Propaganda film from WW2, designed to raise the awareness of the American public regarding USSR's fight against Nazi Germany.Propaganda film from WW2, designed to raise the awareness of the American public regarding USSR's fight against Nazi Germany.Propaganda film from WW2, designed to raise the awareness of the American public regarding USSR's fight against Nazi Germany.
Konstantin Shayne
- Wounded Soldier
- (as Konstantine Shayne)
John Wengraf
- Red Army Commander
- (as John E. Wengraf)
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaThis film was the subject of inquiry by the House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC) in October 1947. Testimony as to the distortions of Soviet life presented in the film was provided by Ayn Rand, screenwriter and author of "The Fountainhead" and "Atlas Shrugged". Rand was born in Russia, but left in 1926. Rand derided the depictions of Russian peasants who owned radios and had access to long distance telephones as well as showing a 'traditional Russian wedding dance' with peasant women doing the Charleston with spiked heels in church.
- GoofsAlthough the film is set during the Axis invasion of the Soviet Union in 1941, uniforms and equipment shown in both the stock footage and the American-filmed scenes are largely from the period of 1943-44, when the film was made. Of particular note are the helmets and rank insignia which are indicative of this later era.
- ConnectionsFeatured in Red Hollywood (1996)
- SoundtracksPiano Concerto No.1 in B flat minor, Op.23
(uncredited)
Music by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky
[Played by Susan Peters on piano, with an orchestra at a rehearsal; Reprised at a concert on tour in Russia, with Albert Coates on piano; Reprised by Peters in a New York concert; Excerpts played often in the score, adapted by Herbert Stothart]
Featured review
Propaganda film? of course. Soviet propaganda? Huh uh; at least not directly.
Look: This film IS propaganda, but it certainly isn't Soviet propaganda. I think it is clear from watching the film disinterestedly and/or reading ALL of the transcripts of Ayn Rand's HUAC testimony that it was American wartime propaganda aiming at 1) strengthening political ties with its then-ally Soviets, and 2) convincing the American's that they should support the joint effort with the Russians against Germany. The US was too afraid to admit to the American people that they, like, Churchill said, had to work with the devil to defeat Hitler; they used propaganda film instead (ad not just here, but overtly as part of Frank Capra's "Why We Fight" series). Further, I think it is probable, as a previous poster mentioned, that they are only guilty of writing a very ill-conceived "love knows no bounds" kind of war time love story; this is just a year or so after Casablanca, after all! The movie certainly was picked up, partly on the basis of the love-knows-no-bounds angle, but more overtly b/c, as the awful Robert Taylor pointed out in his own HUAC testimony, the request came from the US State department.
helpful•39
- rjearle
- Apr 14, 2010
Details
- Release date
- Country of origin
- Languages
- Also known as
- Sången om Ryssland
- Filming locations
- Production company
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
Box office
- Budget
- $1,828,000 (estimated)
- Runtime1 hour 47 minutes
- Color
- Aspect ratio
- 1.37 : 1
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