12 Russian War Movies You Must See
Russia is another of those countries whose film production rarely disappoints. I haven’t seen all of the below mentioned movies yet but have read a lot about them and have seen parts of them. There are most certainly more but these seem to be the most important ones. They are quite different. Some, like 9th Company, are pure, gritty infantry combat, others like Come and See are more experimental. Mongol and Admiral are quite beautiful. What they all have in common is a feel of authenticity, and a way of showing how atrocious war is that is very unique and emotional. If you haven’t seen any Russian war movies so far, I would suggest you change that as soon as possible.
The Fortress of War aka Brestskaya krepost (2010) Dramatic infantry combat. The Germans attack the Brest Fortress from all sides. Soldiers and civilians fight for their life. (See my review)
Admiral (2008) The true story of Admiral Kolchak. WWI and Russian Revolution. War Movie and Love Story. (Here is my review)
Mongol (2007) The story of the rise of Genghis Khan. (Here is my review)
9th Company aka 9 Rota (2005) Gritty infantry combat in Afghanistan. It has similarities with Platoon but the characters are very different, very emotional. (See my review)
The Thief aka Vor (1997) Childhood drama that starts during WWII.
Come and See aka Idi i Smotri (1985) A young boy gets caught up in the atrocities of WWII.
The Dawns here are Quiet women aka A zori zdes tikhie (1972) The story of a group of female snipers during WWII.
Ivan’s childhood aka Ivanovo detstvo (1962) A young boy works as a spy at the eastern front. Three Soviet officers try to take care of this boy-child.
Ballad of a Soldier aka Ballada o Soldate (1959) A 19-year-old soldier gets a medal for bravery. On his leave he meets a girl on the train and falls in love with her.
The Story of a Man aka Sudba cheloveka (1959) The story of a man whose life is destroyed by WWII. When his village is bombed his wife and children are killed.
The Cranes are Flying aka Letyat zhuravli (1957) A young woman waits for the love of her life to return from the war. The movie shows the battlefield and the home front. (See my review)
Battleship Potemkin aka Bronenosets Potyomkin (1925) A silent movie classic. One of the first war movies ever with a lot of famous scenes. Very expressive.
It is also worth mentioning other movies by Sergei Bondarchuk like War and Peace or Waterloo. They are all excellent but mostly co-productions with international stars that’s why I didn’t include them but chose The Story of a Man instead.
Do you have any favourite Russian war movies and/or recommendations?
Guy Savage said,
October 8, 2011 at 3:08 am
I have seen all of these. While I thought Admiral was an incredible spectacle, I thought it was a bit disappointing overall (the civil war subsumed by a love story). Have you seen 1612?
If you haven’t seen it, I recommend Commissar
allaboutwarmovies said,
October 8, 2011 at 7:18 am
I’m not surprised that you have seen them all. I know what you mean about Admiral but in this case I liked the love story and didn’t care all that much. I haven’t seen 1612 yet but I’ve got it. I’ll look for your suggestion, thank you.
warmoviebuff said,
October 8, 2011 at 3:23 am
Another excellent list! Thanks.
Until I started my blog I never even remotely considered watching a Russian film. I have been amazed at what I had been missing. I have watched several in the last year and none have disappointed. Here are my impressions:
Mongol – A
9th Company – A
Come and See – B
Ballad of a Soldier – B+
The Cranes Are Flying – A
Battleship Potemkin – B
I can add “Prisoner of the Mountain” = A / two Russian soldiers are held hostage by Chechnyan rebels
allaboutwarmovies said,
October 8, 2011 at 7:22 am
Thanks, Kevin. I agree mostly with your rating, maybe not for Battleship Potemkin. I hated watching it, to be honest, but still think it’s outstanding for the time.
I vaguely remember Prisoner of the Mountain. My problem are the titles. I watch Russian movies with German subtitles. There is also much more available. Often co-prodcutions former German Democratic Republic /Russia. But then it’s hard for me to find the English title.
Crooked Mick said,
October 8, 2011 at 4:11 am
You might like
“Alexander Nevsky” (1938) – a classic (propaganda) piece, but I think it still holds up – the imagery of the Teutonic army and the ice battle are excellent
“Marsh-brosok” (aka “The Forced March”) (2003) – Chechen war from the POV of a young Russian soldier, perhaps a bit simplistic in terms of the realities of the political situation, but not bad as a war movie
“Ivan Groznyy” (aka “Ivan the Terrible”) (1944/ 1958) – not just about war, but more like “War and Peace”
allaboutwarmovies said,
October 8, 2011 at 7:24 am
Thanks a lot, Crooked Mick, I will look them up. I think I heard of Ivan Grozny. Alexander Nevsky sounds familiar too.
Guy Savage said,
October 28, 2011 at 4:59 pm
Popped in to say that I am halfway through Burnt by the Sun 2 (3 hrs long). This is one you might want to check out. Watch Burnt by the Sun 1 first though otherwise it’ll be hard to follow. Some real life events from WWII here.
allaboutwarmovies said,
October 28, 2011 at 5:32 pm
Great, thanks a lot, I’ll have a look if I find it.
Guy Savage said,
October 31, 2011 at 1:18 am
I must say that some scenes from Burnt by the Sun II were very difficult to watch (the German tank scene), but bloody realism beats -”war as adventure” in Max Manus.
allaboutwarmovies said,
October 31, 2011 at 5:37 am
Yes, I agree but thanks for the warning. I don’t always do well with scenes that are too gruesome.