Qui le albe sono quiete

"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.

It's a very nice story about young Russian women who where in fields of war and touch every soul.I guess it would be good young people to watch this movie about Second World war. I have seen the movie some times and if I had chance I would watch more

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.

This is arguably one of the very best war movies ever made. The story is touching and poetic. A great ensemble cast shine under the careful and sensitive direction under Stanislav Rostotsky. The use of montage and different coloring schemes for several different periods work nicely and the cinematography is stunning. This is a movie not to be missed by any serious movie buff. Ruscico is gonna release in on DVD sometime in 2004. Keep your fingers crossed.