Nikolai Okhlopkov Movies

Far From Moscow is one of a battalion of Soviet films set during the Nazi invasion of the early 1940s. This time, the plot centers around the construction of an oil pipeline. The engineers must work under appalling conditions, including incessant attacks from the Germans. But the pipeline is completed -- and as a result, it is inferred, the course of the war was radically altered. A very slight romantic angle is provided when one of the workers falls in love with his female counterpart. Far From Moscow was filmed in a Soviet color process called Magicolor, which wasn't entirely stable but did provide some eye-pleasing exterior shots of the Russian wilderness. The film was directed by former journalist Alexander Stolper, here billed merely as "A. Stolper." ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Originally titled Kutuzov, this Russian historical epic re-creates in meticulous detail the Russo-Napoleonic war of the early 19th century. As Napoleon Bonaparte (Semen Mezhinsky) lays siege against Russia, dashing Prince Kutuzov (Alexei Dikiy) mounts a courageous counteroffensive. In a parallel development, Prince Bagration (S. Zakariadze) leads a secondary military unit near Moscow, becoming a martyr to the cause in the process. The film was clearly designed as a plea for the opening of an Allied second front against Hitler in the Soviet Union of 1944 -- and seldom has propaganda been presented in so vivid and entertaining a fashion. Reportedly, director Vladimir Petrov, whose other works include the multi-part Peter the First and Battle of Stalingrad, based his camera compositions in 1812 on contemporary paintings and engravings of the actual conflict. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Lenin in 1918 was the sequel to Mikhail Romm's phenomenally successful (in Russia at any rate) Lenin in October (1937). With the Revolution behind him, visionary leader Vladimir Lenin (Boris V. Shchukin) tries to deal with his political foes within the Bolshevik ranks. When diplomacy fails, Lenin makes his proverbial omelet by breaking a few proverbial eggs. In retaliation, his White Russian foes cook up an assassination scheme, with drug-besotted Fanny Kaplan (N. E. Efron) as their instrument of destruction. Though seriously wounded, Lenin recovers, leading his armies to victory and assuming full control of the USSR. Not surprisingly, Lenin is presented as a patient, all-knowing fount of benevolence, as is his second-in-command Josef Stalin (M. G. Gelovani). Saving Lenin in 1918 from being a propagandistic wallow is the sure-handed direction of Mikhail Romm, whose consummate skill at bringing history to life was widely admired and envied in the Soviet film industry. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Commissioned by Josef Stalin to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the Soviet Revolution, Lenin in October was the first of Russian director Mikhail Romm's tributes to the Marxist visionary who helped orchestrate the insurrection of October, 1937. Boris Shchukin stars as Vladimir Lenin, depicted herein as a selfless, single-purposed idealist, dedicated to toppling the Romanoff regime and establishing a utopian Soviet society under communism. The villains are mostly royalists, White Russians and Germans, drawn in thick, broad strokes; one is surprised that they don't twirl their mustaches and shout "curses!" The film ends with the Revolution itself and the establishment of the Bolshevik government, though it is clear that Lenin's work is far from over. So well-received was Lenin in October that Mikhail Romm immediately began formulating a sequel, which reached the screens in 1939 as Lenin in 1918. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide