Captain Titarenko: "The ruins of the Reichstag are satisfied" ("Only Old Men Are Going to Battle," 1973)

Everything is farther away from us, the Great Patriotic War, which began 75 years ago. Killed almost 20 million lives, it remains in the memory of generations, grains collecting authentic evidence of that time from the rapidly thinning ranks of veterans. On April 30, 1945 , the first inscriptions of Soviet soldiers appeared on the building of the German parliament, over which the Victory flag was raised, among which there is one: "The ruins of the Reichstag are satisfied." True, instead of the name of the building, the word "Berlin" appeared. But in the broad masses of the phrase came through the legendary film "In battle, there are some" old people ".

The Purpose of the Film

To understand the origin of the phrase "The Ruins of the Reichstag is satisfied," you need to get to know the film itself. The film is the embodiment of the dream of the outstanding actor Leonid Bykov, who acted simultaneously in it as the main character, director and screenwriter. Born in Ukraine in 1928, as a boy, he found a happy period of liberation of his native land from the Nazis. Once, in 1944, a young man came to a concert of the singing squadron of the 5th Air Regiment, which made an indelible impression on him. He also wanted to become a pilot, but a small height (163 cm) did not allow the realization of the dream. From the memories of that period, a song was sung into memory, sung by soldiers returning with victory. It was the "dark-skinned", written in 1940 and dedicated to the Bessarabian partisans.

He promised himself that he would certainly remove the picture of the fighter pilots, where this song will sound. Moving in the early 70's in Kiev, Bykov began to create a film at the film studio. Dovzhenko. Together with E. Onoprienko and A. Satsky, he wrote the script, based on real events and childhood memories. Almost every hero has a prototype, like Captain Titarenko, who pronounced the famous phrase: "The ruins of the Reichstag are satisfied." Quotation, like many others from the film, immediately became famous. And the whole country learned about the twice Hero of the Soviet Union Vitaly Popkov and Ivan Laveikin (prototypes of the hero).

History of the film

Officials of the film industry did not like the script, they considered it not heroic, so in every possible way prevented the beginning of filming. It took the intervention of the commander of the USSR Air Force A. Pokryshkin, who read the text for one night and wrote in the resolution that this is a real film about the war. Bykov refused to select a color film, so the picture was released in black and white. Only in 2009 it will be restored and colorized, unfortunately, with infringement of copyrights. A. Pokryshkin will assist the shooting, highlighting as many as five aircraft, and Marshal S. Rudenko will provide Po-2, which flew heroines from the women's regiment.

The hero L. Bykov, the author of the phrase "The Ruins of the Reichstag is satisfied," a photo of which can be seen in the article, was a great pilot according to the script and already had a Hero Star. To live in the role of the actor learned to manage the fighter independently, fulfilling the dream of childhood. After the shooting was completed in 1973, it was decided to put the film "on the shelf", but the marshals A. Pokryshkin, P. Kutakhov and Lieutenant-General V. Popkov, who were present at the rally, defended the picture, which saw the light in August 1974.

The plot of the picture and the birth of the phrase "The Ruins of the Reichstag are satisfied"

The film tells about the military everyday life of the 1st squadron of fighter pilots, whose squadron is Captain Titarenko (L. Bykov). Military operations take place on the territory of Ukraine, and the pilots represent all the corners of the vast country: Tavria and distant Siberia, Georgia and Uzbekistan. Replenishment arrives from the Orenburg school (in reality it did not exist). Accelerated release of cadets among themselves pilots and mechanics are called "take-off-landing", so they are trying to save and teach young and inexperienced guys: "You can not be a pilot, we will not teach flying anyway!". Musicians are desirable. In the 1st Squadron, all sing, for "war is transitory, music is eternal". A film about the fact that the winners can only be those who, under the most cruel conditions, remain a man.

Titarenko supported his wingman Sergei Skvortsov (V. Talashko), who showed cowardice and cowardice in battle. He gave the opportunity to believe in himself, and his death with the words "Guys! We will live! "Pains in the hearts of the audience. Like the death of a wounded Romeo (R. Sagdullaev), who landed a plane at the limit of human capabilities: "Commander, I've sat down!". The departure from the life of each hero is shown in several strokes, but so that the audience begins to hate the war. And having passed from Stalingrad to the Dnieper, losing his comrades Alexei Titarenko with despair exclaims with what joy he will reach Berlin in order to write "The Ruins of the Reichstag is satisfied."

The success of the picture

In 1974, the film was watched by more than 44 million viewers. This was the only picture of the war, included in the top ten most successful film works, having an excellent rolling history. Veterans recognized her truthfulness, and the use of newsreels and memories of pilots turned it into a historical source for future generations. Today there is no person who would not know, after hearing the phrase "The ruins of the Reichstag is satisfied," who said these words and why. They became symbols of the great victory of our country in the bloodiest war of the 20th century.

In the film there is nothing accidental. Even the call sign Titarenko - "Maestro" - is taken from the real Dmitry Titorenko, the leaded famous pilot Ivan Kozhedub. Maybe that's why the characters of the film are perceived as real people and they are placed monuments. In Kharkov - the mechanic Makarych, touchingly played by Alexei Smirnov, a participant in the war. In Kiev - the comat Titarenko, who pronounced "The Ruins of the Reichstag is satisfied." Photo of the monument can be seen in the article. The film was awarded at the All-Union and International Film Festivals, but its main achievement is the love of viewers, who traditionally include it in the Top 100 best Russian films.