War films. These words sometimes mean a great deal. They encompass tragedy, self-sacrifice, heroism, fearlessness... Everything that the filmmakers put into their films and that the characters revealed through their performances. Bloody battles, years of occupation, and scorched earth. All this is not the fantasy of directors, but the history of Belarus, which became a partisan republic during the Great Patriotic War. Not only memorials, obelisks, and mass graves tell this story, but also feature films.
The indelible mark in memory
The history of Belarusian cinema includes many films about the war that have captured the interest of audiences and gained recognition beyond the country’s borders. The events of the 1959 film «The Girl Seeks Her Father» unfold in Nazi-occupied Belarus. It is a film about the young daughter of the partisan commander Batka Panas. During the Great Patriotic War, the girl got lost and was left all alone. The Germans started looking for the little girl to take her hostage, but an old forester saved her and hid her in the forest. Soon, the old man died. His grandson, Yanka, risked his own life to keep the partisan commander’s daughter from falling into the hands of the Nazis. The film is filled with kindness, humanity, and courage that is not at all childish. Despite the fact that the film was made more than 60 years ago, it remains one of the symbols of Belarusian war cinema for many. At the time, the film received numerous awards and was sold for commercial distribution in 83 countries.
The plot of the film «The Clock Stopped at Midnight» (1958) is based on real events that took place in occupied Minsk. The film tells the story of a special operation carried out by partisans who destroyed the Commissioner General of Belarus, Gauleiter Wilhelm Kube (played in the film by Wilhelm von Kaunitz). Immediately after his appointment in August 1941, one of the largest anti-Jewish pogroms took place in Minsk: almost 5,000 people were killed, and in November of the same year, another 12,000 Jews were killed. Under Kube, there were 260 concentration camps in Belarus, 14 of which were for children. Children were used as blood donors for German soldiers. Constant punitive operations were carried out, during which entire villages were destroyed. On September 22, 1943, Gauleiter of Belarus Wilhelm Kube was killed by a mine that exploded in his bed. Three Soviet girls were directly involved in the operation.
In its first year of release, the film «The Clock Stopped at Midnight» was watched by more than 35 million viewers.
The film «Through the Cemetery» is the work of the great master of Belarusian cinema, People’s Artist of the USSR Viktor Turov. He himself was a child of war and a prisoner of a concentration camp, so he knew exactly what horrors innocent people went through. The film «Through the Cemetery» was highly praised by UNESCO. It is included in the list of the 100 best films about war.
Elem Klimov’s film «Come and See» was released in 1985, on the 40th Anniversary of Victory in the Great Patriotic War. The drama was based on the novel «Khatyn» by the classic Belarusian writer Ales Adamovich. The film is set in 1943. The plot centers on a Belarusian boy named Flyora, who witnesses Nazi atrocities and he transformed from a teenager into a gray-haired old man in a matter of days. The role of the main character was poignantly played by 14-year-old Aleksei Kravchenko. One of the most terrifying moments, which makes your blood run cold, is when the punitive forces burnt down a granary with adults and children inside... The film is full of special effects, which the director used to create a sense of horror in the audience. Real shells were used during filming, and the effect of deafness and ringing in the main character’s ears was later noted by Spielberg in his war drama «Saving Private Ryan». A few years ago, the film «Come and See» was restored and digitized. Now viewers can watch the film, shot at the end of the last century, with picture and sound quality as if the work had been completed recently.
The war drama «The Brest Fortress» became the first joint film project of the Union State. This film is a reminder of the steadfastness and courage of Soviet soldiers. On screen is the first and most dramatic episode of the beginning of the Great Patriotic War: in the early morning of June 22, 1941, an outpost in a town on the Bug River took the brunt of the Wehrmacht’s attack. The film’s historical accuracy is its key strength. One of the last surviving defenders of the Brest Fortress, Pyotr Bondarev, acted as a consultant. Some of the film’s sets were built in the citadel itself, and local residents were used as extras.
It should be noted that the reconstruction of the legendary citadel continues under the auspices of the Union State. In the coming years, the fortress will undergo major repairs, restoration, and reconstruction of the monument «Courage,» the main entrance «Star,» the Southwestern Barracks, the Northern Gate, and many other objects.
The film «In August 1944...» based on Vladimir Bogomolov’s novel «The Moment of Truth» was also made at the Belarusfilm film studio. The events take place in the last month of summer 1944. Belarus had already been liberated, but enemy spy groups were still operating on its territory. A detachment of scouts led by an SMERSH officer was sent to search for German spies. Interestingly, the film is based on real events surrounding the capture of a German reconnaissance group in the Grodno Region.
Incidentally, the Publishing-House «Belarus» recently released a book dedicated to Belarusian cinema about the Great Patriotic War. The book tells about Belarusian films, as well as famous directors, cinematographers, actors, masters of the animation genre, and photographers who brought the theme of the Great Patriotic War to life on screen and through artistic photography. The publication emphasizes that war films are undoubtedly the calling card of the Belarusfilm film studio. Among them are «Sons Go to Battle», «In August 1944...», «The Brest Fortress», «Your Mission», «The Trap», and «Sign of Misfortune». An absolute cinematic masterpiece is the two-part war drama «Come and See» by director Elem Klimov, based on a screenplay co-written with Ales Adamovich. As already mentioned, the plot centers on a Belarusian boy who witnessed the horrors of Nazi punitive acts, turning from a cheerful teenager into a gray-haired old man in two days. The publication covers this and more.
The expressive language of exhibits
The exhibition «Belarusian Cinema on the Great Patriotic War,» presented by the Minsk art gallery «University of Culture,» is divided into two thematic sections containing numerous materials, including exclusive items from the history of Belarusian cinema. This unique exhibition of sketches and stills from the best Belarusian films reflects the tragedy of war in visual images that cannot leave anyone indifferent.
The first part of the exhibition includes frames from the photo library of the Belarusfilm National Film Studio (films «Konstantin Zslonov», «The Girl Seeks Her Father»), as well as materials from the photo library of the Azerbaijan State Film Fund. Of particular interest are little-known shots from the filming of classic films from the photo archive of the Belarusfilm National Film Studio: «The Clock Stopped at Midnight», «Through the Cemetery», «I Come from Childhood», «War Under the Roofs», «Sons Go to Battle», «Alpine Ballad», and many others.
There are also photographs by the famous Soviet photographer Nikolay Gnisyuk: these are shots from the filming of the movie «Come and See», featuring actor Aleksei Kravchenko and locations near the village of Kamenka in the Smolevichi District, as well as the filming of the film «Live Until Dawn». The photo archive of Yevgeny Koktysh includes photographs of writer Ales Adamovich, film director Elem Klimov, and graphic artist Georgy Poplavsky during the filming of «Come and See». Popular Belarusian films on the theme of war are also represented by photographs from the BELTA photo archive and the newspaper Zvyazda («In August 44...», «The Brest Fortress»).
The second part of the exhibition consists of sketches and paintings by Belarusian film artists, many of whom were participants in the Great Patriotic War. These exhibits have been provided by the National Historical Museum of Belarus. The exhibition features works by artists such as Yuri Albitsky (films «Wolf Pack», «The Day of Return»), Vladimir Belousov («Someone Else’s Name», «Ruins Are Shooting...», «Long Miles of War», «I Wish You Luck»), Yevgeny Gankin («The Clock Stopped at Midnight», «I Come from Childhood», «War Under the Roofs», «Sons Go to Battle», «Mama, I’m Alive!», «His Battalion»), Vladimir Dementyev («The Third Rocket», «Through the Cemetery»), and others.
Andrey Gonchar, director of the Belarusian State Archives of Films, Photographs and Sound Recordings, believes that the difficult period of the war gave rise to a huge number of films. He is firmly convinced that historical documents, photographs, newsreels, and personal memories of participants in the events are key aids in preserving memory, which has a tendency to fade. The feat of the Soviet people, the harsh trials they endured, the tragedies and victories, have largely become the main themes of Belarusian cinema. It is no coincidence that it is in these films that the truth about the war is reflected and preserved to this day. The truth that cannot be devalued by the passage of time.
The exhibition «Belarusian Cinema on the Great Patriotic War» was organized by were the Belarusian State Film, Photo and Phonographic Archive, the Belarusian Union of Cinematographers, the Center for the Study of Belarusian Culture, Language and Literature of the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus, the National History Museum of the Republic of Belarus, and the University of Culture Art Gallery. The exhibition included creative meetings with filmmakers and screenings of Belarusian films about the war.
Veniamin Mikheev
