The Fall of Berlin DVD
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The restored Soviet WWII Epic film
Based on a screenplay by Stalin, "The Fall of Berlin" was presented to him as a "gift" on his 70th birthday. No expense was spared in the making of the film. Captured German tanks were refurbished and reused, a huge cast was deployed, and the final scenes were shot in the actual ruins of the German capital, although Stalin's descent from the heavens is apocryphal! Indeed, there is anecdotal evidence that he found the film so persuasive that he wished he had flown to Berlin to celebrate "his" victory. The role of Stalin was played by his fellow Georgian, Mikhail Gelovani, who had been specialising in the role since the mid-1930s. Gelovani was famous for the precision with which he reproduced Stalin's gestures and his Georgian accent when speaking Russian. Dmitrii Shostakovich was commissioned to write a largely bombastic score, parts of which he later reused in his Tenth Symphony to depict Stalin.
The film presents Stalin for the first time as a leader of the Soviet and world proletariat in his own right, with only one reference, in the final chorus, to Lenin. Stalin's world role is justified by his achievement as saviour of humanity and civilization from the Nazi threat in his capacity as war leader and strategist.
Note: Vividly filmed in Agfacolor film stock removed from Germany by the Red Army, The Fall of Berlin features a film score by Dmitri Shostakovich.DVD Features
