Battle For Moscow (Panfilov's 28) [DVD]

A war film quite disarming, so to speak, though not to make a pun of it. I was surprised by its superb quality, despite it being patriotically old fashioned, honouring values such as heroism and sacrifice. Whether entirely true or not, the film registers emotionally as sincere, not as propaganda, which is saying something in our cynical, disingenuous times.The following inscription appears onscreen at the beginning of the film:“Commemorating war does not only mean sorrow and grief. We also remember the battles of heroism that brought victory.”— Bauyrzhan Momyshuly (Commander, Paniflov Division)Late November 1941 and a second great battle looms between the Soviet Red Army and the German Wehrmacht. The Nazis surprised the Russians in June that year by dishonouring the non-aggression pact signed by Russia and Germany in 1939. Motivated by political expediency, Hitler lied as usual. The shock blitzkreig advances through Lithuania, Latvia and White Russia had the Russians reeling, the country’s defences inadequate and porous. The Germans poured through, meeting scant resistance. By the summer of 1941 the German panzers were closing in on Moscow from three directions: north, west and south. The main corridor of attack was the central one (west to east). Near the town of Dubosekovo (100 kilometres west of Moscow) the Red Army had dug in, repelling the initial Wehrmacht attack. The Germans retreated, but only temporarily, waiting for war materiel and reinforcements to reach them by train. The second assault by the Germans would crush the last bit of Russian resistance to Hitler’s goal of taking Moscow, something not even the imperious Napoléon could do.Comments by an officer to his comrades echoes the importance of the moment:“The Commander will return from headquarters with good news for your men. I’m not sure about an offensive, but the fight will be historic. The Germans are ready to fight again. So we’re in for an unforgettable experience.”The Luftwaffe had effectively shot the Soviet Air Force out of the skies and the armies of the Reich had captured over 1,200 Soviet tanks and 600 big guns during Operation Barbarossa (the big push to the East). What defence remained? Quaint perhaps to say so, but the defiant human spirit. Soldiers in the Red Army’s 316th Rifle Division, led by General Ivan Panfilov, waited in their dugouts and trenches for the German advance, the land whitened by newly fallen snow. The scene looked picturesque, serene and peaceful, and was for the moment. All quiet on the Eastern Front, one could say, but the tranquility would not last.The Russian soldiers here were hardened by battle. They were used to a sort of existential acceptance of their lot, their mood defiant, not fearful. They knew what endgame looked like, but didn’t dwell on it. Instead, they remained focussed, ready for the moment, ready to give all for the Motherland, a look of stoic bravery on their faces.On the night before the battle the Lieutenant made this patriotic speech to his men:“Comrades. In the past you have shown courage. Fascist aggressors invaded our country and aimed their full force at Moscow, the very heart of our Motherland. But here they felt the taste of their own blood for the first time. Here they first doubted the power of the ‘great’ German Army. Here for the first time they had to stop. Because here you stood in their way. The enemy felt powerless and enraged, as his plan for quick war faltered. And in that rage, he raised tremendous forces for a new strike. And they dream of breaking through to our capital. But now they know what awaits them. Now they know how much the Russians love their motherland. Now they know how we will fight for it. And now their fear will be constant.Soldiers of the Red Army, the enemy advances on Moscow…But the enemy will not pass. Because we will be standing here…Behind us today stands not only Moscow, and not only our vast homeland. Today the whole world watches, holding its breath. Because here on these lines we stand to defend it. Let us be worthy of this honour.”They fought with standard-issue infantry rifles, machine guns, small howitzers, anti-tank grenade launchers, dynamite sticks and molotov cocktails. No artillery. No air cover. Yet they held off the panzers, infantry, artillery and Luftwaffe for several days. Twenty-eight men survived from the battalion. They became known in Russian military lore as Panfilov’s 28, which indeed is the name of the film in Russian.At the battlefield these days stands a massive stone statue to the heroic fighters. It’s carved in the Soviet style of gigantism, larger than life. The faces are not all Caucasian. In fact, most are Asiatic, the faces of soldiers from the far-flung reaches of the Russian Empire who fought in the war. Fierce faces, defiant and even demonic. Here the soldiers stood their ground and stopped the panzers. Here they proved their commanding officer right in his pre-battle speech. Here they showed what the Russian soldier could do when outmanned 3 to 1 and fighting with inferior equipment compared to his enemy’s. Did they inspire the Red Army at Stalingrad a year later? Who’s to say they didn’t?A large statue to the Panfilov 28 also stands in Almaty in Kazakhstan, suggesting the nation is determined to remember the sacrifice these soldiers made for their homeland.One needn’t be Russian to appreciate the country’s gratitude to these soldiers. Patriotism is a positive force that can unite a country. Especially when a homeland is threatened from abroad. Could these men have been as heroic without the war? We’ll never know. But we do know how they fought here on this battlefield and the film beautifully pays tribute to them for it.Some dark gallows humour also appears, adding to the appeal of the film. After the initial German retreat two Red Army soldiers have the following short conversation in their snowy trench:Soldier A: Well, well. Didn’t take long for them to leave.Soldier B: Don’t worry. They won’t be gone for long.Soldier A: Maybe there was something they didn’t like?Soldier B: No, they liked everything. They’ll be back soon with some friends.Although there’s some CGI in the film, the director has kept it to a minimum, wanting the film to look as authentic as possible. For example, real sound was used throughout, not the synthetic sounds produced by computers (for instance, the creaking metallic sounds of panzers on snow and ice is brilliant). The cinematography is also gorgeous, showing the wide Russian expanse as far as the eye can see. And the special effects work well (especially explosions). The script, though limited, unfolds in four parts: pre-battle strategy, preparations for battle (such as training and digging trenches), the fighting, its aftermath. The characters needn’t say a lot, as it’s the action that counts.Initial financing for the film came through grassroots crowdsourcing, though additional funding was later provided by Russian institutions once they saw how good the film was going to be. This is not your standard gung-ho war flick. Instead, it’s an affectionate, almost intimate portrait of ordinary men in extraordinary circumstances. They were asked by fate or situation to risk everything to protect their homeland from enormous evil. How enormous? The mass murder of six million innocent Jewish civilians might be a fine place to start. Evil writ large.The DVD has no extras and the subtitles in English are fixed (embedded in the print). If the subtitles don’t come up at first, reinsert the disc a time or two more until they do.Finally, and incidentally, the last segment of the end credits displays thousands of names in Russian that scroll down the screen. They appear in nine columns, the maximum number that could be squeezed into the frame. Yes, nine! I thought the scrolling might go on for a few seconds. But no, it goes on for several minutes! Thousands of names, perhaps even hundreds of thousands. Presumably the names of all the Russian soldiers killed in every sector of the Battle for Moscow. If so, the meticulous director of this film took his task very seriously indeed. Who says the past doesn’t matter? It isn’t even past, as William Faulkner once cryptically noted.

Throughout I have to say I enjoyed this. Even better than the 'White tiger' and ranks as high as 'The battle of Sevastopol' now .... I digress this film is well worth the watch. The tension and atmosphere is brilliant. The way they take out the tanks has had me wondering for years and is quite simple. So many little things I picked up on also the panzers shuffling their tracks to bury the bunkers was also eye opening. Acting was top notch and big shout out to the AT rifler I thought he played a good part (or should I say he was given a great part). I am glad there are a handful of films that I have really enjoyed from Russia. Keep up the good work and you have a new fan of you films

The amount of cash, accuracy and 2WW kit the Russian government/film companies put into their films about the last WW is beyond measure. These films rightly tell the story of the Soviet Unions sacrifice which contributed at least 50% to the Victory - something we hardly know of here in the west.There is an inevitable propagandist under tone to this film and others of the genre. But I don’t mind this as I know of it and so can take it into account in the viewing.I thoroughly recommend this film to those who enjoy war movies. The sub titles definitely do not get in the way of an exciting but also moving experience which is based on a true story.

Most of the reviewers exaggerate about this film.It is not bad but it is not a good, modern, war film either.It reminded me of the american war movies of the 60s where the enemy died by the hundreds in front of the camera.Here we have a series of german offensives with tanks and infantry against entrenched russians.The germans run uncovered and are constantly mowed down by a few machine guns and automatic weapons.Completely improbable,it is well known that russians used to do that in many of their infantry attacks.This is enough [because it is repeated],to ruin the film for you.Another imitation of the 60s films is the lack of action for a very long period in the beginning.Up to the 35th minute all we have is soldier pleasantries and some patriotic messages.There are no subtitles whenever german is spoken [commands and a few remarks]Of course there are good things here-the battles are depicted well,the photography is very good,and the acting too.The 5.1 sound average to good.

Equal to FURY with Brad Pitt if not better! The film is a poignant WW2 drama set on the outskirts of Moscow. It is well balanced with characters established early on amongst these heroic troops fighting for the Russian Motherland, but equally from ethnically diverse parts of Russia and fighting for a common cause - to repel the invader. The battle scenes are stark, desperate, dangerous and convincing as is the setting in which the battle takes place in cold and icy conditions. The use of genuine weapons and proper tanks adds to convince us of how good this film is and also the uniforms. A lot of work has gone in to making this film momentus and based on a true story. A massive monument has also been made to honour these heroes. Also intelligent references to heroic stands are made by the troops while marching to the front. We have oblique references to Kurasawa's heroes in The Seven Samurai and the Anabasis by Xenophon of 10,000 Greek troops stranded in Asia Minor trying to get back home. A very good film !

I have been watching World War II movies in the best chronological order I can. So around this time I've watched a lot with subtitles.There is an English dubbed version but I suggest you watch this version so you get the full impact.I really really enjoyed it. Especially as its depicting real life events.Not the highest budget movie but the movie makers definitely didn't waste their budget.It's very well done.

Buena pelicula sobre un hecho heroico ruso en 1941