 19, 2007 * http://cinemafirst.ru/razgrom-nemetskih-vojsk-pod-moskvoj-19/ ;Video,

Public Domain The public domain (PD) consists of all the creative work to which no Exclusive exclusive intellectual property rights apply. Those rights may have expired, been forfeited, expressly Waiver, waived, or may be inapplicable. Because no one holds ...

: * (English language version) * ''Nuclear Vault''. (English language version) *
Moscow Strikes Back
at ''Музей ЦСДФ'' (Internet Museum of Central Studio for Documentary Film (CSDF)) *
razgrom.nemeckih.voysk.pod.moskvoy.1942.avi
a
War Archeology
(2015) * * - Duration: 1:06:21 * ''Moscow Strikes Back'', 1942: (liveuser) ** ** ** ** {{Authority control Best Documentary Feature Academy Award winners Soviet World War II propaganda films 1942 films 1942 in the Soviet Union 1942 documentary films 1942 war films 1940s Soviet films 1940s Russian-language films Russian-language documentary films Russian-language war films Soviet documentary films Soviet black-and-white films Black-and-white documentary films World War II films made in wartime Cultural depictions of Joseph Stalin Films shot in Moscow Eastern Front of World War II films Battle of Moscow