"Valery Chkalov" is a 1941 Soviet biographical feature film about the life of test pilot Valery Pavlovich Chkalov. It was shot at the Lenfilm studio and restored in 1962 at the Gorky Film Studio. In the 1962 edit, all scenes with Stalin, mentions of the "Leader," and shots of his photographs and portraits were removed, and the passage about "enemies" was redubbed, shortening the film to about 83 minutes. This is the version that is shown on television and was distributed on home video. In 2007, the Magnat company released a DVD with the first, complete version of the film, exactly as it appeared in theaters in 1941.[5][5][2] The world premiere took place on March 11–12, 1941.[3][4] The running time is 89 minutes.[3]

Plot and Genre

The film traces Chkalov's path from a dashing Volga rebel to a recognized aviation pioneer. At the start of the story, the hero courts his future wife and gains fame for mischievous violations of flight regulations, notably flying under the Troitsky Bridge in the presence of his commander, whom he called "Batya" (Dad). Because of these stunts, Chkalov is dismissed from military aviation and for a time works on an air bus, after which he receives an offer to become a test pilot for new fighters. The climax of the film is the nonstop flights of the crew of Chkalov, Baydukov, and Belyakov: Moscow to Udd Island (Far East, 1936) and Moscow to the North Pole to Vancouver, USA (1937).[4][3]

Creators and Cast

The film was directed by Mikhail Konstantinovich Kalatozov, who later made "The Cranes Are Flying" (1957) and "I Am Cuba" (1964).[4] The screenplay was written by Georgy Baydukov, Dmitry Tarasov, and Boris Chirskov.[4]

The role of Chkalov was played by Vladimir Vyacheslavovich Belokurov (1904–1973), Honored Artist of the RSFSR — according to film critics, it was his only leading role in a feature film.[1][3] The role of the commander ("Batya") was played by Boris Eliseevich Zhukovsky (1900–1963), Honored Artist of the RSFSR and recipient of state orders.[1] Other cast members included Mikhail Gelovani, Semyon Mezhinsky, Ksenia Tarasova, Vasily Vanin, Serafima Birman, Pyotr Berezov, Fyodor Bogdanov, and Sergey Yarov.[3]

Reception and Fate of the Film

The film's rating on IMDb is 6.2–6.3.[3][4] The film is described as one of the best Soviet biographical films of its time.[3] Several thousand photo postcards with stills and portraits of the lead actors were issued for the film's release; one of them, published by the information and publishing workshop of the Leningrad Film Distribution Administration in a print run of 5,000 copies, is held in the private collection of the St. Petersburg collector Natalya Balachenkova and has been digitized by the Boris Yeltsin Presidential Library.[1]

Sources

  1. vonovke.ru — In the 1962 version, the film underwent significant changes: all scenes featuring Stalin, references to the "Leader," and shots with his photographs and portr
  1. dic.academic.ru — VALERY CHKALOV — what is it? What does VALERY CHKALOV mean? (archive)
  2. prlib.ru — Valery Chkalov. A film about the great pilot. Olga Erazmovna Chkalova — played by K. Tarasova — Yeltsin Presidential Library (archive)
  3. rxtv.ru — Valery Chkalov film, cast, stills, video, trailer, and when to watch the film online (archive)
  4. rosserial.be — Valery Chkalov (1941 film) watch online for free (1 hour 37 minutes) (archive)