The Battle of Russia
| Why We Fight: The Battle of Russia | |
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 |
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| Directed by | Frank Capra; Anatole Litvak |
| Produced by | Office of War Information |
| Written by | Julius Epstein; Philip Epstein |
| Narrated by | Walter Huston |
| Cinematography | Robert Flaherty |
| Edited by | William Hornbeck |
| Distributed by | War Activities Committee of the Motion Pictures Industry |
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Release date
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November 11, 1943 |
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Running time
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83 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
The Battle of Russia (1943) is the fifth film of Frank Capra's Why We Fight documentary series, and the longest film of the series, consisting of two parts. The film was made in collaboration with Russian-born Anatole Litvak as primary director under Capra's supervision. Litvak gave the film its "shape and orientation," and the film had seven writers with voice narration by Walter Huston. The score was done by Russian-born Hollywood composer, Dimitri Tiomkin, and drew heavily on Tchaikovsky along with traditional Russian folk songs and ballads.
Film historian Christopher Meir notes that the film's popularity "extended beyond the military audience for it was initially intended, and was the second in the series to be nominated for an Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature.
The film begins with an overview of previous failed attempts to conquer Russia: by the Teutonic Knights in 1242 (footage from Sergei Eisenstein's film Alexander Nevsky is used here), by Charles XII of Sweden in 1704 (footage from 's film ), by Napoleon I in 1812, and by Germany in World War I.
The vast natural resources of the Soviet Union are then described, showing why the land is such a hot prize for conquerors. To give a positive impression of the Soviet Union to the American audience, the country's ethnic diversity is covered in detail, and later on, elements of Russian culture familiar to Americans, including the musical compositions of Tchaikovsky and Leo Tolstoy's book War and Peace are also mentioned. Communism is never mentioned at any point in the film; instead, the Russian Orthodox Church is described as a force opposing Nazism. The start of the film includes a quote from U.S. Gen. Douglas MacArthur, who commended the Russian people's defense of their nation as one of the most courageous feats in military history.
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