Between Hitler and Stalin (film)
Encyclopedia
Between Hitler and Stalin: Ukraine in World War II is a 2003 film produced and directed by Slavko Nowytski and narrated by Jack Palance
. The one-hour documentary, part black-and-white and part color, is a project of Ukrainian Canadian Research and Documentation Centre
- an attempt to tell the story of the Second World War from a Ukrainian
perspective.
In a chronological manner, Nowytski's film unfolds during the years of Soviet-Nazi collaboration
recounting the losses and suffering of the Ukrainian people; the documentary shifts to the destruction wrought by Stalin's scorched earth policy as the Soviet Union military retreated, and shows the ruins left behind by the German and then the Soviet offensives.
Between Hitler and Stalin describes the activity of the underground resistance movements, and specifically the long and large-scale struggle of the Ukrainian Insurgent Army (UPA) on two fronts - against both totalitarian powers - for Ukraine's independence
. As Oksana Zakydalsky writes for The Ukrainian Weekly
: "although [World War II is] often called the Russo-German war or described as Russia at war, only parts of Russia were occupied, while all Ukrainian territories were invaded and laid waste by both the Nazi and Soviet war machines...The film documents Ukraine's contribution to the war against totalitarianism and the price Ukraine paid for its independence."
For historical and political commentary, the film relies on: Norman Davies
, a historian from University of London
; Robert Conquest
, a Soviet scholar at Hoover Institute; John Armstrong, an insurgency expert, and Zbigniew Brzezinski
former US National Security Adviser.
Jack Palance
Jack Palance , was an American actor. During half a century of film and television appearances, Palance was nominated for three Academy Awards, all as Best Actor in a Supporting Role, winning in 1991 for his role in City Slickers.-Early life:Palance, one of five children, was born Volodymyr...
. The one-hour documentary, part black-and-white and part color, is a project of Ukrainian Canadian Research and Documentation Centre
Ukrainian Canadian Research and Documentation Centre
The Ukrainian Canadian Research & Documentation Centre is a community center which collects, catalogs, and preserves material documenting the history, culture and contributions of Ukrainians throughout the world...
- an attempt to tell the story of the Second World War from a Ukrainian
Ukrainians
Ukrainians are an East Slavic ethnic group native to Ukraine, which is the sixth-largest nation in Europe. The Constitution of Ukraine applies the term 'Ukrainians' to all its citizens...
perspective.
In a chronological manner, Nowytski's film unfolds during the years of Soviet-Nazi collaboration
Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact
The Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact, named after the Soviet foreign minister Vyacheslav Molotov and the German foreign minister Joachim von Ribbentrop, was an agreement officially titled the Treaty of Non-Aggression between Germany and the Soviet Union and signed in Moscow in the late hours of 23 August 1939...
recounting the losses and suffering of the Ukrainian people; the documentary shifts to the destruction wrought by Stalin's scorched earth policy as the Soviet Union military retreated, and shows the ruins left behind by the German and then the Soviet offensives.
Between Hitler and Stalin describes the activity of the underground resistance movements, and specifically the long and large-scale struggle of the Ukrainian Insurgent Army (UPA) on two fronts - against both totalitarian powers - for Ukraine's independence
Ukraine
Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...
. As Oksana Zakydalsky writes for The Ukrainian Weekly
The Ukrainian Weekly
The Ukrainian Weekly is the oldest English-language newspaper of the Ukrainian diaspora in the United States, and North America.Founded by the Ukrainian National Association, and published continuously since October 6, 1933, archived copies of the newspaper are available at leading libraries in the...
: "although [World War II is] often called the Russo-German war or described as Russia at war, only parts of Russia were occupied, while all Ukrainian territories were invaded and laid waste by both the Nazi and Soviet war machines...The film documents Ukraine's contribution to the war against totalitarianism and the price Ukraine paid for its independence."
For historical and political commentary, the film relies on: Norman Davies
Norman Davies
Professor Ivor Norman Richard Davies FBA, FRHistS is a leading English historian of Welsh descent, noted for his publications on the history of Europe, Poland, and the United Kingdom.- Academic career :...
, a historian from University of London
University of London
-20th century:Shortly after 6 Burlington Gardens was vacated, the University went through a period of rapid expansion. Bedford College, Royal Holloway and the London School of Economics all joined in 1900, Regent's Park College, which had affiliated in 1841 became an official divinity school of the...
; Robert Conquest
Robert Conquest
George Robert Ackworth Conquest CMG is a British historian who became a well-known writer and researcher on the Soviet Union with the publication in 1968 of The Great Terror, an account of Stalin's purges of the 1930s...
, a Soviet scholar at Hoover Institute; John Armstrong, an insurgency expert, and Zbigniew Brzezinski
Zbigniew Brzezinski
Zbigniew Kazimierz Brzezinski is a Polish American political scientist, geostrategist, and statesman who served as United States National Security Advisor to President Jimmy Carter from 1977 to 1981....
former US National Security Adviser.