Battle of Moscow (film)

Battle of Moscow
A poster of the film.
Directed by	Yuri Ozerov
Produced by	Anatoly Raskazov
Screenplay by	Yuri Ozerov
Starring	Mikhail Ulyanov
Narrated by	Vyacheslav Tikhonov
Music by	Aleksandra Pakhmutova
Cinematography	Igor Chernykh, Vladimir Gusev
Edited by	Svetlana Metelitsa
Production company	Mosfilm DEFA-Babelsberg Barrandov Studios Fafim
Release date	1 November 1985
Running time	358 minutes (combined) Film I(1): 91 minutes Film I(2): 88 minutes Film II(1): 90 minutes Film II(2): 89 minutes
Country	Soviet Union East Germany Czechoslovakia Vietnam
Language	Russian, German.

The Battle of Moscow (Russian: Битва за Москву, Bitva za Moskvu) is a 1985 Soviet two-part war film, presenting a dramatized account of the 1941 Battle of Moscow and the events preceding it. The films were a Soviet-East German-Czechoslovak-Vietnamese co-production directed by Yuri Ozerov who also wrote the script. It was made in time for the 40th anniversary of the Allied victory over Nazi Germany and the 20th anniversary of the proclamation of the Victory Day holiday and Moscow's declaration as a Hero City.

In the aftermath of the victory in France, Hitler decides to attack the Soviet Union and selects Marshal von Bock in charge of leading Army Group Center of the Wehrmacht into Russia. Ilse Stöbe, Rudolf von Scheliha and Richard Sorge inform of the danger, but the Soviet intelligence dismisses their warnings. Zhukov is concerned that the army is ill-prepared; Pavlov decries him as a fear-monger. The Red Army officers are convinced that in the event of an invasion, they would immediately counter-attack. On 22 June 1941 Germany launches Operation Barbarossa, overwhelming the Soviets.

The Red Army tries to counter the assault with a string of hasty operations, while the Brest Fortress is desperately defended. The Soviets manages to recapture Yelnya but having Lieutenant General L.G. Petrovsky killed in action. Stalin insists on defending Kiev, and his forces suffer immense losses.