Goryachiy sneg

These Soviet war epics tend to get awfully frustrating after a while. While the filmmakers have huge, almost limitless resources at their disposal, like lots of vintage tanks, equipment, Red Army personnel, and government cooperation (providing it's propaganda) - narratively, they fail to adhere to basic practices. Usually a good movie does not play all its good cards at once, but these Russian war films tend to run out of steam before the climax even comes, which ends up being either glossed over or over-shadowed by bigger and better battles earlier in the film! This film is a little more patriotic than Sergei Bondarchuk's "They Fought for their Motherland" (1975), which was set a few months prior to this film in essentially the same theater of war. The big difference is this one is set in the winter and follows a much larger division of younger Anti-tankers, these ones armed with artillery instead of just PTRD rifles. While there's more action and less emphasis on mid-battle philosophizing and humanizing, and some laughable attempts to make the Political Commissars look heroic, trust and beloved by their units, this one is surprisingly short and straight-forward.

The Germans attempt the near-hopeless 'Operation Winter Storm' to break out the beleaguered Sixth Army at Stalingrad. Somehow, we're asked to sympathize with the relatively well-armed Russians who are pre-ordained to win no matter what, especially since their resistance was nullified by Zhukov's 'Operation Little Saturn' which hit the German / Italian flanks and forced them to break off the attack (see the movie ATTACK AND RETREAT) which pretty much ended any hope of German victory. The soldiers pretty much just do their job as instructed besides a young lieutenant who goes through a lot of romantic angst with his girlfriend assigned to his command. A few of the main characters are killed by the anonymous Germans, who are never clearly seen save for a P.O.W.

The German tanks however, with fine mock-ups of Panzer IV's, STUG III's, and even a few Tigers, are well-done and numerous, but where's the air suppport?

A good epic film about young artillerymen, who got into the heat of battle.

Useless to say that this movie won't bring exactly the same show, same elements, same kind of directing that you had with German movies, even those made long years after the end of the war. Even three decades later, propaganda proceeds for Soviet industry, as in 1942. Even now, in the 2020's. I admit that the Russians fought with priceless heroism in Stalingrad, and not only, as the Nazis too, Russians have the right to emphasize on this crourage, bravery, sacrifice. They have the right and the burden to pay homage to their elders, as any country who were involved in a war. But, I persist and sign, I did not have the same feeling watching this that I had in Joesph Weismeier's STALINGRAD, the German point of view, or Frank Wisbar's HUNDE, WOLT IHR EWIG LEBEN, which did not show Russians - the enemy - as evil or idiots opponents. But this film is not the worst ever about Stalingrad battler from the Russian point of view. It is gritty, poignant, but only predictable. What else could we expect?

The acting is so poor. It seemed like there was some Soap Opera backing the war plot. Many scenes were obviously done in a sound stage. While the battle scenes appear very authentic, the acting was a let down as was the authenticity of those nice tidy c;lean uniforms worn in heavy warfare. However, several times I could see the supposed metal armor of the field guns flex when a Russian soldier would lean on it or take hold of it. Obviously plywood. When the guns fired, there was no recoil. Apart from that, battle scenes appeared authentic. The sounds of battle were repetitive and obviously the same acoustic recording played over and over. Explosive sounds were not in sync with the explosions seen.

This movie had a lot more potential and is at the lower end of Russian war movies.

Hi !

This film title means "Burning snow" and this is a story of Soviet artillery soldiers who broke German tank divisions' rescue operation for besieged German army in Stalingrad, on account of their own lives.

This is a rare purely combat-focused Soviet film where Stalin and top red army generals are never appeared. Even the commanding red army general on the spot is not named.

In such a sense, this film is a bit closer to American war film which always focused on ordinary individual soldiers. Also camera work on this film is excellent and piling up the scenes to the climax of battle.

Also actor Boris Tokarev showed his excellent play on his roll of Lieutenant Kuznezov and he symbolized feeling of sadness of war without such words from his mouth.

I believe that Boris Tokarev was one of the most favourite soviet actor specially by young females during 1970s.