User Reviews

This is a tremendously moving documentary about suffering and sacrifices in the Soviet Union during the Stalin years. It includes little-seen film footage of the pre-World War II years, and striking images throughout. There are also interviews with survivors of the Gulags and World War II, and with some individuals who were directly acquainted with Stalin. The musical sound track nicely enhances the program, and I think that Nigel Hawthorne's dispassionate narration is very good--much more effective than a melodramatic reading would be. While the program is very educational, I also found it to be emotionally and intellectually gripping, and artfully done throughout.

Some of the marketing of "Russia's War" misleadingly suggests that it is entirely about the World War II years. While the program covers the war on the Russian Front in-depth, it also contains significant portions that describe the years before and after the war. This includes Stalin's consolidation of power, his attempts to establish a Communist industrial power, the purges and many other crimes committed by the Communist regime during his rule, and the end of Stalin. Sadly, many people outside of the former Warsaw Pact nations are much less acquainted with the atrocities of the Communists than with those which were committed by the Nazis. One of the reasons for this might be the relatively small amount of film footage of the Gulags and other Communist camps that has been shown in the West. "Russia's War" presents haunting images of persons being tried in Communist show trials, transported to labor camps, and working in slave labor projects (Anne Applebaum's book Gulag offers a useful history of the Gulag system, in case this documentary encourages you to read further). Also, watch for some film footage showing an assembly of Communists who are desperate to show their devotion to Stalin--it is a small yet clear example of the absurd level which Communist totalitarianism reached.

Much time is also spent on the World War II years, including the experiences of all levels of the military and civilians. Interviews are included with servicemen and women of various branches, resistance fighters, and several civilians. The major campaigns are covered, such as the opening of Barbarossa, the German drive towards Moscow, the Siege of Leningrad, the battles of Stalingrad and Kursk, and the Soviet advance towards Germany. Some lesser-known incidents are described also, such as the self-sacrifice of some very young Soviet soldiers in front of Moscow. Pictures of these soldiers are shown while Hawthorne describes their fate, briefly but very movingly.

A little-known element of the war which is explored is the relationship between civilians, Soviet partisans and other resistance groups. Some resistance groups fought both the Nazis and the Soviets, and many civilians were also caught in the middle. While the Soviet partisans accomplished much against the Germans, many of them were far from being the heroes which Soviet propaganda claimed.

Other aspects of how Soviet civilians survived and died in the countryside and the cities are investigated, including the massive suffering of Jews under both Hitler and Stalin.

The program does not include interviews with Germans who were involved in the war and occupation in Russia, although this is to be expected because of the focus of the documentary. "Russia's War" does include a wealth of film footage showing the German military in action, and scenes behind the German lines.

It also presents one of the most haunting images of misery that I have seen: the face of a Soviet soldier who is wearily eating while on the march, and who looks towards the camera. Sadly, this program presents many other images which are comparable. At the same time, along with all of the misery and oppression that is documented, there are stories included that are deeply inspiring.

In my job as history teacher I have seen many documentaries dealing with world war 2 and prelude to it but this has to be one of the best. Showing clearly Stalins ruthlessness but also giving so much well deserved credit to the ordinary Soviet peoples struggles and efforts to survive both their own and a foreign dictator.It gives a much more balanced look on how the war was fought and can give much understanding also to the development of the cold war and also understanding on what can be seen as a Russian obsession with the war.After have studied this documentary and read books in the subject one have no doubt anymore that the war affected the Russian people hardest of all nations.A brilliant historical documentary at its best!

Russia's War: Blood Upon the Snow is one of the best documentaries I've ever seen (see also "Stalin: Man of Steel" DVD from the History Channel). It does a marvelous job explaining the prelude to the Nazi attack on the Soviet Union, especially the impact of the Stalinist purges in the late 1930s. The annihilation of the officer corps plus Stalin's disregard of warnings from the British and his own intelligence services (he had his own spies executed for warning of the pending Nazi attack)left Russia almost completely defenseless. Each episode begins with a brief introduction by Henry Kissinger, but the wonderful narration is by Nigel Hawthorne (Yes, Prime Minister). I check at least monthly to see if a DVD version has been released. So far, no luck.

Absolutely amazing and startling documentary about the most terrible tyrant of the 20th century. Compared to Stalin, Hitler comes out of this as a buffoon, and an incompetent one at that. Perhaps Stalin's greatest victory was to leave to posterity so few living enemies that even today he is the subject of worship by so many Russians. This one evil and profoundly ambiguous man was the greatest mass murdered in history -- and the appalling scope of his crimes is made shockingly clear by the well-balanced, delicate survivors' accounts in this long video set.

Amazing film! Although I have to disagree about the comment appeared here, mistakenly stated the wrong fact that the movie shows that Russia has been obsessed with war, as the great patriotic war was about people defending their home and families, unwillingly drawn into the battle of their lives by the fascists. the movie shows,above everything I think, the borders of human behavior under tremendous pressure, and the brilliancy of of some against the banality of others, often in higher positions, which caused many logically impossible situations, and made the turn of events amazingly chaotic. I enjoyed it very much, along with great editing and script, writing rare videos and excellent soundtrack are a beautiful bonus.

This video is first class from first tape to last of the 5-volume set. The narration is thoughtful and thought-provoking and is enhanced by a tasteful, haunting music score. The title is as much a focus on the mind of Stalin as on the events of the war itself. Indeed, we are given some real insights into Stalin's actions that shock and surprise, and ultimately lead to the conclusion that in terms of cruelty and sheer madness, there is little to choose between Hitler or Stalin. A must to add to your collection of Russian history.

This is the kind of old-style documentary that is now widely discredited by the discerning, but hugely popular with audiences who feel they should know something about history, but don't want to think too rigorously about it. Wildly diverse snatches of archive footage are authoratively cohered by a single, autonomous, godlike voice (Nigel Hawthorne - and who could be more reassuring and trustworthy than Sir Humphrey?). The difficulties, ambiguities, contradictions, ellipses of history are ironed out into a flat, easily disgestible, historically negligible narrative. Prejudices are pandered to, witnesses and documents are only invoked if they fit the official line, and are not properly identified. The audience is assumed to be imbecilic, so we are repeatedly reminded how 'evil' Stalin was, and how 'mad' Hitler. Just in case you'd forgotten. There is something dubiously sensationalist and leering about a climactic montage of Hilter's remains, his teeth and skull.

This is what is known as Great Man history, the sort of thing you read in schoolbooks- major figures do things, the amorphous masses suffer. The episode I saw recently, 'Fall of the Swastika', despite the series title, was more about Germany than Russia. This kind of history is, ironically, ahistorical - by removing processes, archival research and oral testimony (what little there is is self-serving and mawkish), you are left with almost abstracted folklore. Compare this to Lawrence Rees' recent documentary on Stalingrad, flawed maybe, but bursting with intelligent documentary strategies, exhaustive detail and a willingness to acknowledge the intelligence of the viewer: it also leaves you reeling in sickening horror.

This documentary has almost no detail whatsoever, for fear of overwhelming the viewer with too much information. Indeed the whole thing would be reprehensible if it wasn't for the marvellous, shocking footage: seeing legendary history in the raw is always a disturbing frisson, and while many of the films seem remarkably sophisticated in editing and composition for traumatic on-the-spot incidents, no amount of cod-narrative can blunt the thrill of seeing a white-jacketed Stalin in colour joking with Truman and Churchill, the vile wonder of blazing German cities, the terror of concentration camps and firing squads.

There is just something warped about this entire series; I got a strong gut feeling that a German apologist had written it. I found the entire series difficult to watch without wincing. I am not referring to the photography and footage, which were excellent. But it was the interpretation that rang distorted.

First of all, the "godlike" intros by the thoroughly discredited, disingenuous Henry Kissinger were off-putting, but immediately following those, the series' odd and inescapable pro-German slant manifests itself in nearly every scene. It's often masked by all the anti-Stalin screed --- I am certainly no fan of that monster --- but there is way too much sympathy for the "poor" Wehrmacht (regarding which, it is now being revealed that the Wehrmacht was even more deeply involved in the slaughter of Russians, Jews, POWs, etc., than had formerly been believed, and they were not just good boys serving in a bad cause). Kissinger and the narrator never (or very, very seldom) mention the word "Jew" even in regards to the concentration camps, saying rather that "people" were killed. The positive portrayal of various Nazi-welcoming collaborators and collaborating ethnicities made me uncomfortable as well.

I felt that there was definitely an effort to absolve the Russians themselves from Stalin's crimes and portray their victimization; I have no argument with that. But the movie never or seldom focuses on German atrocities wrought upon the Russians. In fact, there is actually a whole scene devoted to "shocked" German soldiers unearthing the bodies of Polish officers that Stalin had supposedly murdered. It may well be true, but the portrayal of the most brutal soldiers the world has ever known solemnly shaking their heads at a mass murder almost turned the scene into farce.

Besides the predictable, relentless hammering on Stalin (I mean, if the guy went to the bathroom, this film would have found a way to portray that as monstrous, murderous and a lie), there is very little about Hitler, who is never shown as a heartless monster, as is Stalin in every scene.