Name: Pesn o geroyakh
Genre: Documentary
Duration: 50 min
Rating: 6.7

A powerful and uplifting ode to the real heroes of Soviet Industrialization

A fascinating, powerful and stirring ode to Industrialization as an entity, a living wave driven by enthusiasm and will of the Komsomol (youth organization).

Of course, there were other sides to the building of Magnitogorsk industrial area. After all, a good deal of workers there were forced labor, convicts, many of whom were tried as generally unfit for society, using the broad-defined 58-1 article of the Criminal Code.

But Ivers looked for the force, the wave, the vibe of the ultra-fast and ultra-fierce Industrialization. And he managed to show it here.

The images are straightforward yet powerful, and do not feel outdated. Mind you, it's 1932, so torch processions weren't a Nazi trademark yet, and the expressions "storm troops" who "storm" the obstacles were associated only with the bold heroes of WWI and Civil war.

It's a pity that English subs in the rip I found on internet are lacking. For most of the film text is optional... But the intense song that ends the film, subs are way off (lyrics are way better and there's more of them). And they say that the multi-national crew of this film (including avant-garde poet Tratyakov who composed the lyrics) sometimes got drunk in their shack - they lived alongside simple workers - and sang this song all night long.

So this is a must-see for anyone who watches Russian and Soviet early cinema; if you've seen Stachka, Man with a Movie Camera or Battleship Potyomkin, you better see this film (it's known in Russia as An Ode for the Heroes) and Old And New (General Line) by Eisenstein.

ps:i watched this in VGIK, the main movie school of Russia. therefore a big disappointment with lyrics.

Russian cinema is distinguished by its epic scale, philosophical depth, and innovative visual language. It often explores history, ideology, and the human psyche, with a tradition of psychological realism and artistic experimentation. Russian cinema contributed revolutionary theories of editing and later a spiritual approach to film language. It remains known for combining formal experimentation with profound explorations of endurance and belief.

Nikolay Grinko, Aleksandr Kaydanovskiy, and Anatoliy Solonitsyn in Stalker (1979)

The documentary is a form of non-fiction storytelling that aims to present factual information, insights, and perspectives on real-world subjects, events, issues, or people. Documentaries can cover a wide range of topics, including history, science, culture, social issues, nature, biographies, and more.

Dziga Vertov in Man with a Movie Camera (1929)

Soviet solidarity is strong in Germany where the Communist Party (KPD) marches under the clenched fist in spite of police harassment... Radio broadcasts reach all parts of the Soviet Union, including Magnitogorsk. On the steppe near the city, a family of nomads lives in their yurt. The father hears blasting: iron ore for the steelworks. Crushed ore and coke yield molten steel for the ladle. Stop-motion animation shows the bountiful tractor and freight car output of the future... A new blast-furnace is under construction. Accepting jobs at the site are women, ethnic minorities, and the nomad. An English-speaking engineer supervises; a young riveter learns his trade from an old hand... In the Kubass region, miners labour to produce the coal which becomes coke in Magnitogorsk... At last the blast-furnace is complete. Workers celebrate. A cheerful patriotic song is sung. Steel pours forth. The new day reveals a finished plant.

The Biggest Movies and TV Coming in September

See which big screen releases you can watch from the comfort of your couch.

Theatrical Releases Coming to Streaming

Get a closer look at these actors from their many TV and streaming series roles.

Streaming Stars, Then and Now

Herbert Marshall, Kay Francis, and Miriam Hopkins in Trouble in Paradise (1932)

Song of Heroes

Photos

User reviews1

More like this

Related interests

Storyline

Did you know

Top picks

Details

Tech specs

Contribute to this page

More to explore

Recently viewed