Las brujas de la noche en el cielo

It's always a pleasure to watch a war movie where the main protagonists are female soldiers, in a genre's filmography that often exclusively portrays the exploits of men, who are frequently depicted as great fighters, almost superhuman superheroes. This film contributes a small grain of sand to the role that women played in the most disastrous war humanity has experienced. And of course, in the film, the presence of these brave women is evident not only as main characters but above all in the femininity of the narrative. Escaping from the stereotypes of this cinematic genre, here there are no heroines or grand displays of courageous masculinity. It's because the director of the movie is none other than one of the narrative protagonists: the highly decorated Yevgeniya Zhigulenko, who after her service in the Soviet armed forces, studied cinematography in 1976 and directed two significant autobiographical films, this one and "Vorota v nebo" (No Right to Fall) in 1984.

Highly recommended is watching the more recent TV series with the very apt title "Nochnye lastochki" (Night Swallows) from 2013, based on the same squadron of Russian women aviators known for their night bombing capabilities, which dealt significant damage to the invading Germans.

The film is a good production without any standout shortcomings. The performances of the characters are believable, but none particularly stand out. The music, at times quite melancholic, features the famous Brazilian song "Manhã de Carnaval" from 1959 by composer Luiz Bonfá as its leitmotif. This is an unusual choice considering the Russian musical repertoire of the time, but it's an artistic license that nowadays, despite purists' objections, is commonly used in period-setting films.

In summary, it's undoubtedly a film that deserves not to be forgotten. Despite some typical 1980s filmmaking elements, it's important to remember that the film was created during the tumultuous years of the Soviet Union's collapse. For some, it marked significant progress for the Russian people, but for others, like Yevgeniya Zhigulenko who had devoted her youth to defending her country, it meant seeing everything they believed in and fought for vanish.

On October 1941 Joseph Stalin issued an order to organize three all-female aviation groups, one of them the 588th Night Bomber Regiment. The group deployed to the front lines in June 1942. Their aircraft was the wood-and-canvas Polikarpov PO-2, a two-seater open cockpit biplane of 1928 design that was ordinarily used as a trainer and crop duster. The plane could carry only two bombs at the time. It was only used at night, and the attack technique was idling the engine near the target and gliding the rest of the way. The planes, although obsolete were extremely maneuverable and their maximum speed was lower than the stall speed of German fighters, which made them difficult to shoot down.

In February 1943 the regiment was honored with the Guards designation and in October 1943 it became the 46th Taman Guards Night Bomber Aviation Regiment, the name alluding to the unit's involvement in operations in the Taman peninsula. At the end of war the regiment had flown over 23,000 sorties dropping more than 3,000 tons of bombs. The pilots garnered many decorations, with twenty three of them earning the coveted Hero of the Soviet Union award.

The Russian title of this movie translates to Night Witches in the Sky. Night Witches (Nachthexen) was the name bestowed on the fliers by German soldiers, who acquired a grudging respect for them and dreaded their stealth attacks. However, the Taman Regiment was somewhat forgotten after the war, unlike other outfits like the Normandie - Niemen regiment. In fact, this movie, made in 1981 seems to be the first in telling their story, at least among films accessible in the West. There seems to be a recent revival of interest; a Russian series, Night Swallows (1913+) is available in the streaming services and there is a movie in development.

I liked this direct and unpretentious film. Perhaps it is a little simple-minded and oversentimental here and there but there is no flag-waving or patriotic propaganda beyond what the subject warrants. The positives outweigh the negatives and add up to a movie well worth watching.

The film is about 588 (later 46 Guard) night bomber regiment. I think a lot of told about this film by other reviewers but I just advice you to see it because the director and author of scenario of this film served in this regiment. It is alone make this movie partially authobiographical. It is a kind of artistic redesign of her personal war memoirs, a memory about girls who were her friends and sisters-in-arms; a living memory about those who fought in the sky during WWII together with the woman who was scenario author and director. It is alone is bigger than any drawbacks

Well, yes - in war, all means are good - which lead to victory! When Hannah Reich was sleeping - these - flew and threw bombs! When Hannah Reich flew out AFTERNOON - SHE shot down 302 enemy planes and Her opponents were not PO - 2 (maize in the future) - But Battle pilots !! BUT you can be proud - your great-grandfathers and grandfathers - not the go grandchildren won - And the best in the world! HOW ASOV has always been crushed by the masses! But in a future war - US pilots perform exercises at 8 g - RF - only at 5 g! DO YOU DARE !? Train! PS- By the way - and the Vertical Take-Off Mig - On YOUtube - which you all watched with pleasure (WE are again ahead of the rest) - COULD be completed - Only Your Only One Test Pilot! (probably on a SPECIALLY prepared aircraft!) Now, if the regiment of fighters is ALL of a sudden - they will perform such a maneuver! Then I respectfully!