Why We Fight: The Battle of Russia

1943 1h 23m EN

👍

6.8

SOLID

★6.8TMDB · 36

DocumentaryWar

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

The fifth film of Frank Capra's Why We Fight propaganda film series, revealing the nature and process of the fight between the Soviet Union and Germany in the Second World War.

“Some stories are better left unspoiled.”

WhatsApp X Facebook Telegram

Where to watch · US

fuboTVSubscription

MGM+ Amazon ChannelSubscription

PhiloSubscription

MGM Plus Roku Premium ChannelSubscription

MGM PlusSubscription

GuideDocSubscription

FlixFlingSubscription

IndieFlixSubscription

DocuramaFilms Amazon ChannelSubscription

IndieFlix Shorts Amazon ChannelSubscription

Cast

Anthony Veiller
Narrator
Ion Antonescu
Self
Nikolai Cherkasov
Alexander Nevsky
Miklós Horthy
Self
King Boris III
Self
King Michael
Self
Alfred Jodl
Self

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Anatole Litvak
Languages: English
Countries: United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

RUNTIME

Did you know

83 minutes exactly — the "classic feature" runtime most directors aim for.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

83 years old — a genuine piece of film history.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

RUNTIME

Did you know

Part of the "Why We Fight" — so the characters or world continue elsewhere.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Lean credit list — fewer than 30 people officially credited.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Anatole Litvak, shot by Robert Flaherty. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Dimitri Tiomkin. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor William Hornbeck shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Anthony Veiller and Ion Antonescu and Nikolai Cherkasov carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Anatole Litvak directs. Robert Flaherty behind the camera. Dimitri Tiomkin scores. William Hornbeck cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

183 minutes exactly — the "classic feature" runtime most directors aim for.
283 years old — a genuine piece of film history.
3Part of the "Why We Fight" — so the characters or world continue elsewhere.
4Lean credit list — fewer than 30 people officially credited.
5Directed by Anatole Litvak, shot by Robert Flaherty. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
6Original score by Dimitri Tiomkin. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
7Editor William Hornbeck shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
8Anthony Veiller and Ion Antonescu and Nikolai Cherkasov carry the top of the cast.
9IMDB entry: tt0036629 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
10Only 36 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.

The technical file

Cinematography: Robert Flaherty
Original score: Dimitri Tiomkin
Editing: William Hornbeck
Runtime: 83 min · 1h 23m
Status: Released
Original language: EN
IMDB: Why We Fight: The Battle of Russia (1943)

Part of

Why We Fight

Frank Capra's WWII Propaganda Films.

Also by

Anatole Litvak

Community reviews

What people are saying

CinemaSerf2025-07-07
★ 7/10
For some reason, I always felt that this front of WWII was always the most horrendous, and this two-parter goes some way to poignantly illustrating that. Using a combination of animated maps and plenty of wartime newsreel, it takes us into the heart of the Soviet Union as the encroaching Nazis crushed all before them. It’s striking that though much of Western Europe was industrialised, the population facing this onslaught was a largely agrarian one still using scythes, horse-drawn ploughs and with little access to electricity. Initially, this looks like it’s going to be a cake-walk for the invaders, but when they arrive at Stalingrad they find that the population have regrouped and doubled their efforts, in spite of the sub-zero conditions and lack of supplies and ordnance, and together with supplies from the British and the Americans are now starting to make their own presence felt. The second part of this documentary focuses a little more on the fight back and leaves us with some degree of optimism that there might be light at the end of this very, very, long winter. The actuality here is really potent and augmented by a narration that avoids jingoism and sentiment and let’s the imagery speak for itself. Sure, it does have a propagandist function to an extent, but when you see the starved bodies of young children, or the raped ones of young women alive and dead, then you don’t really need anyone in a sound booth to describe what you can see or what to think about it. It’s clearly intended for an American audience and effectively extols that principle that the enemy of my enemy is my friend - regardless of doctrine.

Production companies