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Only Old Men Are Going to Battle (with English subtitles)

Russia celebrates the Victory Day today. Since last December I have had a few chances to listen to old actors who either fought in the war or worked on the civilians’ side. Ever since taking part in BBC’s People’s War campaign in 2005-2006 I have been immensely interested in studying the generation that survived the world war – not the local military conflict, not some imperialist attack, but the war that pursued some ‘loftier’ ideals and exacted an extremely high price from those who shared them and who didn’t.
The feeling I took from all conversations and performances was that our grandparents had had a great deal of emotional and spiritual stamina, so to speak. The actress I spoke to used to be a dancer during the war; her group was sent back and forth in all directions, assuring that soldiers never lost belief and courage. At one time she and her comrades had to hide in the forest among the trees; the idea was to stand against the tree or sit beneath it so you can’t be seen. It’s a good idea except that it was winter, so they had to hide among the naked trees.
To this day – that’s nearly 70 years after 1945 – a lot of us cry when we listen to those stories, watch the films, read the books. One example of the war-time lyrical poem that continues surviving the time is Wait for Me, by Konstantin Simonov. I was thinking of sharing a song from one of the films, but then I found a movie from my “top-5” war films, with subtitles. I only ever watch it once a year or so because it takes you back to the days when love and death were inseparable, and you treasured small moments more, so it’s a heart-rendering film. Only Old Men Are Going to Battle is a story of an air squadron whose fighters are also members of a small orchestra. It features a well-known song, Smuglyanka, which has a very “catchy” melody. Click on “cc” icon on the video panel to turn on English subtitles.
And although I don’t want to get on my hobby-horse, contemplating the state of modern art, or Russian cinema for that matter, I will just say one thing. The only reason these films and poems escape the grip of Time is their wisdom and integrity. The problem is that both wisdom and integrity require courage, and we don’t have it today. Defaming a politician doesn’t require courage; even assassinating them is no longer an act of courage. Courage is in facing your own fears and weaknesses, which Only Old Men… also demonstrate.

Author: Julia Shuvalova

Julia Shuvalova is the author of Los Cuadernos de Julia blog. She is an author of several books, a translator, and a Foreign Languages tutor. She lives and works in Moscow, Russia.

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