Fortress of War (2010)
"Brestskaya krepost" (original title)

A war drama set during the Nazi invasion of the Soviet Union in June 1941, in which Russian troops held on to a border stronghold for nine days.

Director:

Aleksandr Kott

Writers:

Aleksey Dudarev, Vladimir Eryomin,

Stars:

Aleksey Kopashov, Andrey Merzlikin, Pavel Derevyanko

3 wins & 5 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Aleksey Kopashov	...	Sashka Akimov (as Alyosha Kopashov)
Andrey Merzlikin	...	Kizhevatov
Pavel Derevyanko	...	Fomin
Aleksandr Korshunov	...	Gavrilov
Maksim Kostromykin	...	Kolka
Anna Tsukanova	...	Sonya
Sergey Tsepov	...	Zubachev
Benik Arakelyan	...	Matevosyan
Mikhail Pavlik	...	Vaynshteyn
Sergey Vlasov	...	Kavalyonak
Aleksandr Sirin	...	Maslov
Evgeniy Tsyganov	...	Pochernikov
Tatyana Kamina	...	Shura Pochernikova
Veronika Nikonova	...	Anya Kizhevatova
Yana Esipovich	...	Zhena Kizhevatova

Storyline

The film shows the heroic defense of the Brest Fortress, which had taken upon the first strike of German fascist invaders on June 22 1941. Story describes the events of the first days of the defense. The film tells about three main resistance zones, headed by the regiment commander, Pyotr Mikhailovich Gavrilov, the commissar Efim Moiseevich Fomin and the head of the 9th frontier outpost, Andrey Mitrofanovich Kizhevatov. Many years later veteran Alexander Akimov again and again recalls the memories of the time, when he, then a 15 year old Sasha Akimov was deeply in love with the beautiful Anya and suddenly found himself in the middle of the bloody events of war.

---

Plot Keywords:

invasion | commissar | world war two | man on fire | falling from height | 

---

Genres:

Action | Drama | War | History

---

Details

Official Sites:

Official site [ru]

Country:

Belarus Russia

Language:

Russian Ukrainian Belarusian

Release Date:

4 November 2010 (Belarus)

Also Known As:

Fortress of War

Filming Locations:

Brest, Belarus

Company Credits

Production Co:

Belarusfilm, Belarusfilm, Central Partnership

Technical Specs

Runtime:

138 min 180 min (TV)

Color:

Color

Did You Know?

Goofs

During the dogfight scene when the two Messerschmitts shoot down the Soviet I-16, the Soviet fighter passes over the yard at a very low altitude. While it's actually possible, it's pretty much a suicide maneuver because the plane would lose speed and maneuverability when pulling up, practically becoming a sitting duck for the one in pursuit. It's especially dangerous for this particular dogfight as the Bf-109 had a great advantage in speed and especially vertical climbing over the I-16, so the Soviet pilot is definitely giving up any chances. Also, the Soviet plane looks way too small while passing by the buildings.

---

Connections

References Cinema Paradiso (1988)

User Reviews

A cinematic masterpiece - but still patriotic propaganda.

There can be no doubt that The Fortress is a cinematic masterpiece with grade one photography, acting, special effects, screenplay, pace and emotional depth. None of this is questioned and all readers are recommended to view it. Basing the story from the viewpoint of a child trainee soldier was particularly effective and the film effortlessly holds viewer attention throughout the generous 138 minutes.

Moreover the film was well researched in many aspects. Not only were the sets extremely accurate in their portrayal of the fortress but even the ruins were perfectly reconstructed from post war photographs. The officers really existed and their heroism was deservedly depicted.

But it is without question a work of huge political propaganda. And it completely failed to illustrate the true horror of war as it really happened.

In every battle the wounded always outnumber the dead. Indeed many die subsequent to the injuries of combat and the percentage of soldiers killed outright is normally rather low. War is not a computer game in which the fallen just drop dead on the spot with a little groan. It is a sea of suffering and screaming and agony in which the able are caught in a quandary whether to aid the victims or run for safety.

But this was not at all captured in the film. The victims just die instantly and lie there in huge peaceful heaps. Even their faces appear as if they just went to sleep. Of course this is rubbish.

The film depicts those Russians that fought on as heroes whilst any soldiers that left are slurred with the implication of cowardice. The Germans are portrayed as inhuman killing machines without compassion and slurred with the entirely untrue concoction of using civilians as human shields in their attack. Russian attacks are shown as courageous head on charges across open ground as if they were led by 19th.century heroes whilst in fact the leadership was inept and too inexperienced to coordinate effective counter attacks. The film did not portray the brutal use of boy soldiers by the Russians as ammunition feeders to machine gun posts and ID tag collectors from the fallen. And Commissar Fomin is shown to have given himself up for execution as a Jew whilst in fact he was betrayed by his own men as a hated Bolshevic. Such details suggest a very different reality inside the stubborn pockets of resistance than the film portrays. And it takes little imagination to understand the motive.

'Stalingrad', the notable 1993 epic of that engagement remains supreme in the honest depiction of war and this film cannot reach it. Ultimately heroism and barbarism are individual aspects of battle and not national psychologies. But this film attempts to show good and evil as if there can be a good side to war. And it never suggests that Russian preparations to attack Germany in 1942 were well under way in 1941 and that Hitler only attacked first before Stalin did the same to him.

Sorry readers but this film must be taken with a large pinch of salt. Nevertheless I did shed a tear with the old man at the end and my heart went out to the young musician boy as it was meant to.