chrissso Epic is the word to describe this 1971 Russian docudrama! The effort and resources ($$$) that went into this 5 part/7.5 hour production is nothing short of amazing! Talk about a cast of thousands … Talk about hundreds of tanks and planes … talk about incredible battle scenes (especially the tank battle at Kursk and the battle for Berlin … amazing!)Other reviewers laud the production for its accuracy with equipment (guns & tanks & planes & uniforms). I am not an expert but if that is the case awesome! Thank you for being true to history. The value of this film as a documentary is huge … this is the way that Communist Russia and her satellites wanted the "Great Patriotic War" remembered … and that is at times not quite consistent with the Anglo American narrative. It is fun to look for the differences. The film is of course propaganda … it is intended to influence the writing of history … thus it had to reflect the party line (think Central Europe 1971). Inasmuch there is nothing negative said about the GPW. It was all honorable sacrifice to defeat the fascist scourge that threatened the world. What you don't see is the horror the Russians brought onto the Ukrainians, Belarusians, Hungarians, Czechs, Slovaks, Pols and Germans in their quest to eliminate the Nazis. Things like the Warsaw Uprising or the rape of perhaps a million women. More so there is no discussion about the fact that the Russian effort was an equally greedy attempt at empire that would oppress millions for 50 years!By modern standards the film feels very Russia 1971 (but then again the World at War feels very Britain 1973 and we all love that show). Listen for the parts of the soundtrack that surely came from a bad Russian SciFi film … it is hilarious. And yes there is plenty of hokum like Hilter's murder of Eva Braun and his subsequent suicide or the tank battle in the zoo. You will laugh.The biggest problem of the film is it is just too darn long (7.5 hours). Seriously there are battle scenes that exceed 20 minutes! The film needs a good editing and it would be very simple to get it under 6 hours without hurting the very compelling story.Finally I loved the way the film represented the major players in the WW2 (Churchill, FDR, Mussolini, Hitler & Stalin (and their staffs). Seriously there is a good history lesson here! So why is this remarkable film is so unknown (3 reviews on IMDb and 209 ratings). Get on WW2 history buffs … you are missing out! 9/10 for effort!

Ornlu Wolfjarl Wow, just wow. What can I say about this masterpiece is very little indeed. I watched the original Russian version of the film which goes on for about 7.5 hours and is split in 5 films, which start with the events from the Battle of Kursk through to the surrender of Germany (There is also a "Western" cut which goes for about 2 hours and is only about the battle of Kursk). Not one minute of these 7.5 hours was I bored. The events portrayed are well-researched and accurately depicted on screen. The film switches from the battlefield to the General Staff rooms of both Germany and Soviet Union. The actors playing Stalin, Hitler, Churchill, Roosevelt and their generals and ministers are spitting images of the actual historical figures and even speak and behave the same way. The film follows several soldiers as main characters and depicts how their life was in the hellfire of that war and never once does it show unnecessary or boring scenes. It doesn't try to draw the audience with action and explosions, instead the film draws you in with the feelings these people have and with their experiences, their comradeship, their jokes, their courage and their fear. It's certainly above any other World War II film I've ever watched. It's not an attempt to propaganda, it doesn't portray the Germans as evil and the soviets as good. The only person that can be described as the evil character in the film is Hitler. There are plenty of scenes where Germans are shown to be just ordinary people like anyone else and not bloodthirsty beasts. I was awed with a scene where 2 Russian tankists where dining with a German family and toasting to their health, or when the Berlin subway was flooded by Hitler in an attempt to stop the advancing Soviets, both the German and Soviet soldiers were working together to help save the civilian population that was taking refuge in the subway. Ozerov really did an amazing job, and not once in the whole film did I find any part that was omitting history. Everything was accurately portrayed and not one cent was spared in making it. I recommend it to everyone who's a genuine world war 2 buff, but be warned, do not expect heroic scenes and an action-filled movie like Hollywood does. This is more of a documentary than a film, and it shows war exactly as it is. A gritty and unnecessary endeavour.

capie4 I agree with the above comments to a point. This movie is *very* well researched, directed, rehearsed, budgeted, catered, begged/borrowed/steal, and even the concession hats and T-shirts are comfortable! Well worth the above and this review! It is incredible how this producer found so many story lines and accurate-looking actors to play Stalin, Churchill, Roosevelt, Hitler, Mussolini, et.al. Each actor portrayed is from the culture they are representing--even though they are Russian. Where the Producers got an accurately speaking Roosevelt (Stanislav Yaskevich)& Churchill (Yury Durov), I don't know. Goebbels, Himmler, Eva Braun, and Zhukov are featured or starred in this great piece of cinematic art.I would not, however, rate this *with* Saving Private Ryan and contemporary movies as this movie is well directed. Contemporary director's have picked up a bad habit of "shaking the camera to death." "Liberation" is easy to watch. It does not force the audience to chase the eyes of the actors across the screen. The scene changes during the battles are approximately 6 seconds apart--allowing the audience to experience the whole screen. Plus, there are some margins on the close-ups of the actors faces--half their foreheads are not missing at the top of the screen. Plus, this is a Division-sized movie reflecting the time it was made. Moscow/E. Germany didn't spare a ruble/Mark on extras. Since then, movies have been more squad-level...more or less. All of these good habits have been discarded by the film industry; perhaps for the hyperactive, short-attention-spanned, ADHD, instant-gratification, computerized audience member today. I rate this movie *above* the above mentioned movies.The Soviets and East Germans were not attempting to politicize this movie. It is told with the same entertainment value as any western movie. The subtitles are a bit tricky, but easy to overcome. This movie is well worth watching because it is easy to follow, easy to read and view at the same time, and if you are into WWII history as I am, you will enjoy the feel the historical accuracy will give.

videoflk One of the best WAR movies I have ever seen, it ranks on top of my list with "SAVING PRIVATE RYAN", "CROSS OF IRON", "WINDTALKER","COME AND SEE" etc... It's about the kursk-salient battle, the biggest tank battle of WW2. When I saw this movie in a small west german cinma (Bielefeld 1970), I was very impressed about every careful researched historical detail in this awesome and in the west absolutely unknown movie. The movie is also in color, with good special effects. The military hardware, tanks, planes and infantry weapons are historically correct. The acting was good, and there was not a boring minute in the whole movie. It takes you right into the action, after a brief but comprehensive introduction.