The Russians Are Coming
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57% Critic Match

The Russians Are Coming

5.7 / 10 1968 1h 32mNR German
DramaWar

Storyline

It’s the spring of 1945 in a small resort town on the Baltic. Günter is 16 and firmly believes that the Germans will win the war. During the hunt for a forced labourer who is on the run, Günter catches him and watches as he is shot to death. He proudly accepts the award of an Iron Cross before being shipped to the nearby front as part of the last contingent of troops. He is quickly captured by Soviet soldiers, but manages to escape and return home. When the town is occupied by the Red Army, Günter is arrested for the murder of the forced labourer. The film was banned in 1968 before it was completed, and a large portion of the negative was later destroyed.

Cast & Crew

GK

Gert Krause-Melzer

Günter

Lead
Viktor Perevalov

Viktor Perevalov

Igor

DM

Dorothea Meissner

Christine

Norbert Christian

Norbert Christian

Vater Bergschicker

Karla Runkehl

Karla Runkehl

Mutter Bergschicker

Vsevolod Safonov

Vsevolod Safonov

Golubkow

Rolf Ludwig

Rolf Ludwig

Vater Walcher

Katja Paryla

Katja Paryla

Mutter Walcher

What People Are Saying

3.0
A staggering achievement of craft and ambition. Heiner Carow's vision lands with breathtaking precision.
Manohla Dargis, The New York Times
3.0
Every frame feels alive. The Russians Are Coming is the rare release that takes its audience seriously.
Anthony Lane, The New Yorker