Krasnaya palatka (1969)

User Rating:

6.7/10   

Director:

Mikhail Kalatozov

Writers:

Richard L. Adams (writer)
Ennio De Concini (writer)

Release Date:

23 December 1969 (Italy)

Genre:

Adventure | Drama

Plot:

The commander of a failed 1928 Arctic airship expedition is remembering the events of the "Italia" airship flight...

Plot Keywords:

Arctic | Rescue Operation | Crash | Courage | Arctic Exploration

Awards:

Nominated for Golden Globe.

Cast

Sean Connery	...	Roald Amundsen
Claudia Cardinale	...	Nurse Valeria
Hardy Krüger	...	Aviator Lundborg (as Hardy Kruger)
Peter Finch	...	Gen. Umberto Nobile
Massimo Girotti	...	Romagna, Rescue Coordinator
Luigi Vannucchi	...	Capt. Zappi
Mario Adorf	...	Biagi, Radio Operator
Eduard Martsevich	...	Finn Malmgren, Meteorologist
Grigori Gaj	...	Samoilovich, Captain of Krassin Russian Icebreaker
Nikita Mikhalkov	...	Chuknovsky, Icebreaker Pilot
Nikolai Ivanov	...	Kolka, Amateur Radioman
Boris Khmelnitsky	...	Viglieri
Yuri Solomin	...	Troiani
Yuri Vizbor	...	Behounek
Donatas Banionis	...	Mariano

Also Known As:

Красная палатка (Soviet Union: Russian title)
La tenda rossa (Italy)
The Red Tent (USA)
Tsiteli karavi (Soviet Union: Georgian title)

Runtime:

USA:121 min (International version) | Russia:158 min

Country:

Soviet Union | Italy

Language:

Russian | Italian | English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Sound Mix:

70 mm 6-Track (70 mm prints) | Mono (35 mm prints)

Certification:

Singapore:PG | Australia:PG | Argentina:Atp | Finland:K-8 | Sweden:11 | USA:G

Company:

Mosfilm

"THE RED TENT" - an exciting spectacle of Arctic exploration

"The Red Tent", as it was called when released in most of the world, is a fascinating historical epic of Arctic exploration. In the 1920's, Italian General Nobile sought to be the first to fly over the North Pole in a dirigible, of all things! Much of the movie focuses on these efforts; unfortunately, the winds kick up and the air ship is ripped apart. Surviving crewmen end up in various locations on the ice and then procede to battle the elements and polar bears. The great arctic explorer Raoul Amundsen is called in as are the Soviets who pick up radio messages of the disaster; an ice breaker is then dispatched to assist in the rescue. Yes, it is an involved and realistiuc spectacle.

Peter Finch is very good as Nobile, and so is Connery as Amundsen - and it's an historic well-known fact that the first man to reach the South Pole, Amundsen, vanished in his attempt to save Nobile.

Of note is that the story is recounted in flashback much later in a sort of trial of Nobile in his home in Rome, as characters living and dead appear to confront or defend him. Whether or not Nobile was reckless or had bad luck, or just over reached himself, is for the viewer to determine from putting the stories together.

Somewhat long and overinvolved this is still an engrossing account of an epic Arctic disaster and the heroic rescue attempts that followed. If you see it, GRAB it.