Our Russian Front
Encyclopedia
Our Russian Front is a 1942 American documentary film directed by Joris Ivens
and Lewis Milestone
, and narrated by Walter Huston
to promote support for the Soviet Union
's war effort.
, the film was completed several weeks after the Japan
ese attack on Pearl Harbor
, having gone through frantic last minute updates to ensure it meeting its February 1942 release date. Joris Ivens anticipated that editing might take a week, but stated that Hollywood "fiddled with it for two months and unrecognizably altered the original version." Walter Huston narrates a World War II
documentary intended to bolster United States support for the USSR's war efforts. Created using front line footage taken by Russian
battlefield cameramen, and archive footage of Averell Harriman, Joseph Stalin
, and Semyon Timoshenko
, the film was edited in the US. Upon release, the film screened for more that 20 hours a day and broke all previous box office records at the Rialto Theater
in Times Square
.
reports that "the greatest battle in history" was assembled by Lewis Milestone and Joris Ivens into a "tersely contemporary document". They note that it did not rank favorably when compared to "great documentaries" because its commentary was uninspired, and it attempted to crowd too much within a timeframe of 40 minutes resulting in it being only "a synoptic account of the Russian war effort". They ganted that as a record of the Russian people's struggle, "it is a heartening account," and communicated the "urgency of this urgent moment." The reviewer noted that the film was a picture of total war
, from the bayonets and shells of the front lines, to the efforts of the peasents and laborers and scientists struggling to support the war effort, sharing that in such cercumstances, there are "no 'noncombatants' in this war."
In Russians in Hollywood, Hollywood's Russians: biography of an image, author Harlow Robinson writes that of the several pro-Soviet documentaries made in Hollywood, the most important were Our Russian Front, directed in 1942 by Lewis Milestone for Artkino Pictures
and the Russia Relief Organization
, and The Battle of Russia
, directed in 1943 by Anatole Litvak
and Frank Capra
as part of the Why We Fight
series.
Joris Ivens
Joris Ivens was a Dutch documentary filmmaker and committed communist.-Early life and career:...
and Lewis Milestone
Lewis Milestone
Lewis Milestone was a Russian-American motion picture director. He is known for directing Two Arabian Knights and All Quiet on the Western Front , both of which received Academy Awards for Best Director...
, and narrated by Walter Huston
Walter Huston
Walter Thomas Huston was a Canadian-born American actor. He was the father of actor and director John Huston and the grandfather of actress Anjelica Huston and actor Danny Huston.-Life and career:...
to promote support for the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
's war effort.
Film
In production before America entered World War IIWorld War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, the film was completed several weeks after the Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
ese attack on Pearl Harbor
Attack on Pearl Harbor
The attack on Pearl Harbor was a surprise military strike conducted by the Imperial Japanese Navy against the United States naval base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, on the morning of December 7, 1941...
, having gone through frantic last minute updates to ensure it meeting its February 1942 release date. Joris Ivens anticipated that editing might take a week, but stated that Hollywood "fiddled with it for two months and unrecognizably altered the original version." Walter Huston narrates a World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
documentary intended to bolster United States support for the USSR's war efforts. Created using front line footage taken by Russian
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
battlefield cameramen, and archive footage of Averell Harriman, Joseph Stalin
Joseph Stalin
Joseph Vissarionovich Stalin was the Premier of the Soviet Union from 6 May 1941 to 5 March 1953. He was among the Bolshevik revolutionaries who brought about the October Revolution and had held the position of first General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union's Central Committee...
, and Semyon Timoshenko
Semyon Timoshenko
Semyon Konstantinovich Timoshenko was a Soviet military commander and senior professional officer of the Red Army at the beginning of the German invasion of the Soviet Union in 1941.-Early life:...
, the film was edited in the US. Upon release, the film screened for more that 20 hours a day and broke all previous box office records at the Rialto Theater
Rialto Theater
Rialto Theatre may refer to:in Canada*Rialto Theatre , a former theatre that is a National Historic Site of Canada*Rialto Theatre , 1943-1991; demolished 1991, within one year of acquisition by Cineplex Odeon and renaming as "The Phoenix"...
in Times Square
Times Square
Times Square is a major commercial intersection in the borough of Manhattan in New York City, at the junction of Broadway and Seventh Avenue and stretching from West 42nd to West 47th Streets...
.
Reception
The New York TimesThe New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
reports that "the greatest battle in history" was assembled by Lewis Milestone and Joris Ivens into a "tersely contemporary document". They note that it did not rank favorably when compared to "great documentaries" because its commentary was uninspired, and it attempted to crowd too much within a timeframe of 40 minutes resulting in it being only "a synoptic account of the Russian war effort". They ganted that as a record of the Russian people's struggle, "it is a heartening account," and communicated the "urgency of this urgent moment." The reviewer noted that the film was a picture of total war
Total war
Total war is a war in which a belligerent engages in the complete mobilization of fully available resources and population.In the mid-19th century, "total war" was identified by scholars as a separate class of warfare...
, from the bayonets and shells of the front lines, to the efforts of the peasents and laborers and scientists struggling to support the war effort, sharing that in such cercumstances, there are "no 'noncombatants' in this war."
In Russians in Hollywood, Hollywood's Russians: biography of an image, author Harlow Robinson writes that of the several pro-Soviet documentaries made in Hollywood, the most important were Our Russian Front, directed in 1942 by Lewis Milestone for Artkino Pictures
Nicola Napoli
Nicola Napoli was the President of Artkino Pictures, Inc., the primary distributor of Soviet films in the United States, Canada, Central America and South America from 1940 to 1982...
and the Russia Relief Organization
Russian War Relief
Russian War Relief was an alleged Communist front group, circa 1944. According to a 1943 FBI report, the group was “infiltrated with known Communists, Communist leaders, fellow travelers, and front organizations.” The chairman of Russian War Relief was Edward C...
, and The Battle of Russia
The Battle of Russia
The Battle of Russia is the fifth film of Frank Capra's Why We Fight propaganda film series, and the longest film of the series.The film begins with an overview of previous failed attempts to conquer Russia: by the Teutonic Knights in 1242 , by Charles XII of Sweden in 1704 The Battle of Russia is...
, directed in 1943 by Anatole Litvak
Anatole Litvak
Anatole Litvak was a Ukrainian-born filmmaker who wrote, directed, and produced films in a various countries and languages...
and Frank Capra
Frank Capra
Frank Russell Capra was a Sicilian-born American film director. He emigrated to the U.S. when he was six, and eventually became a creative force behind major award-winning films during the 1930s and 1940s...
as part of the Why We Fight
Why We Fight
Why We Fight is a series of seven war information training films commissioned by the United States government during World War II whose purpose was to show American soldiers the reason for U.S. involvement in the war. Later on they were also shown to the general U.S...
series.
External links
- Our Russian Front at the Internet Movie DatabaseInternet Movie DatabaseInternet Movie Database is an online database of information related to movies, television shows, actors, production crew personnel, video games and fictional characters featured in visual entertainment media. It is one of the most popular online entertainment destinations, with over 100 million...