Soviet propaganda so extra, even the horses look committed to the Party.
The movie takes us back to the times of the Civil War, when the young Soviet power was defended by the first heroes of this terrible internecine war. Red commanders Semyon Budyonny and Kliment Voroshilov managed to gather an entire army of "red cavalrymen" - thus began the history of the campaigns "through valleys and up hills" of the legendary First Cavalry Army.
Practical Effects
Thousands of actual cavalry soldiers — no CGI, just pure Soviet manpower.
Production
Massive battle scenes that bankrupt smaller nations.
Director
Vladimir Lyubomudrov
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Made during the Soviet Union's final years, this was one of the last grand patriotic epics before glasnost made such unironic hero worship feel suddenly, awkwardly antique.
The real Budyonny outlived this film by mere months — he died in 1973, cementing his transformation from blood-soaked cavalryman to harmless Soviet mascot.
SU
