Kotovsky, who went a long revolutionary way and became the recognized military commander of the cavalry troops: commander, brigade commander, commander. Six times he escaped from prison, was sentenced to death, and again escaped to become one of the most ardent warriors of the revolution. His famous equestrian brigade fought with the enemy near Kiev and the Belaya Tserkov, at Nikolaev and Odessa, and did not know defeat anywhere.
Acting
Mordvinov's mustache carries the entire Soviet Union on its bristles.
Direction
Faintsimmer crams six escapes and zero defeats into 72 minutes.
Production
Wartime filmmaking: shot while actual battles raged nearby.
Director
Alexandr Faintsimmer
Nikolai Mordvinov
Kotovsky (as N. Mordvinov)
Nikolay Kryuchkov
Kabanyuk / Zagari (as N. Kryuchkov)
Vera Maretskaya
The doctor (as V. Maretskaya)
Vasili Vanin
Kharitonov (as V. Vanin)
Mikhail Astangov
Knyaz Karakozen / Yego syn (as M. Astangov)
Konstantin Sorokin
Ordinarets (as K. Sorokin)
Nikolai Cherkasov
Porfiriy Popesku
Evgenia Golynchik
Vladimir Uralskiy
Doorman at Karakozen's house
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Shot in 1942 during the Nazi advance on Moscow — the Red Army supplied actual cavalry for the battle scenes.
Kotovsky's real-life headquarters still stands in Bessarabia; the film helped elevate him to official Soviet folk hero status alongside Chapayev.
SU
