Little Red Devils

Red Devils (also known as "The Hunt for blue fox") is a revolutionary adventure story written by the secretary of the Provincial Committee of the Kostroma RCP (B), novelist and screenwriter Paul Blyahin (Pavel Blyakhin) in 1921 and published in 1923–1926. The book became popular after the film adaptation of the first novel in 1923. The silent movie "Red Devils" has become one of the most famous and oft-quoted works of the Soviet adventure film.

The author describes the history of this writing:

The story "Red Devils" was written by me in 1921 in a car, freight car, on the way from Kostroma in Baku. Instead of three days, I went one month. On a makeshift table ready laid Mauser ... This was one of the first books about the Civil War. P. Blyahin.

The novel and film are about the adventures of the guys on the background of the Russian Civil War and the struggle with the Makhnovist forces. At the beginning Nestor Makhno and his troops attack the village, committing various crimes, including murdering peasants, robbing huts, stealing livestock, killing communists. In the attack, the guys father was captured, tortured and killed under Makhno's orders. The guys then organise a detachment against Makhno.

Young scouts, soldiers of the First Cavalry Army – Misha and DUNYASHA – Chinese Yu-yu (in the film 1923 is replaced by a black street acrobat Tom Jackson, as at the time of the film, the Soviet Union had a complicated relationship with China). For the same reason in the film The Elusive Avengers in 1967, when the Soviet Union had a complicated relationship with the United States, Tom Jackson was replaced by Yashku-gypsy.

The film and novel give an extremely negative portrayal of the Anarchist Nestor Makhno proven by an example of the text.

Land of the Soviets was burning in the fire of civil war. From all sides the heart of Russia - Moscow - moved numerous hordes of counter-revolution, From the east, the north and south were threatened by foreign invaders who supplied White Army weapons and food. In Crimea, sat down Wrangel troops which broke the Ukraine, in the area of Katerinoslavshchina.

And here, in the rear of a young Red Army rampaged kulak gang, led by different Batko and leader.

Urban workers and the rural poor selflessly fought for Soviet power, helped the Red Army and all our partisans than could. Hundreds and thousands of young volunteers joined the ranks of the glorious fighters for the cause of freedom and socialism.

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