Qui le albe sono quiete

I saw this movie several times. First, I watched this movie when I was a kid. At that time it didn't say much to me. There isn't much war-film stuff in it: except for some air-raid attack-counter-attack scene at the beginning and several shots in the second part of the movie. Last time I watched the movie, I was more knowledgeable about WWII and conscious about the calamities it brought to my country. My grandmom's favorite movie, as my Dad says, "A zori zdes' tihije", conveys more than Soviet propaganda wanted it to do. This movie greatly explores people's lives and destinies in a war period. It asks with passion:"How can we live an everyday life in an extraordinary time, the war proves to be."

A zori zdes tikhie (1972) ...aka The Dawns Here Are Quiet - is an honest, realistic and very fine Soviet War film which is sadly un-known to the Western audiences. It was directed by a very talented director Stanislav Rostotsky who also made two of my favorite films, Belyy Bim - Chyornoe ukho (1970) ... aka White Bim Black Ear and Dozhivyom do ponedelnika (1969) aka We'll Live Till Monday .

Rostotsky chose perfect cast - the young and unknown performers who all shone in his movie. I also highly recommend the book by Boris Vasilyev of the same title - I still remember the day when I first read that rather short but unforgettable story about five young girls and their corporal Vaskov who was much older and who was not used to deal with the women-soldiers. What started as a comedy, soon became a compelling and gripping drama depicting an unequal fight of the group of five women and their leader against 16 Nazi paratroopers, specially trained and deadly dangerous that penetrated deep beyond the front-line.

As I was working on a project on Soviet women in WWII, this movie was suggested to me by one of my professors who is a Russian herself. I was totally expecting some elaborate, romantic story, but I found the movie to be very realistic and consistent with my own research. This movie definitely highlights some of the general experiences and emotions felt by Soviet women soldiers at this time. I also enjoyed the many cultural references, for example to the film Tsirk. This film is a great tribute to all those soldiers who died in World War II, especially the women who I will never forget. I highly recommend this movie to anyone with any interest in Soviet history or WWII history.

"In reality 4-5 unexperienced women and one man (even if he is a genial soldier) would have no chance again 16 Gebirgsjäger."

I very well understand how an implausible script could kill the effort of a good director and fabulous actors. I understand equally well that some would dismiss this film as mostly Soviet propaganda simply because the story of German paratroopers meeting serious resistance from just a few inexperienced girls does not ring true. Well, strangely enough, the film (and the novel) are fact-based. Of course, this is not a documentary and, according to Boris Vasiliev, there were no women in the actual group of militia men stopping 16 Gebirgsjäger on a mission to cause serious discruption to the Murmansk railway. But otherwise the story was true! For me, swapping old militia men and wounded soldiers for young girls is perfectly excusable.

Very touching and very Russian.

I watched this one on youtube after watching the more recent series of 2015, also on youtube.

I think I enjoyed the latter version better, but I did immensely enjoy both. It is a wonderful story. I do not seek to make my review as a comparison of the two versions, but will go so far as to say I enjoyed the interaction of the characters in this earlier version far better.

The black and white of this movie is very appropriate in presentation.

This is an excellent Russian made film and there really is no politics in it... Just the gritty horror of war. For a 1972 Russian film of such excellence, it is ahead of it's time. Well recommended to see.