Le tournant décisif

Although slowly paced and saddled with truly bizarre sub-titling this is an utterly compelling work, described by its director as 'a pyschological, not a battle film'. It takes place mostly in closed sets and contains lengthy discussions of military strategy but never drags whilst the acting of its excellent cast is devoid of histrionics. Mikhail Derzhavin as Muryavyov is a composite of several actual generals.

For once Uncle Joe does not appear as a figure of Olympian proportions and is simply referred to as 'The Highest Commander' and unusually for the time, the Germans are neither demonised nor indeed underestimated. Gavril Popov's score is sparingly used but most effective.

Winner of the Palme d'Or, this is arguably Fridrikh Ermler's finest film although some would say that the honour should go to 'Fragments of an Empire'. His relative inactivity during the next ten years is both mystifying and a waste of talent.