Trial on the Road (1971)
"Proverka na dorogakh" (original title)

The Russian POW joins the partisan guerrillas and proves his loyalty fighting the Nazis.

Director:

Aleksey German

Writers:

Yuri German (stories), Eduard Volodarskiy

Stars:

Rolan Bykov, Anatoliy Solonitsyn, Vladimir Zamanskiy

Cast

Cast overview:
Rolan Bykov	...	Ivan Egorovich Lokotkov
Anatoliy Solonitsyn	...	Igor Leonidovich Petushkov
Vladimir Zamanskiy	...	Alexander Ivanovich Lazarev
Oleg Borisov	...	Victor Mikhailovich Solomin
Fyodor Odinokov	...	The Old Mine-Layer - Erofeich
Anda Zaice	...	Inga - the partisan-interpreter (as Anda Zaytse)
Gennadi Dyudyayev	...	Dmitry Mit'ka - a young partisan
Mayya Bulgakova	...	An unhopeful woman-villager
Nikolay Burlyaev	...	The young auxiliary policeman
Viktor Pavlov	...	Kutenko - an auxiliary police watchman
Yuri Dubrovin	...	Col. Bolshakov - 'lieutenant Genka'
Igor Klass	...	The Partisan-Estonian
N. Pokorsky

Storyline

Film is set in the winter of 1942 during the Nazi occupation of Russia in WWII. Partisan guerrillas, headed by Ivan Lokotkov, are testing the POW Lazarev, who briefly collaborated with the Nazis for survival. Lazarev is not executed, but instead he is given a chance to prove his loyalty. He has to go back to the Nazi controlled railway station, where everyone knows him, and to hijack a train with food supplies. Lazarev proves himself a hero.

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Plot Keywords:

world war two | eastern front

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Genres:

Drama | War

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Details

Country:

Soviet Union

Language:

Russian German

Release Date:

October 1986 (USA)

Also Known As:

Trial on the Road

Filming Locations:

Russia

Company Credits

Production Co:

Lenfilm Studio

Technical Specs

Runtime:

96 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Vladimir Vysotskiy wanted to play Lazarev. Yet the director chose to shoot less celebrity-like Vladimir Zamanskiy.

User Reviews

The truth about war told by a genius.

In Russian cinematic history, this film stands out as one of the high points in projecting the truth about war on screen. It focuses on the tragedy of the expendable man and questions the moral license of those who claim the right to play with his life. The film is full of bitter, unrelenting observation of human nature, combining a brilliant study of characters with a deep insight into relationships between people.

The available English translations of the film's title ("Checkpoint" and "Check-up on the Roads") are incorrect because of an ambiguity in the original name. A more adequate (yet also ambiguous) rendering would be "The Road Test". The idea behind it is the guerilla practice of testing new fighters by sending them on the mission of ambuscading the enemy's vehicles.

This film alone would be enough to earn director Aleksei German the name of a genius of Russian cinema.