Song of Russia
| Song of Russia | |
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| Directed by | Gregory Ratoff László Benedek (uncredited) |
| Produced by | Joe Pasternak Pandro S. Berman |
| Written by | Leo Mittler (story) Victor Trivas (story) Guy Endore (story) Paul Jarrico (screenplay) Richard Collins (screenplay) |
| Starring | Robert Taylor Susan Peters Robert Benchley |
| Distributed by | Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer |
| Release date(s) | 10 February 1944 |
| Running time | 107 minutes |
| Country |  United States |
| Language | English |
Song of Russia is a 1944 American war film made and distributed by MGM Studios. The picture was credited as being directed by Gregory Ratoff, though Ratoff collapsed near the end of the five-month production, and was replaced by László Benedek, who completed principal photography; the credited screenwriters were Paul Jarrico and Richard Collins. The film starred Robert Taylor, Susan Peters and Robert Benchley. [1]
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[edit] Plot summary
American Conductor John Meredith (Robert Taylor) and his manager, Hank Higgins (Robert Benchley), go to Russia shortly before the Nazi invasion of the Soviet Union. Meredith falls in love with beautiful Soviet pianist Nadya Stepanova (Susan Peters) while they travel throughout the country on a 40-city tour. Along the way, they see happy, healthy, smiling, free Soviet citizens, blissfully living the Communist dream. This bliss is destroyed by the German invasion.[2]
[edit] Cast
- Robert Taylor as John Meredith
- Susan Peters as Nadya Stepanova
- John Hodiak as Boris Bulganov
- Robert Benchley as Hank Higgins
- Felix Bressart as Petrov
- Michael Chekhov as Ivan Stepanov
- Darryl Hickman as Peter Bulganov
- Jacqueline White as Anna Bulganov
[edit] Production
The picture was a major studio release, its positive portrayal of the Soviet Union clearly linked to the wartime alliance of the Soviet Union and the U.S.[2] After the end of the Second World War and the outbreak of the Cold War, the House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC) cited Song of Russia as one of the three noted examples of "pro-Soviet propaganda films" made by Hollywood, the others being Warner Brothers' Mission to Moscow and RKO's The North Star. This assertion was supported by the Russian-born pro-capitalist and anti-Communist writer Ayn Rand, who was specifically asked by a HUAC investigator to see the film and provide an expert opinion on it.
Robert Taylor himself protested, after the fact, that he had had to make the picture under duress, as he was under contract to MGM. This is the rationale he used to explain why he was a friendly witness during the HUAC hearings in the 1950s.
[edit] Reception
Despite the criticism it received in later years, historians claiming it is nowadays more remembered for its contents rather than its quality, Song of Russia was initially received positively. The New York Times called some scenes "a fine bit of cinematic art".[3] Furthermore, the reviewer praised the cast, writing:
- "Taylor makes a very good impression as a young American caught in Russia by love and war. And Susan Peters is extraordinarily winning as a mentally solemn but emotionally bonny Russian girl. Robert Benchley throws some straws of cryptic humor into the wind as the American's manager, and Michael Chekhov, Vladimir Sokoloff and Michael Dalmatov are superb as genial Russian characters."[3]
Big Spring Daily Herald called Taylor and Peters "the most dynamic new romantic team since Clark Gable was paired with Lana Turner".[4]
[edit] Historical Inaccuracy
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ Song of Russia at the Internet Movie Database
- ^ a b Testimony before HUAC by Ayn Rand concerning this film, including synopsis
- ^ a b "Song of Russia,' Rich Musical Picture, With Robert Taylor and Susan Peters, Opens at the Capitol". The New York Times. http://movies.nytimes.com/movie/review?_r=2&res=9905EED7103CE03ABC4952DFB466838F659EDE. Retrieved 2010-03-02.[dead link]
- ^ "'Song of Russia' Co-Stars Taylor, Peters at Ritz", Big Spring Daily Herald, March 26, 1944, p. 6
[edit] External links
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