Two Comrades Were Serving
Encyclopedia
Two Comrades Were Serving is a 1968 Soviet film directed by Yevgeni Karelov, script by Yuli Dunsky
and Valeri Frid
. The film is about the Russian civil war
, in particular, the battle for the Crimean peninsula.
s and soldiers of the Red Army
, Andrei Nekrasov (O. Yankovsky
) and Ivan Karyakin (R. Bykov
) were sent by their regimental commander (A. Papanov
) on a reconnaissance mission to film the White Army fortification
s on the way into Crimea
(Perekop
). After filming, the engine on their airplane stalled and they were forced to land in unfriendly territory.
As the culmination of a series of misadventures, the friends were going to be executed as spies by their own side. The Colonel appears in time to stop the firing squad.
The second part of the film narrates the assault on Perekop and the Red Army
invasion of the Crimea.
The film also features Vladimir Vysotsky
as Brusentsov, a cynical and disillusioned officer in Wrangel
's Army. He shot Nekrasov down at the end of the film. Karyakin hums his friend's favorite song - "The bullet whizzed and aha!..". Vysotsky's character shot himself during the evacuation to Constantinople
.
The film's focus is the friendship between two decidedly different characters. Nekrasov is war-weary while Karyakin is an idealistic and energetic officer.
s and drew on their experience for much of the dialogue.
The theme song was included on Lubeh
's 1995 album, Kombat.
The bullet whizzed and - aha!..
The bullet whizzed and - aha!..
The bullet whizzed and my friend is down...
The bullet whizzed and my friend is down.
Yuli Dunsky
Yuli Teodorovich Dunsky was a Soviet screenwriter.Most works made together with Valeri Frid.- Writer :* 1984 And Then Came Bumbo* 1983 Every Tenth* 1983 Adventures of the Little Muk* 1982 The Story of the Voyages* 1981 Don't be afraid, I'm with you...
and Valeri Frid
Valeri Frid
Valeri Semyonovich Frid was a Soviet screenwriter.Most works made together with Yuli Dunsky.- Writer :* 1991 Lost in Siberia* 1990 Smert v kino* 1987 Skazka pro vlyublyonnogo malyara* 1984 And Then Came Bumbo* 1983 Every Tenth...
. The film is about the Russian civil war
Russian Civil War
The Russian Civil War was a multi-party war that occurred within the former Russian Empire after the Russian provisional government collapsed to the Soviets, under the domination of the Bolshevik party. Soviet forces first assumed power in Petrograd The Russian Civil War (1917–1923) was a...
, in particular, the battle for the Crimean peninsula.
Plot
Two comradeComrade
Comrade means "friend", "colleague", or "ally". The word comes from French camarade. The term is frequently used by left-wing organizations around the globe. "Comrade" has often become a stock phrase and form of address. This word has its regional equivalents available in many...
s and soldiers of the Red Army
Red Army
The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army started out as the Soviet Union's revolutionary communist combat groups during the Russian Civil War of 1918-1922. It grew into the national army of the Soviet Union. By the 1930s the Red Army was among the largest armies in history.The "Red Army" name refers to...
, Andrei Nekrasov (O. Yankovsky
Oleg Yankovsky
Oleg Ivanovich Yankovsky was a Soviet/Russian actor who has excelled in psychologically sophisticated roles of modern intellectuals...
) and Ivan Karyakin (R. Bykov
Rolan Bykov
Rolan Antonovich Bykov was a Soviet and Russian actor, film director, script writer, poet, song writer. He was awarded People's Artist of the RSFSR in 1973 and the USSR State Prize in 1986.Rolan Bykov was born to a Jewish family in Kiev....
) were sent by their regimental commander (A. Papanov
Anatoli Papanov
Anatoli Dmitrievich Papanov was a popular Soviet film and theatre actor.Papanov starred in some of the best and well-known Soviet films, often together with his friend, Andrei Mironov. Mostly known for his great performances in comedies, he also had serious and dramatic roles, such as that of the...
) on a reconnaissance mission to film the White Army fortification
Fortification
Fortifications are military constructions and buildings designed for defence in warfare and military bases. Humans have constructed defensive works for many thousands of years, in a variety of increasingly complex designs...
s on the way into Crimea
Crimea
Crimea , or the Autonomous Republic of Crimea , is a sub-national unit, an autonomous republic, of Ukraine. It is located on the northern coast of the Black Sea, occupying a peninsula of the same name...
(Perekop
Isthmus of Perekop
The Isthmus of Perekop is the narrow, 5-7 km wide strip of land that connects the peninsula of Crimea to the mainland of Ukraine. The isthmus is located between the Black Sea to the west and the Azov Sea the east. The isthmus takes its name from the Tatar fortress of Perekop.The border between the...
). After filming, the engine on their airplane stalled and they were forced to land in unfriendly territory.
As the culmination of a series of misadventures, the friends were going to be executed as spies by their own side. The Colonel appears in time to stop the firing squad.
The second part of the film narrates the assault on Perekop and the Red Army
Red Army
The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army started out as the Soviet Union's revolutionary communist combat groups during the Russian Civil War of 1918-1922. It grew into the national army of the Soviet Union. By the 1930s the Red Army was among the largest armies in history.The "Red Army" name refers to...
invasion of the Crimea.
The film also features Vladimir Vysotsky
Vladimir Vysotsky
Vladimir Semyonovich Vysotsky was a Soviet singer, songwriter, poet, and actor whose career had an immense and enduring effect on Russian culture. He became widely known for his unique singing style and for his lyrics, which featured social and political commentary in often humorous street...
as Brusentsov, a cynical and disillusioned officer in Wrangel
Pyotr Nikolayevich Wrangel
Baron Pyotr Nikolayevich Wrangel or Vrangel was an officer in the Imperial Russian army and later commanding general of the anti-Bolshevik White Army in Southern Russia in the later stages of the Russian Civil War.-Life:Wrangel was born in Mukuliai, Kovno Governorate in the Russian Empire...
's Army. He shot Nekrasov down at the end of the film. Karyakin hums his friend's favorite song - "The bullet whizzed and aha!..". Vysotsky's character shot himself during the evacuation to Constantinople
Constantinople
Constantinople was the capital of the Roman, Eastern Roman, Byzantine, Latin, and Ottoman Empires. Throughout most of the Middle Ages, Constantinople was Europe's largest and wealthiest city.-Names:...
.
The film's focus is the friendship between two decidedly different characters. Nekrasov is war-weary while Karyakin is an idealistic and energetic officer.
Cast
- Oleg YankovskyOleg YankovskyOleg Ivanovich Yankovsky was a Soviet/Russian actor who has excelled in psychologically sophisticated roles of modern intellectuals...
as Andrei Nekrasov - Rolan BykovRolan BykovRolan Antonovich Bykov was a Soviet and Russian actor, film director, script writer, poet, song writer. He was awarded People's Artist of the RSFSR in 1973 and the USSR State Prize in 1986.Rolan Bykov was born to a Jewish family in Kiev....
as Ivan Karyakin - Anatoli PapanovAnatoli PapanovAnatoli Dmitrievich Papanov was a popular Soviet film and theatre actor.Papanov starred in some of the best and well-known Soviet films, often together with his friend, Andrei Mironov. Mostly known for his great performances in comedies, he also had serious and dramatic roles, such as that of the...
as Colonel - Nikolai KryuchkovNikolai KryuchkovNikolai Kryuchkov was a Soviet film actor. He appeared in 94 films between 1932 and 1993.-Selected filmography:* Okraina * By the Bluest of Seas * The Return of Maxim * The Vyborg Side * Salavat Yulayev...
- Alla DemidovaAlla DemidovaAlla Sergeyevna Demidova is a Russian actress internationally acclaimed for the tragic parts in innovative plays staged by Yuri Lyubimov in the Taganka Theatre. She was awarded the USSR State Prize in 1977.- Biography :...
as Commissar - Vladimir VysotskyVladimir VysotskyVladimir Semyonovich Vysotsky was a Soviet singer, songwriter, poet, and actor whose career had an immense and enduring effect on Russian culture. He became widely known for his unique singing style and for his lyrics, which featured social and political commentary in often humorous street...
as Alexander Brusentsov - Iya Savvina as Alexandra
- Nikolai BurlyayevNikolai BurlyayevNikolai Petrovich Burlyayev is a renowned Soviet and Russian actor. Born into a family of actors, Nikolai started his acting career in film and theatre when he was still a child. He is best known for his title role in Andrei Tarkovsky's Ivan's Childhood. He worked with Tarkovsky again four years...
- Pyotr Krylov
- Rostislav YankovskyRostislav YankovskyRostislav Ivanovich Yankovsky is a major Belarusian actor. He was born in Odessa 0n 5 February 1930, studied in Leninabad and debuted in the Tajik theatre in 1951. He has been working in the Minsk Drama Theatre since 1957 . Yankovsky was named a People's Artist of the USSR in 1978 . He is the...
- Roman TkachukRoman TkachukRoman Denisovich Tkachuk was a Soviet theatre and film actor.-Biography:He was born on August 31, 1932 in Sverdlovsk , USSR.He graduated from an institute for film directors named after Aleksandr Ostrovsky in Tashkent in 1955....
- Nikolai Parfyonov
Trivia
Both screenwriters had been in Stalinist campGulag
The Gulag was the government agency that administered the main Soviet forced labor camp systems. While the camps housed a wide range of convicts, from petty criminals to political prisoners, large numbers were convicted by simplified procedures, such as NKVD troikas and other instruments of...
s and drew on their experience for much of the dialogue.
The theme song was included on Lubeh
Lubeh
Lubeh is a Russian rock band from Lubertsy, a suburb of Moscow. The band consists of Nikolay Rastorguyev , Vitaliy Loktev , Aleksandr Erokhin , Anatoliy Kuleshov , Aleksey Khokhlov , Pavel Usanov , Aleksey Tarasov , and Yuriy Rymanov...
's 1995 album, Kombat.
Quotes
- Nekrasov's song in full:
Two comrades were serving, aha!..
Two comrades were serving, aha!..
Two comrades were serving in the same regiment.
Two comrades were serving in the same regiment.
The bullet whizzed and - aha!..
The bullet whizzed and - aha!..
The bullet whizzed and my friend is down...
The bullet whizzed and my friend is down.
- Colonel: Comrades, what is Crimea? Nothing, a little spot. I can close it with my palm on the map. But of course only a very stupid fool can say anything like that.
- Alexandra: Is that you?
Alexander Brusentsov: That's a stupid question. The only thing more stupid would be to answer: yes, it's me. - [Karyakin and Nekrasov are about to be executed because of a mistaken identity. The Colonel drives up.]
Colonel: What's going on?
Ivan Karyakin: We're being executed!
Colonel: The execution is canceled!
Soldier: We don't mind.
Andrei Nekrasov: We mind even less.