Taking place during the Russian Revolution this movie focuses on a female sniper, Maria Filatovna, who is fighting for the Red Army and Vadim Govorkha, who is fighting for the White Army. As the movie progresses they eventually form a deeper relationship when they are stranded on an isolated island after their boat is capsized in a sudden storm on their way to the Red Army headquarters. However, this changes when at the end of the movie a boat approaches their island carrying White soldiers. As Vadim goes to rejoin them Maria shoots him in the back, and finally claims her forty-first kill.
The ending of this movie was surprising, but overall not unexpected. This film is obviously propaganda and there is not much that hides that fact. There are many shots within this film that speak to this fact, one of them being the opening shot in which the soldiers faces are indistinguishable from each other as they traverse through the desert, which helps emphasize the unity of the Red Army troops. The portrayal of both the Red and White Armies also emphasizes the propaganda element of the film. The Whites are portrayed as the classical bourgeois oppressors that care only for themselves, while the Reds are portrayed as the underdogs who are fighting for the people. The wide sweeping shots of the desert establish the difficulties that the Red Army is fighting against, not just in the form of the environment, but in the form of the ideals as well. However, the most dramatic scene that speaks to this being propaganda is the choice Maria makes at the end of the film. When Maria shoots Vadim in the back at the end of the film it is obvious that she does this because of her loyalty to the Red Army and their ideals. The fact that Maria chooses her duty over her love for Vadim reiterates the overall tone of the film. This movie is a very good war film and the romance of Maria and Vadim makes it even more enjoyable.
The ending of this movie was surprising, but overall not unexpected. This film is obviously propaganda and there is not much that hides that fact. There are many shots within this film that speak to this fact, one of them being the opening shot in which the soldiers faces are indistinguishable from each other as they traverse through the desert, which helps emphasize the unity of the Red Army troops. The portrayal of both the Red and White Armies also emphasizes the propaganda element of the film. The Whites are portrayed as the classical bourgeois oppressors that care only for themselves, while the Reds are portrayed as the underdogs who are fighting for the people. The wide sweeping shots of the desert establish the difficulties that the Red Army is fighting against, not just in the form of the environment, but in the form of the ideals as well. However, the most dramatic scene that speaks to this being propaganda is the choice Maria makes at the end of the film. When Maria shoots Vadim in the back at the end of the film it is obvious that she does this because of her loyalty to the Red Army and their ideals. The fact that Maria chooses her duty over her love for Vadim reiterates the overall tone of the film. This movie is a very good war film and the romance of Maria and Vadim makes it even more enjoyable.