In the Zone of Special Attention
Encyclopedia
In the Zone of Special Attention is a 1977 Soviet action movie directed by Andrei Malyukov. It achieved cult film
status among several generations of the Russian Airborne Troops and veterans, and, along with Hit Back
, it became part of their popular culture. The Soviet audience was approximately 35.4 million.
groups to be dropped far behind "Northern" lines, to find and capture the rival "Hidden Command Center" (HCO) and to set up a radio beacon to show the location of the drop zone for the main assault. Two of the three groups are soon captured by "Northern" counter-reconnaissance units. The third, led by Lt. Tarasov (Boris Galkin), manages to dodge all the traps set by the enemy.
"Northern" Mjr. Morozhkyn (Anatoly Kuznetsov
), leading the pursuit, surrounds the place in the forest where the third reconnaissance group is expected, but the paratroopers manage to break through. Tarasov decides to split his group and sends his deputy, Praporshchik
(Soviet Warrant Officer) Volentir (played by Mihai Volontir
), to the arranged rendezvous.
Meanwhile, a group of armed criminals has escaped from a nearby prison. Having killed and injured some locals, they are now hiding in the area to which Prap. Volentir is heading. He encounters the criminals at a forest warden's hut, where they ambush him, badly injuring him. But Volentir is skilled in martial arts and knocks them all down. He calls the local police authorities on his radio, thus unmasking himself as the rival counter-reconnaissance.
Tarasov's group comes back together and reaches its target, but it turns out to be a fake underground construction built merely to deceive, and the pursuers are closing in rapidly. Tarasov, an inexperienced young graduate of the Ryazan Airborne Military Command School, is desperate. He violently smashes everthing within reach, finally sitting down crying and mumbling, "Like a kid, they treat me like a kid!". The wise and experienced Volentir encourages him and urges him to continue the quest, but he himself stays in the bunker to keep the pursuers at bay while the others escape.
By chance, Volentir finds an enemy communication cable and quickly figures out that it can lead them directly to the HCO.
There are fifteen minutes left before the mass paratroopers drop, and the "Southern" air force is now carrying thousands of paratroopers. Airborne commanding officers are shown sitting in the flying aircraft with their parachutes on, and still without information as to the location of the HCO and where to make the mass drop. They don't even know if Tarasov's group is still at large or already apprehended.
Cult film
A cult film, also commonly referred to as a cult classic, is a film that has acquired a highly devoted but specific group of fans. Often, cult movies have failed to achieve fame outside the small fanbases; however, there have been exceptions that have managed to gain fame among mainstream audiences...
status among several generations of the Russian Airborne Troops and veterans, and, along with Hit Back
Hit Back
Hit Back is a 1981 Soviet action film directed by Mikhail Tumanishvili. It is a sequel to In the Zone of Special Attention. The film tells the story of a young military officer. It was one of the most attended movies in the Soviet Union in 1981, with an audience of approximately 31.3 million.-...
, it became part of their popular culture. The Soviet audience was approximately 35.4 million.
Plot
Somewhere in the Soviet Union, a huge military exercise is in preparation, between opponents designated as the "Northern" and "Southern" army groups. As manoeuvres begin, the commander of the "Southern" airborne regiment designates three reconnaissanceReconnaissance
Reconnaissance is the military term for exploring beyond the area occupied by friendly forces to gain information about enemy forces or features of the environment....
groups to be dropped far behind "Northern" lines, to find and capture the rival "Hidden Command Center" (HCO) and to set up a radio beacon to show the location of the drop zone for the main assault. Two of the three groups are soon captured by "Northern" counter-reconnaissance units. The third, led by Lt. Tarasov (Boris Galkin), manages to dodge all the traps set by the enemy.
"Northern" Mjr. Morozhkyn (Anatoly Kuznetsov
Anatoly Borisovich Kuznetsov
Anatoly Borisovich Kuznetsov is a Soviet and Russian actor, probably best known for his role as a Red Army soldier Fyodor Sukhov in White Sun of the Desert . He graduated from Theatrical School of Moscow Art Theater in 1955. His brother Mikhail Kuznetsov is a Russian actor. Anatoly Kuznestov was...
), leading the pursuit, surrounds the place in the forest where the third reconnaissance group is expected, but the paratroopers manage to break through. Tarasov decides to split his group and sends his deputy, Praporshchik
Praporshchik
Praporshchik is a rank in the Russian military.-Imperial Russia:Praporshchik was originally a name of a junior commissioned officer rank in the military of the Russian Empire equivalent to ensign...
(Soviet Warrant Officer) Volentir (played by Mihai Volontir
Mihai Volontir
-Early life and career:Volontir was born on March 9, 1934 in the village of Glinjeni, Romania, now part of the present day Rezina district in Moldova). He attended the Pedagogical Institution in Orhei from 1952 to 1955....
), to the arranged rendezvous.
Meanwhile, a group of armed criminals has escaped from a nearby prison. Having killed and injured some locals, they are now hiding in the area to which Prap. Volentir is heading. He encounters the criminals at a forest warden's hut, where they ambush him, badly injuring him. But Volentir is skilled in martial arts and knocks them all down. He calls the local police authorities on his radio, thus unmasking himself as the rival counter-reconnaissance.
Tarasov's group comes back together and reaches its target, but it turns out to be a fake underground construction built merely to deceive, and the pursuers are closing in rapidly. Tarasov, an inexperienced young graduate of the Ryazan Airborne Military Command School, is desperate. He violently smashes everthing within reach, finally sitting down crying and mumbling, "Like a kid, they treat me like a kid!". The wise and experienced Volentir encourages him and urges him to continue the quest, but he himself stays in the bunker to keep the pursuers at bay while the others escape.
By chance, Volentir finds an enemy communication cable and quickly figures out that it can lead them directly to the HCO.
There are fifteen minutes left before the mass paratroopers drop, and the "Southern" air force is now carrying thousands of paratroopers. Airborne commanding officers are shown sitting in the flying aircraft with their parachutes on, and still without information as to the location of the HCO and where to make the mass drop. They don't even know if Tarasov's group is still at large or already apprehended.
Other Facts
- The film's title is a reference to the sector on the map located beyond the reach of radar, considered by "Southern" officers to be a "High Attention Area", where a rival HCO could be located.
- The main characters do not wear the standard camouflage gear of the Russian Airborne Troops, but outfits custom made in the sewing workshop of the MosfilmMosfilmMosfilm is a film studio, which is often described as the largest and oldest in Russia and in Europe. Its output includes most of the more widely-acclaimed Soviet films, ranging from works by Tarkovsky and Eisenstein , to Red Westerns, to the Akira Kurosawa co-production and the epic Война и Мир...
studio. - A lot of scenes were cut from the movie for reasons of military secrecy.
- At first, release of the film was forbidden. The State Political DirectorateState Political DirectorateThe State Political Directorate was the secret police of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic and the Soviet Union from 1922 until 1934...
issued a note prohibiting "a movie glorifying a power of our army, because it will play into the hands of the enemies of international détenteDétenteDétente is the easing of strained relations, especially in a political situation. The term is often used in reference to the general easing of relations between the Soviet Union and the United States in the 1970s, a thawing at a period roughly in the middle of the Cold War...
". - In an interview in February 2007, director Andrei Malyukov said that he still did not know in which countries his movie had been released, this being restricted information. It went to a few dozen countries, however.