During World War 1 a Russian soldier (Pyotr Sobolevsky) serves in Russian Expeditionary Force in France where he is chosen for his marksmanship and trained as a skilled sniper. After the Russian revolution the soldier returns home while his commander (Boris Shlikhting) fights against the Soviet Russia. In 1930 the former soldier works on a factory and also he is the instructor in shooting club. Once the town that is near the Soviet border is attacked by foreign troops (the hostile state isn't named but the uniform of the soldiers resembles Finnish). The character meets againt with his former commander who serves in invading forces.
Direction
Timoshenko's efficient montage sequences
Production
Surprisingly ambitious WWI battle staging for 1932 USSR
Director
Semyon Timoshenko
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Made during Stalin's first Five-Year Plan, this film helped justify purging 'former people' — officers, nobles, anyone with pre-revolutionary loyalties. The sniper's clean shot is practically a metaphor.
SU
