For a very long time few films were made about the Great Patriotic War. In 1967, the epic "Liberation" was shot, the actors of which literally went back a quarter century and again lived through the most difficult periods of the war. Director Yuri Ozerov knew firsthand about the war and tried to do everything as reliably as possible, but the veterans didn’t really like the film after the release.
Who participated in the creation of the picture
Cast experts from several countries were employed. The Epic “Liberation”, whose actors did an excellent job, was created by the efforts of people who came to the set from:
- THE USSR;
- GDR;
- Poland
- Italy
- Romania.
Most of the actors were invited from the theaters of the USSR. Although it cannot be said that all were representatives of the theatrical stage. Interestingly, one of the founders of the circus dynasty, the clown and trainer Yuri Durov, was invited to the role of Winston Churchill.
Passed hard shooting. The film epic “Liberation”, whose actors represented different countries, was carefully supervised by the Central Committee of the CPSU. For example, due to a check from above, the film does not mention the first years of the war, which were not the most successful for the Soviet army, and the action begins immediately with the battle on the Kursk Bulge.
How many parts is the epic divided into
In total, in this large-scale project, there are 5 films that were shot in a record time for those times - over 4 years. Already in 1972, the fifth picture came out on a wide screen. For the script, the well-known journalist Oscar Kurganov was invited at that time, who was reporting from the front, and Yuri Bondarev, famous for his work “Hot Snow,” became its co-author.
By the way, this novel was written in 1970, when the film epic "Liberation" was shot. All of her series, by modern standards, had the format of an independent film. If you want to view all parts of the film, then you have to spend almost seven and a half hours at the screen. Partially in the film, the novel “The Battalions Ask for Fire,” which was subsequently filmed separately, was involved. Thanks to this book, Alexander appeared in “Liberation”, played by the now famous Sergey Nikonenko.
The Arc of Fire
When the film epic “Liberation” was shot, the actors not only transferred several years ago, but also became famous historical figures. In the first part we see the command of the USSR, consisting of Zhukov, Rokossovsky and Vasilevsky. The actors who were most similar to their prototypes in the film “Liberation” were selected. Epic (1 episode), whose actors are undoubtedly talented, gave many a ticket to life. Mikhail Ulyanov, for example, played Zhukov after this film at least 15 times, so after death he was buried with military honors, like a true marshal.
Filming of the famous battle of Kursk, which illuminates the first part of the epic, was carried out in the vicinity of Kiev. Partially in the film battle scenes are shown, they were shot on color film, and black and white was used to cover historical facts, for example, it highlighted what was happening in Moscow. It was because of the filming of the battles that permission to shoot near Kursk was not obtained. Due to the use of pyrotechnics, the remaining bombs or shells in the ground could explode.
"Breakthrough"
Everything is interesting in the film "Liberation" (epic): actors, history of creation and real historical facts. The second part is more interesting in this regard. She talks about the ambiguous Belarusian front, which was created specifically to divert most of the German forces.
On the one hand, this is a sad fact, since all the defenders of the false bridgehead were killed, but on the other, it was this that could help the Soviet army liberate Oryol and Belgorod.
In this part, the only Italian actor appears - Ivo Garrani, who played Benito Mussolini. He is arrested during the course of the action, and a German-Italian campaign begins to release him from custody. The conference in Tehran, which was held in 1943, puts an end to this part.
"The direction of the main blow"
In 1944, Soviet territory was completely liberated. The epic "Liberation" tells about this, the actors of which told not only about the battles, but also about what happened in the offices of the supreme commanders. For example, in this part, the audience is shown a conspiracy of the general, during which Hitler was sentenced to death. Adolf Hitler and other war veterans from the German side were played by famous actors in the German Democratic Republic. Representatives of Germany refused to participate in the film.
Front-line surveys were carried out in the same place where the first famous battle was reproduced - on the outskirts of Pereyaslav-Khmelnitsky. Involved in a project such as the epic "Liberation", the actors reconstructed the offensive operation "Bagration", which became decisive. The third film consists of two parts that complement each other and describe in detail all the events that took place at that time.
Battle for Berlin
This film tells the story of the main battle taking place on the outskirts of Berlin. In addition, the famous Yalta Conference was reproduced, the participants of which were Roosevelt, Churchill and Stalin. Roosevelt was played by a Polish actor, but the real Georgian, Bukhuti Zakariadze, was invited to play the role of Joseph Vissarionovich.
It is interesting that if you see shooting photos (the epic "Liberation"), the actors who played in it will be remembered for a long time, although they are not all recognizable. For example, from the third part, the famous writer and actor with a complex character, Vasily Shukshin, takes part in the film. He is hard to recognize due to the fact that his hero Marshal Konev was shaved with his head bald.
"The last assault"
For filming this part of the GDR, it not only contributed in the form of a film tape, but also gave permission to work in its capital. To recreate the Reichstag, three sites were involved: overview plans were filmed in a dilapidated cathedral in Germany, the premises were created at Mosfilm (scenery), and the Berlin House of Technology became the top of the Nazi headquarters.
Filmed the epic "Liberation", the actors and roles of which are now considered an example for other films about the war, in the area of the capital of the GDR, to be reconstructed. According to the Germans, all the houses that became the scenery for the film were soon demolished, and a new quarter was built in their place.
Berlin metro scene
A lot of controversy caused a film adaptation of a historical fact - the flooding of the German metro. Many consider this event fictitious. The explosion was necessary for the Nazis in order to cut off Soviet soldiers from such a convenient way of transportation, so that they had to move directly along the streets of the city. They produced his sappers SS from the "Nordland".
This plot (the epic "Liberation") was played by actors from both countries. This event in real life was a very sad fact about the war, as civilians and wounded were hiding in the tunnels. This fact was used in the film to demonstrate the unscrupulousness of the Nazis.
Reich Chancellery Scene
In the fifth part, there was another famous scene in which the then young actor Leonid Kuravlev participated. He played a brave signalman who pulled the cable into the Reich Chancellery. According to the plot of the film, he had to become an involuntary witness to the death of Goebbels, played by Horst Giza.
It is interesting that this actor not only appeared in the last three parts of the epic, but also played in the very first film: there his role was small - he appeared in the frame as a captive sapper. Due to skillfully made-up makeup, not all viewers noticed this.
The soldiers who fought and lived on screens
It is noteworthy that in the film "Liberation" (epic), the actors played the military, completely unlike those painted on campaign leaflets. Many noted that they were real, lively, showing their feelings. Among them were discipline violators and lovers.
For example, one of the main characters played by Larisa Golubkina and Nikolai Olyanin showed on the screen not only courage, but also true love. Yuri Kamorny, who played the lieutenant of the tank forces, was remembered for the overnight scene in military equipment. Yuri Shtemenko, who advised the picture, was not enthusiastic about this scene. However, he himself did not like him either. Cleon Protasov played it reliably, but the director missed the fact that Shtemenko had more stars on his shoulder straps in 1943 and lacked several orders. Props were selected using the military archive, and it turned out to be not entirely reliable data.
The audience liked the image of the brave, but at the same time ironic radio operator Dorozhkin, played by Valery Nosik. At the time of the release of the films Zhukov was still alive, but the scenes with real soldier life and discipline violations were left. They made the film more realistic and less agitational. With the legendary military chiefs, the crew had to coordinate almost every step.
What critics did not like
Despite the fact that the painting was advised by more than a hundred veterans and commanders, some scenes remained controversial. Some did not like how the realities of soldier life were described, while others did not like small episodes and scenes. In the first part, the time of filming was incorrectly chosen: at the very beginning of the film, the moon was visible in the sky, although in fact in 1943 there was a new moon on that day.
In addition to the criticism of Shtemenko, which was already described above, the second picture was convicted of inaccuracy. Controversial was the scene where Zhukov consults with Epishev. In real life, this simply could not be, since the marshal was famous for his decisions and imperious character. After watching the first parts of Liberation, Epishev left the studio without saying goodbye.
Meanwhile, in close circles, there was a conversation that this scene was included in the film on the instructions of the party in power. By the time the epic was released, Epishev was appointed army general and head of the political department.
Veterans of tank troops criticized the episode of the hand-to-hand battle of a Soviet and German soldier. In the story, two combat vehicles (one on each side) caught fire. But the tankers, instead of putting out the equipment necessary for the troops, jumped out of it and started the battle with their bare hands. In fact, the soldiers extinguished the flame and dispersed in tanks, not paying attention to each other.
Response to the epic
In general, viewers reacted to the picture ambiguously. At that time, people were not accustomed to the artistic vision of historical facts, so a different interpretation seemed blasphemous. At the same time, the last two parts of the film were marked at the Tbilisi Film Festival as the best films of the time.
Many actors who took part in the film “Liberation” (epic) are now known and loved. We already mentioned that participation in the film gave Ulyanov a new role - he became the best Zhukov in the history of cinema. He was repeatedly invited to this role, because he played as reliably as possible, the audience believed him and loved this image. Images from the film, where Ulyanov played the imperious military commander, became the basis for the film "The Great Commander George Zhukov."
This tape, one of the few, has not been forgotten in our time. It was completely renovated in 2002. The work was carried out at the main studio, previously participating in the filming, at Mosfilm. High-level specialists were engaged in it. After that, the epic was rewritten on laser discs and began to be sold in the series "Legends of Soviet Cinema". Meanwhile, not all scenes were included in the new edition of the epic. During the restoration of the tape, part of the episodes from the fourth part was lost. Only those who acquired the German edition of the painting were able to see the assault on the Zeelow Heights that took place at night.
In 2011, Channel One became interested in the tape. Many military films were “painted” by his specialists, and “Liberation” was no exception. The film has changed its mode - has become widescreen and fully color. Significantly improved image quality. Many residents of our country saw the updated version, in 2011 the channel not only updated the tape, but also showed it as one of the films about the war years.