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Attack from the Sea

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Attack from the Sea
Directed byMikhail Romm
Written byAleksandr Shtein
StarringIvan Pereverzev
Gennadi Yudin
Vladimir Druzhnikov
Sergei Bondarchuk
CinematographyYu-Lan Chen
Aleksandr Shelenkov
Edited byYeva Ladyzhenskaya
Music byAram Khachaturian
Production
company
Release date
  • 1953 (1953)
Running time
94 minutes
CountrySoviet Union
LanguageRussian

Attack from the Sea (Russian: Корабли штурмуют бастионы, romanized: Korabli shturmuyut bastiony, lit. 'Ships Are Storming Bastions') is a 1953 Soviet biographical war film directed by Mikhail Romm and starring Ivan Pereverzev, Gennadi Yudin and Vladimir Druzhnikov.[1]

The film is about the career of the Russian naval officer Fyodor Ushakov and the Siege of Corfu (1798–99). It was made by the Moscow-based Ministry of Cinematography by the production unit Mosfilm, in Agfa-color, renamed Sovcolor by Moscow. It is the sequel to Admiral Ushakov, released the same year.

Plot

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During the Mediterranean campaign of 1798 of the War of the Second Coalition, Imperial Russian Navy Admiral Fyodor Ushakov undertakes a mission to liberate the Ionian Islands from French occupation in concert with Ottoman forces. The mission culminates in the siege of Corfu, which ends in March 1799 when the city"s French defenders surrender. The Russian government reorganises the islands into the Septinsular Republic and sends Ushakov to join forces with the Royal Navy and target French forces in the Mediterranean. However, Ushakov"s new mission is threatened by both detractors at the Russian court and his poor relationship with Admiral Horatio Nelson, whose conflicting interests threaten the fragile Anglo-Russian alliance.

Ushakov leads Russian and Ottoman forces against the French, who have overrun the Kingdom of Naples and established the client Parthenopean Republic in its place. Supported by Ushakov"s ships, royalist troops under Fabrizio Ruffo march on Naples and overthrow the republic. Neapolitan royalists proceed to unleash a reign of terror against captive republicans and French troops, perpetrating numerous summary executions. Ushakov is horrified by these atrocities and attempts unsuccessfully to put a stop to them, but his British counterparts refuse to intervene. Eventually, Neapolitan troops, shadowed by Ushakov"s ships, march on the client Roman Republic and dissolve it as well.

Ushakov proceeds to return to Russia, where his triumphs are met with indifference at court. After Tsar Alexander I of Russia ascends to the throne in 1801, Ushakov is forcibly retired from the Russian navy as his military contributions have been overshadowed by courtly politics. A decade later in 1811, an aged Ushakov visits a Russian warship and is greeted with reverence by his former comrades. The film concludes with a note that claims Ushakov had a lasting impact on naval history and an unwavering commitment to duty and humanity.

Cast

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References

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  1. ^ Rollberg p.249

Bibliography

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  • Rollberg, Peter. Historical Dictionary of Russian and Soviet Cinema. Scarecrow Press, 2008.
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