The First Cavalry
About The First Cavalry
In 1920, on the Polish front, the film follows the formation and the fighting of the Red First Cavalry Army.
Cast & crew
More about The First Cavalry
Efim Dzigan and Georgy Beryozko directed. Vsevolod Vishnevsky wrote the screenplay from his own play. Yevgeni Andrikanis photographed, with V. Zakharov and G. Pyshkova. Nikolay Kryukov and Gavriil Popov wrote the music. Mosfilm. Runtime 97 minutes. Also titled The Breakthrough of the Polish Front in 1920. Finished in 1941 and not released. A copy survives. Voroshilov, Budyonny, Shchadenko, Timoshenko, and Kulik judged it negatively.
Themes
Background
The subject is the Soviet-Polish War of 1920 and the First Cavalry Army. The men who stopped the release were commanders of that war.
Making
Vishnevsky's play was shot at Mosfilm and then held. Russian Wikipedia says the refusal was ideological, after those five commanders condemned it.
Look
Yevgeni Andrikanis photographed it, with V. Zakharov and G. Pyshkova.
Music
Nikolay Kryukov and Gavriil Popov wrote the music.
Preservation
Not released in 1941. A copy survives and is on Wikimedia Commons.
Notes
- Catalog cast includes Aleksei Gribov, Mikhail Yanshin, Nikolai Bogolyubov, Semyon Goldshtab, Aleksandr Khvylya, and Fomin.
- The commanders who blocked it had themselves served with or over the cavalry of that campaign: Kliment Voroshilov, Semyon Budyonny, Yefim Shchadenko, Semyon Timoshenko, and Grigory Kulik.
- A file is on Wikimedia Commons as 1941 Первая конная.webm.
Influenced by
- Vsevolod Vishnevsky's play The First Cavalry
Also available
- Wikimedia Commons (1941 Первая конная.webm)