War's in the next town over. Would you still dance?
Spring, 1944. The Great Patriotic war. The German fascists are still in Sevastopol. A fierce combat is taking place there. At the same time in Yalta, which has already been freed, life goes on peacefully. People believe that the war has left them, that it is far away and no longer dangerous… But the torpedo motor-boat squadron stationed in Yalta is still having a hard time. Every day Soviet marines undertake dangerous sorties towards the German-occupied Sevastopol.
Cinematography
Sun-drenched Yalta beaches against the shadow of Sevastopol's smoke.
Direction
Pozhenyan's restraint lets dread build in everyday moments.
Director
Grigori Pozhenyan
Viktor Avdyushko
Матвей Подымахин
Valentin Kulik
Валентин Баталин
Ivan Pereverzev
Державенко
Zhanna Prokhorenko
Люба
Oleg Strizhenov
лейтенант Олег Старыгин
Aleksandr Stefanovich
Саня Юровский
Bimbulat Vatayev
Отари Кикнадзе
Angelina Vovk
Галя
Vladimir Zamanskiy
новый комдив
Vyacheslav Zharikov
Аврутин
Emmanuil Geller
грек
Rita Gladunko
Нина
Lev Perfilov
моряк
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Shot during Khrushchev's Thaw, the film subtly humanized soldiers beyond propaganda — a radical act in 1966 Soviet cinema.
The real torpedo boat veterans attended the premiere; Pozhenyan said they wept at the beach scenes because 'nobody had filmed our war like this.'
SU
