Trial of the Road
| Trial on the Road | |
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| Directed by | Aleksey German |
| Written by | Yuri German. |
| Screenplay by | Eduard Volodarsky |
| Starring |
Rolan Bykov Anatoly Solonitsyn Vladimir Zamansky |
| Distributed by | Lenfilm |
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Release date
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Running time
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96 min |
| Country | Soviet Union |
| Language | Russian |
Trial on the Road (Russian: Проверка на дорогах, translit. Proverka na Dorogakh) is a 1971 Soviet film set in World War II, directed by Aleksey German, starring Rolan Bykov, Anatoly Solonitsyn and Vladimir Zamansky. It is also known as Checkpoint or Check up on the Road.
Trial on the Road was censored and taken out of circulation in the Soviet Union for 15 years after its release due to its controversial depiction of Soviet soldiers. The film is based on a story by the director's father, Yuri German. The screenplay was written by Eduard Volodarsky.
This film is Alexei German's solo directorial debut which took a philosophical approach to the Soviet usage of "heroes" and "traitors". Screenplay by A. German and Eduard Y. Volodarsky (1941-2012), the film is based on the novel of his father (Operatsiya "S Novym Godom", or Operation "Happy New Year"), Yuri German (1910-1967), a famous Soviet novelist, screenwriter, and journalist. It was shot brilliantly in black-and-white by a crew of cinematographers (B. Aleksandrovsky and Lev Kolganov), Director of Photography (Yasha Sklansky), and Production Designer (Valery Yurkevich).
The drama takes place in December 1942 during the Nazi occupation of the USSR in World War II. It revolves around the former Red Army sergeant Lazarov (played by Vladimir Zamansky) who was captured in his German uniform by Soviet partisans. He had defected to the Nazis to fight for the German Army but has now switched sides again and agreed to join a group of partisans and fight against the Nazis. Typically, traitors were shot by the Soviets or sent as prisoners to Siberia (Gulag), but in this film, two leaders of the resistance fighters, Commander Lokotkov (played by Rolan Bykov, actor's best performance) and Commissar Petushkov (played by Anatoly Solonitsyn), regard the defector differently and decided to put his loyalty to the test. For some partisans, he will be always a traitor and treated with suspicion, but for others this former Red Army officer, by joining the group of partisans, has to prove himself on the battlefield as a patriot and hero. In the end he distinguishes himself by bravery and heroism.
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