There Will Be No Leave Today
Encyclopedia
There Will be No Leave Today is a 1959 student film by the Russia
n film directors Andrei Tarkovsky
and Aleksandr Gordon. Based on a real postwar incident the film is about an army unit trying to dispose unexploded bombs to save a small town. It was Tarkovsky's and Gordon's second film, produced while being student at the State Institute of Cinematography (VGIK). The film was aired on Soviet Central Television
in 1959 and consecutive years on Victory Day. For a long time it was thought to be lost, but was rediscovered in the mid 1990s.
in an unnamed Russian town. An army unit is charged with solving this problem. The municipal committee decides that exploding the bombs would inflict too much damage on the town and so the army unit must transport the bombs manually to a safe site.
After the entire town is evacuated, the soldiers carry the bombs one by one to the armored transport truck. The danger of explosion looms. As the army unit concludes its mission the population returns to the town as the bombs are simultaneously destroyed at the safe site.
Contrary to Tarkovsky's other student film The Killers, this film had a relatively high budget. The VGIK film school provided the equipment and a small part of the budget. The major part of the budget was provided by Soviet Central Television
as the film was to be aired on the anniversary day of the capitulation of Nazi Germany
in World War II
. The higher budget allowed for professional actors in the main roles, such as Oleg Borisov
. Other actors were Tarkvosky's and Gordon's classmates such as Leonid Kuravlyov
and Stanislav Lyubshin
. Other actor in non-lead roles were people from the province where the film was shot, working without receiving any compensation except the chance to appear in a film. The army
also provided some support in the form of military equipment and troops as extras. The film was shot in Kursk
over a period of three months. Editing took another three months.
production based on the same incident. The film was broadcast again on Victory Day for at least three consecutive years. As many films with similar themes were shown on television during this era There Will Be No Leave Today did not become particularly popular or well-known. In later years films of the genre became less important and were routinely purged from the television archives. For a long time the film was thought to be lost, leading to rumors - denied by Aleksandr Gordon - that it was destroyed during a fire at the VGIK film school. The negatives of the film only reappeared in the mid 1990s when the director of the Moscow State Central Cinema Museum, Naum Kleiman discovered the negatives.
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
n film directors Andrei Tarkovsky
Andrei Tarkovsky
Andrei Arsenyevich Tarkovsky was a Soviet and Russian filmmaker, writer, film editor, film theorist, theatre and opera director, widely regarded as one of the finest filmmakers of the 20th century....
and Aleksandr Gordon. Based on a real postwar incident the film is about an army unit trying to dispose unexploded bombs to save a small town. It was Tarkovsky's and Gordon's second film, produced while being student at the State Institute of Cinematography (VGIK). The film was aired on Soviet Central Television
Soviet Central Television
The Central Television of the USSR , was the state television broadcaster in the Soviet Union....
in 1959 and consecutive years on Victory Day. For a long time it was thought to be lost, but was rediscovered in the mid 1990s.
Plot
Construction workers find an old cache of bombs from World War IIWorld War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
in an unnamed Russian town. An army unit is charged with solving this problem. The municipal committee decides that exploding the bombs would inflict too much damage on the town and so the army unit must transport the bombs manually to a safe site.
After the entire town is evacuated, the soldiers carry the bombs one by one to the armored transport truck. The danger of explosion looms. As the army unit concludes its mission the population returns to the town as the bombs are simultaneously destroyed at the safe site.
Cast
- Oleg BorisovOleg BorisovOleg Ivanovich Borisov was a Russian film and theatre actor whose honors included the title of People's Artist of the USSR , two USSR State Prizes as well as the Volpi Cup .-Childhood and Youth:...
as Captain Galich - Aleksei Alekseev as Colonel Gveleciani
- Pyotr Lyubeshkin as party secretary Vershinin
- Oleg Moshkantsev as military engineer Vishnyakov
- Vladimir Marenkov as military engineer Vasin
- Igor Kosykhin as military engineer Zignadze
- Leonid KuravlyovLeonid KuravlyovLeonid Vyacheslavovich Kuravlyov is a Soviet/Russian actor and People's Artist of the RSFSR .Leonid Kuravlyov was born in Moscow in 1936. He lost his father when he was still a little boy. In 1941, Kuravlyov's mother was falsely accused and exiled to the Russian North, where they would spend...
as soldier Morosov - Stanislav LyubshinStanislav LyubshinStanislav Andreyevich Lyubshin is a Russian actor, film director, and People's Artist of the RSFSR .-Life:Stanislav Lyubshin is a notable Russian actor best known for his leading role as Dyadya Vova in Soviet comedy Kin-Dza-Dza ....
as military engineer Sadovnikov
Production
There Will Be No Leave Today was suggested by the State Institute of Cinematography (VGIK) to Tarkovsky and Gordon as a practical exercise for the two film students. The main objective for Tarkovsky and Gordon was not to produce a masterpiece, but to learn the basics of filmmaking through making an uncomplicated and easy-to-consume film. The project was based on a real postward incident. To prepare Tarkosky and Gordon interviewed witnesses of the incident and visited army barracks to study the military. The script was written jointly by Tarkovsky, Gordon and a third scriptwriter who was later replaced by a group of scriptwriters. The main storyline of the film was created in the beginning of writing the script, and survived with the exception of some minor changes. According to Gordon, Tarkovsky finished and contributed the majority of the script, with the hospital scenes and the civilian/soldier who volunteers to detonate one bomb being Tarkovsky's ideas.Contrary to Tarkovsky's other student film The Killers, this film had a relatively high budget. The VGIK film school provided the equipment and a small part of the budget. The major part of the budget was provided by Soviet Central Television
Soviet Central Television
The Central Television of the USSR , was the state television broadcaster in the Soviet Union....
as the film was to be aired on the anniversary day of the capitulation of Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany , also known as the Third Reich , but officially called German Reich from 1933 to 1943 and Greater German Reich from 26 June 1943 onward, is the name commonly used to refer to the state of Germany from 1933 to 1945, when it was a totalitarian dictatorship ruled by...
in World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. The higher budget allowed for professional actors in the main roles, such as Oleg Borisov
Oleg Borisov
Oleg Ivanovich Borisov was a Russian film and theatre actor whose honors included the title of People's Artist of the USSR , two USSR State Prizes as well as the Volpi Cup .-Childhood and Youth:...
. Other actors were Tarkvosky's and Gordon's classmates such as Leonid Kuravlyov
Leonid Kuravlyov
Leonid Vyacheslavovich Kuravlyov is a Soviet/Russian actor and People's Artist of the RSFSR .Leonid Kuravlyov was born in Moscow in 1936. He lost his father when he was still a little boy. In 1941, Kuravlyov's mother was falsely accused and exiled to the Russian North, where they would spend...
and Stanislav Lyubshin
Stanislav Lyubshin
Stanislav Andreyevich Lyubshin is a Russian actor, film director, and People's Artist of the RSFSR .-Life:Stanislav Lyubshin is a notable Russian actor best known for his leading role as Dyadya Vova in Soviet comedy Kin-Dza-Dza ....
. Other actor in non-lead roles were people from the province where the film was shot, working without receiving any compensation except the chance to appear in a film. The army
Red Army
The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army started out as the Soviet Union's revolutionary communist combat groups during the Russian Civil War of 1918-1922. It grew into the national army of the Soviet Union. By the 1930s the Red Army was among the largest armies in history.The "Red Army" name refers to...
also provided some support in the form of military equipment and troops as extras. The film was shot in Kursk
Kursk
Kursk is a city and the administrative center of Kursk Oblast, Russia, located at the confluence of the Kur, Tuskar, and Seym Rivers. The area around Kursk was site of a turning point in the Russian-German struggle during World War II and the site of the largest tank battle in history...
over a period of three months. Editing took another three months.
Distribution
Untypically for Tarkovsky There Will Be No Leave Today resembles a Soviet propaganda film, with heroic soldiers and the grateful population of the town. Using real army units and shot on location the film is similar in style to a docudrama. The film was aired first on Victory Day, 9 May 1959, on Soviet television despite the competition from a similar LenfilmLenfilm
Kinostudiya "Lenfilm" is a production unit of the Russian film industry, with its own film studio, located in Saint Petersburg, Russia, formerly Leningrad, R.S.F.S.R. Today OAO "Kinostudiya Lenfilm" is a corporation with its stakes shared between private owners, and several private film studios,...
production based on the same incident. The film was broadcast again on Victory Day for at least three consecutive years. As many films with similar themes were shown on television during this era There Will Be No Leave Today did not become particularly popular or well-known. In later years films of the genre became less important and were routinely purged from the television archives. For a long time the film was thought to be lost, leading to rumors - denied by Aleksandr Gordon - that it was destroyed during a fire at the VGIK film school. The negatives of the film only reappeared in the mid 1990s when the director of the Moscow State Central Cinema Museum, Naum Kleiman discovered the negatives.