The Nail in the Boot

1931 0h 53m KA

👍

6.6

SOLID

★6.6TMDB · 17

DramaWar

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

Banned in the Soviet Union for its "negative" content and never released, Kalatozov was forced to retreat from filmmaking for seven years because of this film. The film sets out to illustrate the old adage, "For want of a nail, the battle was lost," showing how the inferior quality of something so trivial as a nail in a soldier's boot leads inexorably to the capture of an armored train. Kalatozov had intended to demonstrate the crucial and universal importance of efficiency in Soviet industry, but the government decided that his fable gave a negative impression of the Red Army's capabilities.

“Some stories are better left unspoiled.”

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Cast

Aleqsandre Jaliashvili
Worker
Siko Palavandishvili
Red army soldier
Akaki Khorava
Chief of the train
Arkadi Khintibidze
Prosecutor
Kirile Macharadze
Chairman of the court (uncredited)

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Mikhail Kalatozov
Writers: Leonid Perelman
Languages: Georgian, Russian
Countries: Soviet Union

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

Tight 53-minute runtime — shorter than most television pilots.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

95 years old — a genuine piece of film history.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

Dialogue crosses 2 languages: Georgian, Russian.

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 Mikhail Kalatozov, shot by Shalva Apaqidze. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Aleqsandre Jaliashvili and Siko Palavandishvili and Akaki Khorava carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0022970 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

WILD

Did you know

Only 17 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Mikhail Kalatozov directs. Shalva Apaqidze behind the camera. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Produced in Soviet Union. Dialogue in Georgian, Russian.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Tight 53-minute runtime — shorter than most television pilots.
295 years old — a genuine piece of film history.
3Dialogue crosses 2 languages: Georgian, Russian.
4Lean credit list — fewer than 30 people officially credited.
5Directed by Mikhail Kalatozov, shot by Shalva Apaqidze. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
6Aleqsandre Jaliashvili and Siko Palavandishvili and Akaki Khorava carry the top of the cast.
7IMDB entry: tt0022970 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
8Only 17 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.