Fortress of War
Short description
Fortress of War is a Russian and Belarusian war drama set in June 1941, when the German invasion of the Soviet Union brought the fighting to the Brest Fortress on the western border. Caught unprepared, the garrison and the families living inside the citadel suffer heavy losses, and panic spreads. Three officers, regimental commander Pyotr Gavrilov, commissar Efim Fomin and border outpost chief Andrey Kizhevatov, organise resistance in separate sections of the fortress and hold out against a far larger attacking force. Cut off, low on ammunition, food and water, and with medical help scarce, the defenders face days of bombardment and siege. The story is framed through the memories of Alexander Akimov, who was fifteen at the time and in love with a girl named Anya when the war overtook him. Andrey Merzlikin, Pavel Derevyanko and Aleksei Kopashov head a cast of thirty-nine credited performers.
The film was directed by Alexander Kott, its screenplay written by Vladimir Eryomin, Aleksey Dudarev and Konstantin Vorobyov, and produced by Igor Ugolnikov, Ruben Dishdishyan and Vladimir Zametalin. It was Kott's second feature, released in November 2010, following A Close Embrace the previous year, and preceded later titles including Dear People, The North Pole and, in 2026, Angels of War and Golem.
Reported at a budget far above its worldwide box office return, the film drew a modest theatrical audience relative to its cost but has since found a wider viewership. It holds a rating of 7.4 from around 11,000 votes on IMDb, and 7.1 from roughly 200 votes on TMDB.
What's left behind the scenes
- The German flamethrower tank shown at the end of the film could not have been used in 1941.
- Most of the German soldiers in the film are armed with Mauser 98k rifles (which is historically accurate), however, the rifles are equipped with slings that do not match them (presumably from a Mosin rifle).
- Sashka Akimov is a composite character dedicated to the boys from the musical platoon of the 333rd (44th) regiment, who, together with adults, defended the Brest Fortress. Among them were Pyotr Klypa, a young hero awarded the Order of the Patriotic War 1st degree, and Pyotr Kotelnikov, who is still alive today.
- At the end of the film, it is stated that Pyotr Mikhailovich Gavrilov was repressed after the war, which is an error or historical inaccuracy. Major Gavrilov, after being released from captivity, was reinstated to his rank and continued to serve in the Red Army in Siberia and the Far East. He received several commendations for his service and was subsequently reinstated into the party (he was not immediately reinstated after the war due to the loss of his party card). In 1957, he was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union.
- It is unclear how German saboteurs could have infiltrated the USSR through a railway station, arriving by train and bypassing border control at the checkpoint.
- The Brest Fortress Hero Memorial Complex Museum now has an exhibition dedicated to the filming of the movie, including, among other things, the uniform worn by Andrey Merzlikin as Kizhevatov, and a pipe damaged by an exploding grenade belonging to Sasha Akimov (Aleksey Kopashov).
- The German major in the scene is decorated with the 'For Close Combat' badge, which was introduced in late 1942.
- At the end of the film, the head of the outpost, Lieutenant Kizhevatov, gives Sasha Akimov a rolled-up battle flag, but it is unclear which unit's flag he could have had with him, since a border outpost is not a military unit and cannot have a flag. Apparently, this is an artistic interpretation of a real historical episode with the flag of the 393rd Anti-Aircraft Artillery Division, which junior sergeant Rodion Semenyuk carried on his chest under his tunic, then hid in the fortress and dug up after the war. It is now kept in the Brest Fortress Defense Museum.
- The duration of the television version is 178 minutes.
- According to the film's producer, some areas of land were demined for filming explosions, unexploded grenades and shells were discovered, as well as a German rubber boat.
- Filming took place on the grounds of the Brest Fortress, at the site of the real events shown in the film. Unique sets were built according to a project by Alim Matveychuk, copies of buildings from pre-war times and an exact replica of the Holmsky Gate. On the last day of filming (October 14), snow fell in the morning, and the final shot of "Brest Fortress" was filmed (the film begins with it); two hours later, there was no trace of the snowdrifts.
- The roles of German tanks in the film, judging by the chassis and gun, are played by modified BMP-1s.
- The film includes a fragment from the film "Jolly Fellows" (1934). In reality, on June 21, 1941, the film "Valery Chkalov" (1941) was shown in the fortress.
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