Name: Groza nad beloy
Genre: Drama
Released: 1968-11-04
Duration: 1 h 32 min
Rating: 6.5
Cast: Aleksandr Mikhaylov, Aleksei Yakovlev, Natalya Tenyakova

How the national hero Frunze defeated the traitor Kolchak or An excellent biographical drama about the famous hero of the Civil War

Historical drama. The childhood picture that we watched in those years when we were supporters of capitalism and the White Guards (we repent, we are sinners, we ask for forgiveness forever and ever), and then our sympathies were on the side of the traitors of the Russian people, the White Guards and the interventionists, but fortunately we understood, gained experience, and now we rate the picture as an excellent film adaptation of the real episodes of the Russian Civil war, especially the picture itself was filmed on the spot. And here is our brief opinion - An excellent biographical drama about the famous hero of the civil War. We would like to note right away that there are no flaws in the painting, but there are some points that should be noted in a separate paragraph, so we will be happy to focus your attention on the expressive advantages of this wonderful painting.

So, here they are: 1. Scenario - the picture focuses on an episode of the civil War in which a new commander arrives on the Eastern Front - an old and experienced Bolshevik Mikhail Vasilyevich Frunze, with the task of the party and the people to stop the offensive of Admiral Kolchak's troops to the Volga and launching a counteroffensive to throw them back and defeat them. The year is 1919, and "partisanship" still reigns in the Red Army, so Mikhail Vasilyevich (as well as his assistant, former general of the Tsarist army Novitsky), will have to restore order in the troops, defend his counteroffensive plan at a critical moment (which influenced the entire course of the war) and defeat General Khanzhin in a stubborn struggle. - one of the most experienced Kolchak generals. The scriptwriters did not forget about ordinary Red Army soldiers and commanders. The whites were also shown, along with their interventionist masters. The finale is thrilling and shows the triumph of the people and the belief in a better future for Russia.

2. Mikhail Vasilyevich Frunze is the main character of the film, who was superbly played by the famous actor Alexander Alexandrovich Mikhailov (although he was voiced by Vyacheslav Shalevich), who perfectly conveyed the character of Mikhail Vasilyevich. His firmness, pre-revolutionary leaven, faith in victory and experience. And how he defended his counteroffensive plan is just something to see. After all, everything hung in the balance at that moment - if Kolchak had broken through the Volga, the defeated units of the Red Army would not have been able to resist them, but at that moment Denikin was advancing from the south. Combining their forces would have been disastrous for the young Soviet republic. If Frunze had not insisted on his plan, there would have been a collapse of the entire southern wing of the Eastern Front. Fortunately, this did not happen, and the Whites were defeated by a powerful Red Army counteroffensive. At the same time, Mikhail Vasilyevich was shown to be an ordinary man who is nervous, struggling with a long-standing stomach ulcer. He goes unarmed to the fighters and commanders infected with "partisanship." With the help of loyal comrades and friends, he overcomes all obstacles on the way to his goal. Although the actor doesn't look much like the real Frunze.

3. The battle scenes are quite dramatic, exciting, spectacular, with a fair amount of extras. I would especially like to mention the costumes, because the red fighters (and they are the only ones worthy of attention, because they fought for a better future for themselves and their descendants, which the descendants betrayed and sold, but that's another story), who are in bast shoes, who are in oversized sweatshirts, who have only a hat from the winter uniform. Only the whites are all sleek, with sparkling shoulder straps. Nevertheless, you look and believe, and you distinguish who is who. Of course, the final battle is remembered the most, which is not surprising, since the staging and the maneuver itself are our reverence.

Of course, the atmosphere of the civil war was recreated here as best they could. The magic of cinema works exactly as it should here. The cinematography, the well-chosen music, the acting of both the first and the second plan.

Now about some points that spoil the overall impression a little. These are obvious assembly lines, what was cut out there if almost ten minutes disappeared from the total timekeeping? The story of the spy Abalov is also confusing. And of course, the real events were greatly simplified for the sake of the artistry of the picture.

It is worth noting the excellent acting of Yefim Kopelyan (General Khanzhin), Bruno Freundlich (Admiral Kolchak), Vladimir Kashpura (Nachdiv Veselov), Gennady Yukhtin (Abalov) and all the others.

Again, it should be said that such a movie will not be shown on the "box" by the current authorities, because these ideas and these people are alien to them. But we, the ordinary Russian people, have not forgotten our heroes, and we will sacredly honor their memory and enjoy watching Soviet films about them, even artistic ones!

Rating 9 out of 10 and recommended for viewing!

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 drama genre is a broad category that features stories portraying human experiences, emotions, conflicts, and relationships in a realistic and emotionally impactful way. Dramas delve into the complexities of human life, often exploring themes of love, loss, morality, societal issues, personal growth, with the aim to evoke an emotional response from the audience by presenting relatable and thought-provoking stories.

Mahershala Ali and Alex R. Hibbert in Moonlight (2016)

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Groza nad beloy

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