In the summer of 1941
Greetings, dear viewer!
You'll likely have some questions while watching, so due to the recurring comments, I'll try to answer most of them in the video description. ↓
Dear friends, I'm glad you've visited my channel and watched or started watching my short war film "In the Summer of 1941."
Since the theme of the Great Patriotic War has always been particularly close to my heart, in 2013 I decided to make my own short film about the Great Patriotic War. Since I'm a nuclear physicist by training and have no formal connection to film, I decided to try my hand at all the roles at once. :-)
I understand that the chosen theme isn't the most popular or heroic, as the retreat of the Red Army in the summer of 1941 is an unpleasant chapter in our history, but it was there. Of course, I would have been more happy to film a production of the heroic capture of a Nazi pillbox, but the choice of subject was tied solely to funding, or rather, the lack thereof. Building a pillbox, casting actors, and providing uniforms and weapons for everyone was unrealistic given my capabilities. I had two people at my disposal (my brother and I), no weapons, some paraphernalia, military uniforms, and a GoPro3 video camera, which we used to film ourselves. A script had to be written based on the current input data.
Initially, the film wasn't planned for publication; it was simply interesting to try myself in all the roles at once and see how it would turn out. Subsequently, seven years later, I finally decided to finish it and publish it, as it was a shame to let the footage simply gather dust in a drawer, considering the amount of effort that had gone into filming it all in the first place.
With all the comments about the clean uniform, the abandoned duffel bag, the modern binoculars, etc. I agree, and now, 10 years later, I look at this film completely differently and would have done a lot differently, but in 2013, the goals, objectives, and vision were completely different. The funding was entirely out of my own pocket, so I wasn't able to find all the period paraphernalia, much less weapons. Yes, these are undoubtedly important aspects, but back then, the objectives and inputs were completely different. The goal was to create the necessary minimal image, appropriate for the period, and preserve the uniform in proper condition. Binoculars, boots, and a belt from the 1941 period, especially officer ones, cost a considerable amount of money, and I couldn't afford them, so I deliberately made this substitution, as I hadn't originally planned to publish this film, especially for you, people who are well versed in the subject and details of the Great Patriotic War. But there's another side to this issue: to be perfectly precise, the collars aren't all that clean, since I wore a tunic before filming and hadn't shaved for several days, unlike, for example, Paulus, who was quite the neat freak and even changed his underwear several times during fierce battles. But never mind Paulus. Look at our wartime photo archives. Even in Stalingrad, where the average soldier's life expectancy didn't exceed 24 hours, soldiers sit in the ruins, clean-clothed and shaved. Of course, after intense artillery shelling and fighting, the soldiers were dirty, but by and large, soldiers washed, cut their hair, and shaved during the war, especially the officers. As for the retreat of the Red Army soldiers in the summer of 1941: many didn't even fight; for them, the war began with a retreat deep into the country. They retreated to avoid being encircled and to continue fighting, but unfortunately, not everyone succeeded.
But I don't deny that the film has its mistakes and shortcomings, and quite a few of them. And if I were making this film today, I assure you that the collars and uniform would definitely not be so clean :-)
To sum it up, friends: I have an adequate assessment of what happened, and I understand perfectly well that no one will give me a standing ovation for this film. This was my first work, and I made it for myself. If it resonated with you in any way—a single shot, a take, the music—then I'm very happy. And if you didn't like it at all, then I apologize; I didn't mean to offend anyone.
Dear commentators, if you have anything to say, please feel free to leave comments and detailed criticism. In particular, of course, I would like to receive comments on the filming, acting, voice acting, music, and dialogue. Please leave comments on any details you've noticed, as I'll definitely work on these mistakes and incorporate them into my future work, if there is one. Also, please share your overall impressions: what's the atmosphere like? Is it interesting to continue watching, or do you want to stop? Why, and at what point? Don't be shy; any criticism, comments, and suggestions are invaluable to me. Write to me!
Thank you for reading to the end and watching my film!
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