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==Plot==
==Plot==
The film picks up at a farewell ceremony in [[Krasnoyarsk]], where a band of young recruits is preparing to head to basic training. On arrival at their boot-camp in the [[Fergana Valley]] of [[Uzbek Soviet Socialist Republic|Uzbekistan]] they are confronted with the very demanding trainer, Dygalo, a veteran of several tours in Afghanistan. During their strenuous training, the recruits overcome their differences and build bonds. On their arrival at [[Bagram Airfield|Baghram air base]] they greet soldiers returning home. One of the departing soldiers (also from Krasnoyarsk) gives one of the new arrivals, Lyutyi a talisman that he claims has kept him safe through five tours and twenty eight firefights. Homeward bound, the departing soldier's transport is hit by enemy fire from the nearby mountains and crashes, giving the new recruits their first taste of the war. Shortly thereafter the soldiers are receive their new assignment, with the 9th company, where their trainer, Dygalo had previously served. The company is soon deployed to the front as part of [[Operation Magistral]] and is instructed to hold a nameless hill at all costs. After some preliminary skirmishes, the company's position comes under sustained attack by a large number of [[Mujahedin]] fighters and is nearly over run. In the end, the company holds the hill until reinforcements arrive, by which time only one of the original recruits, Lyutyi is still alive.
The film picks up at a farewell ceremony in [[Krasnoyarsk]], where a band of young recruits is preparing to head to basic training. On arrival at their boot-camp in the [[Fergana Valley]] of [[Uzbek Soviet Socialist Republic|Uzbekistan]] they are confronted with the very demanding trainer, Dygalo, a veteran of several tours in Afghanistan. During their strenuous training, the recruits overcome their differences and build bonds. On their arrival at [[Bagram Airfield|Baghram air base]] they greet soldiers returning home. One of the departing soldiers (also from Krasnoyarsk) gives one of the new arrivals, Lyutyi a talisman that he claims has kept him safe through five tours and twenty eight firefights. Homeward bound, the departing soldier's transport is hit by enemy fire from the nearby mountains and crashes, giving the new recruits their first taste of the war. Shortly thereafter the soldiers receive their new assignment, with the 9th company, where their trainer, Dygalo had previously served. The company is soon deployed to the front as part of [[Operation Magistral]] and is instructed to hold a nameless hill at all costs. After some preliminary skirmishes, the company's position comes under sustained attack by a large number of [[Mujahedin]] fighters and is nearly over run. In the end, the company holds the hill until reinforcements arrive, by which time only one of the original recruits, Lyutyi is still alive.


The film is loosely based on a real-life battle that took place at [[Battle for Hill 3234|Hill 3234]] in early 1988, during the last large-scale [[Soviet]] military operation ([[Operation Magistral|Magistral]]) in Afghanistan.
The film is loosely based on a real-life battle that took place at [[Battle for Hill 3234|Hill 3234]] in early 1988, during the last large-scale [[Soviet]] military operation ([[Operation Magistral|Magistral]]) in Afghanistan.

Revision as of 19:14, 28 December 2012

"9th Company" redirects here. For the battle on which the film is based on, see Battle for Hill 3234.
The 9th Company
Film poster
Directed byFedor Bondarchuk
Written byYuri Korotkov
Produced byAlexander Rodnyansky
Yelena Yatsura
Sergey Melkumov
StarringFyodor Bondarchuk
Aleksei Chadov
Mikhail Evlanov
CinematographyMaksim Osadchy
Edited byIgor Litoninsky
Music byDato Evgenidze
Distributed byArt Pictures Group
Release date
  • 29 September 2005 (2005-09-29)
Running time
130 minutes
CountriesRussia
Ukraine
Finland
LanguageRussian
Budget$9,500,000
Box office$25,555,809

The 9th Company (Russian: 9 Рота) is a 2005 Russian–Finnish–Ukrainian film directed by Fyodor Bondarchuk and set during the Soviet War in Afghanistan. The film is loosely based on the events of the Battle for Hill 3234.

Plot

The film picks up at a farewell ceremony in Krasnoyarsk, where a band of young recruits is preparing to head to basic training. On arrival at their boot-camp in the Fergana Valley of Uzbekistan they are confronted with the very demanding trainer, Dygalo, a veteran of several tours in Afghanistan. During their strenuous training, the recruits overcome their differences and build bonds. On their arrival at Baghram air base they greet soldiers returning home. One of the departing soldiers (also from Krasnoyarsk) gives one of the new arrivals, Lyutyi a talisman that he claims has kept him safe through five tours and twenty eight firefights. Homeward bound, the departing soldier's transport is hit by enemy fire from the nearby mountains and crashes, giving the new recruits their first taste of the war. Shortly thereafter the soldiers receive their new assignment, with the 9th company, where their trainer, Dygalo had previously served. The company is soon deployed to the front as part of Operation Magistral and is instructed to hold a nameless hill at all costs. After some preliminary skirmishes, the company's position comes under sustained attack by a large number of Mujahedin fighters and is nearly over run. In the end, the company holds the hill until reinforcements arrive, by which time only one of the original recruits, Lyutyi is still alive.

The film is loosely based on a real-life battle that took place at Hill 3234 in early 1988, during the last large-scale Soviet military operation (Magistral) in Afghanistan.

In the film, only one soldier from the company is show to have survived unscathed and the company is said to have been "forgotten" by command because of the Soviet withdrawal. In reality, the 9th Company, 345th Independent Guards Airborne Regiment was pinned down under heavy fire on Hill 3234 from 7-8 January 1988. They managed to stop 3 attacks by an estimated 200-250 mujahideen. The company lost a total of 6 men. Another 28 out of the total 39 were seriously wounded. Four of the killed soldiers were posthumously awarded the golden star of the Hero of the Soviet Union. The unit was in constant communication with headquarters and received everything the regimental commander, Colonel Valery Vostrotin, could provide in terms of rations, ammunition, reinforcements, and helicopter evacuation of the wounded.[1]

Cast

Release

Critical reception

The film received a mixed reaction from the veterans of that war, who pointed to a number of inaccuracies, but nevertheless, judging by ticket sales, was embraced by the general public, and even by Russian President Vladimir Putin.[2] Although first released in 2005, and broadcast on TV in several nations, it was not released in the US until 2010 as a DVD.

Release dates:[3]

  • Belarus 29 September 2005
  • Kazakhstan 29 September 2005
  • Russia 29 September 2005
  • Ukraine 29 September 2005
  • Estonia 14 October 2005
  • Finland 3 March 2006
  • France 20 May 2006 (Cannes Film Festival)
  • Sweden 11 October 2006 (DVD premiere)
  • Poland 12 October 2006 (Warsaw International FilmFest)
  • Poland 20 October 2006
  • Philippines 3 November 2006 (Cinemanila Film Festival)
  • UK 16 February 2007
  • France 17 February 2007 (TV premiere)
  • Argentina 18 June 2007 (DVD premiere)
  • Belgium 12 September 2007
  • Netherlands 26 February 2008 (DVD premiere)
  • Germany 26 August 2008
  • USA 31 August 2010 (DVD premiere) (Blu-ray premiere)

Box office

The film was released in September 2005 and became a Russian box office hit, generating $7.7 million in its first five days of release alone, a new domestic record.[4]

Awards

In 2006, Russia selected the film as its candidate for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film nomination. It was also given the Golden Eagle Award for Best Feature Film by the Russian Academy of Cinema Arts.

See also

History

Films

References

  1. ^ Schofield, The Russian Elite, Greenhill, 1993, pp. 120-125
  2. ^ "Putin praise for Russian war film". BBC News. 8 November 2005.
  3. ^ IMDb
  4. ^ "Afghanistan War Movie Breaks Russian Box Office Record". Mosnews.com. 2005-10-05. Archived from the original on 2006-11-21.
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