Synopsis
The Young Guard (1948) is a Soviet war drama you can watch online on iFILM, directed by Sergei Gerasimov and based on Alexander Fadeev's novel, with Vyacheslav Tikhonov, Nonna Mordyukova, Inna Makarova and Sergei Bondarchuk.
Krasnodon, 1942. A group of teenagers barely out of school form a clandestine resistance cell under German occupation. No weapons, no radio contact with the Red Army. They print and post leaflets at night, free Soviet POWs from a German escort, torch a transport barge, and on the anniversary of the October Revolution raise red flags above the occupied city. Gerasimov tells the story without any rhetoric: no speeches about the heroism of youth, just specific young people working out what they are capable of.
The film ran in two parts, close to three hours in total. Several careers that went on to shape Soviet cinema for decades were launched here: Tikhonov, Mordyukova, Bondarchuk and Makarova were all making some of their first appearances on screen. Stream The Young Guard online on iFILM.
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