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V2. Escape from Hell

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V2. Escape from Hell
Theatrical release poster
Directed by
Written by
  • Maxim Budarin
  • George Selegey
  • Konstantin Galdaev
  • Ilgiz Zainiev
  • Alexander Devyataev (Creative consultant)
Based onEscape from Hell by Mikhail Devyatayev
Produced by
  • Timur Bekmambetov
  • Igor Mishin (ru)
  • Igor Ugolnikov (ru)
  • Evgenia Aronova
  • Timur Asadov
Starring
CinematographyElena Ivanova
Music byYuri Poteyenko
Animation byAlexey Gusev (CG Supervisor)
Layouts by
  • Eldar Karkhalev (Production designer)
  • Sergey Struchev
Production
companies
Distributed bySony Pictures Releasing
20th Century Studios (Latin America)
Release dates
Running time
118 minutes
CountryRussia
LanguageRussian
BudgetUS$10,000,000[1]

V2. Escape from Hell (Russian: Девятаев, romanized: Devyatayev) is a 2021 Russian prison action thriller war biopic film directed by Timur Bekmambetov.[2] The film stars Thure Riefenstein, Pavel Priluchny, Pavel Chinarev and Daria Zlatopolskaya. Based on a true story, portions of Soviet Mikhail Devyatayev's autobiography form the basis of a World War II film produced by Bazelevs Company. The film is the first large-scale vertical format film featuring dynamic aerial combat. Mikhail Devyatayev enrolled at the Soviet Air Forces to fight in the Great Patriotic War. In July 1944, while on a sortie for the 1st Ukrainian Front, his plane was shot down and he was captured by the Wehrmacht. In the most difficult conditions, Devyatayev managed to develop and implement an escape plan from Hitler's heavily guarded Usedom prison, which used prisoners to build the V-2 rocket. The film had a wide release on 29 April 2021.[3]

Plot

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Summer of 1944. The Soviet troops are on the offensive, but the enemy is still very strong. In a battle with German fighters, a Soviet pilot, Mikhail Devyatayev is shot down over enemy territory and is captured. Now he has to make a choice: die in a concentration camp or go back to the sky – but on the side of the Germans. The pilot chooses the third option – escape. But how do you hijack a plane from a heavily guarded military base where the Nazis are developing retribution weapons that can change the course of the war at the last moment? The film is based on real events – the story of the Hero of the Soviet Union Mikhail Devyatayev, who decided to make a daring escape from a German concentration camp.[4]

Cast

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Production

[edit]

Adaptation from biographical material

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The film is based on renowned Soviet Union fighter pilot Mikhail Devyatayev who managed to escape the most secret prison of the Nazis – Usedom, an island of the southern Balitc Sea. Devyatayev, the prisoner of war fled the Nazis through stealth and courage. The pilot brought along in the cargo of a hijacked aircraft, advanced ballistic designs of Hitler's "weapon of retaliation" – V-2 ballistic missiles and coordinates. The prisoner of war barely managed to come back home alive to the Soviet Union weighing only 36 kilograms. The blueprints turned the tide of World War II, as the Soviet command later captured the island fortress from the Nazis possibly saving the Soviet Union from the terrible fate of a future launch of the V-2 ballistics missiles.[5][6] The missiles had the range to hit as far as North America and Moscow.[7] The fugitives managed to obtain the exact layouts of the rocket launchers on the island, which helped the Allies to destroy the enemy's bases, and made the defeat of Nazis inevitable.[8] Former prisoners of war, after healing from starvation, took part in the storming of Berlin; many of them died during the crossing of the Oder and fighting for the city.[9] Of the group of prisoners of war who escaped with Devyateyev, only two survived to the end of the war, during the capture of Berlin or during the battles with Japan.[10]

Filming

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On February 13, 2020, it was announced that V2. Escape from Hell under the direction of Timur Bekmambetov was ready to go into production and become the first blockbuster film made entirely in portrait format.[1][11] According to Quartz, the film heralds the age of vertically shot films.[12] On March 18, 2020 Timur Bekmambetov was looking for remote filming methods during the crisis caused by the coronavirus in order not to stop production of the film.[13][14]

Principal photography started in the pavilions of Lenfilm, Kronstadt, St.Petersburg (Siversky, a former military airfield) and Kazan in February 2020.[15] Individual takes commenced with pilot actors inside the cockpits of Second World War fighter aircraft using military equipment.[16][17] The film making tried to show rustic, crude, unrefined warfare such as a rusty aircraft.[5] The famous hijacked plane, Heinkel He 111 H-22 from the escape at Usedom island in Germany was used for the film.[18][19] It was recreated at the technical complex of the VoenFilm film studio.[20] Full-sized replica of Aerocobra aircraft were also used.[18]

The aerial battles were shot using technology from the video game online military simulator War Thunder by Gaijin Entertainment.[21] Bekmambetov always had the incentive for gamer-pilots cinematography ever since a test flight in the past kindled his interest in computer flight simulators that he would regularly experiment with.[6] The game studio became a liaison to the production crew who chose virtual photography for the aerial battles.[22] Only previously have game engines been used in Hollywood. For V2, filming moved beyond the standard method and did not resort to usual green screens.[20] The cameras will be able to film only the pilots while the director will be able to stop the "battle" 1200 km away from the sound stage in St.Petersburg where the pilots were seated in a place cockpit surrounded by LED screens. The crew remotely adjusts the shots from a production room in Kazan giving them flexibility in adjustments and refinements using VFX.[23][14][24]

Theatrical

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The film was the opener of the 2021 Moscow International Film Festival held on 22 April 2021.[25][26] On 27 April 2021, a memorial of Mikhail Devyatayev was held in Kazan.[27] The film is co-produced by Bazelevs and Voenfilm. MTS Media also co-produced the film, the first in their theatrical production catalogue from the network provider.[28] The film had a wide release in Russia on 29 April 2021 through distributor Sony Pictures Productions and Releasing (SPPR). VTB Bank acted as an official partner for the film.[29] The film became one of the main premieres in April 2021.[30] A special pre-premiere was held at Moscow Poklonka cinema.[17] The Victory Museum also opened in Moscow that has an exhibition "Pilot Mikhail Devyataev. Life as a Feat" in commemoration for the film and Victory Day.[31] A red carpet session was held in Yekaterinburg with the VIP guest being Till Lindemann.[32] The May 2021 program of Moskino includes screenings of the film.[33] The film will be released in English with a different opener showing the Luftwaffe raids against London.[34][35]

Soundtrack

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The score for the film is composed by Golden Eagle laureate Yuri Poteyenko.[29] The Soviet Union pre-war song Lubimiy Gorod – Beloved City/Favorite City sung by Mark Bernes will have a modern reinterpretation in the film sung by Till Lindemann of the Rammstein Group.[36][37][38][39] The German singer has an intricate history with the song ever since he heard of it as a child during the Soviet Union times while living in the city of Rostock in GDR.[40] The idea to include the song was by the singer.[41] The film crew noted a Favorite City theme song would be an apt leitmotif for the film. The music will also serve to "creates bridges between peoples."[5][42] The song sounds both on the opening credits and in the course of the story.[43] Russian singer Lev Leshchenko highlighted the performance of the song, "Favorite City" by Lindemann.[44][45] The song was originally composed for the 1939 film The Fighters and has ever since been a classic rendition for Soviet Union singers.[9] As part of the marketing for the film, actor Priluchny arranged a song flash mob for the title track which the actor himself sang for the film.[46][17]

No.TitleLyricsMusicSinger(s)Length
1."Lubimiy Gorod"Yevgeniy DolmatovskyNikita BogoslovskyTill Lindemann (International)
Pavel Priluchny		2:46

Reception

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Critical response

[edit]

At the Moscow International Film Festival the film opened to critical acclaim.[47] A review from Kommersant noted filming went online after its postponement due to COVID-19. The reviewer wondered, "How to engage in air combat for those who spend their days driving a piston-engined fighter in a computer game? How can I feel the azure sky by drawing it on the computer pixel by pixel?" The final verdict states, "The authors of Devyataev coped with almost all these tasks. At least in the escape scene, you empathize with the main characters as much as you do with Ocean's friends, and in the aerial episodes, the pace and turns make you squeeze into a chair while your lips inevitably sing Bernes – the romance of heavenly providence, fortunately, dilutes the usual harsh colors of concentration camp films."[48]

A review from Kino-Teatr noted, "Devyataev is undoubtedly also inspired by Soviet classics, in particular the film The Fighters with Mark Bernes" and the techniques used evoke "the sensations can be compared to those that arose from the scenes with the hero of Tom Hardy in Christopher Nolan's Dunkirk." In the film, "Favorite City" enhances the action, "Not only the song that the hero of Priluchny first purrs in the cockpit at the most tense moments, and then sings Till Lindemann."[49] Another review from KinoReporter by Katya Zagvozdkina also affirmed the film is like Dunkirk whose German bomber aircraft dogfights give the audience vertigo.[50] Reviewers from KinoReporter to Intermedia have applauded the performance of Pavel Priluchny: "But the pilot is incredibly close to all of us – and for this conscientiously played humanity-a low bow to Pavel Priluchny, the very fact of whose appearance in this film is already akin to a sign of quality."[51][50] A review at Film.ru noted the ending of the film could have been developed further adding in the missing years of Devyatayev as an outcast in the Soviet Union.[52]

References

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  1. ^ a b Lindahl, Chris (February 15, 2020). "Vertical Movies, Here We Come: First Up Is Timur Bekmambetov's $10 Million War Drama". IndieWire. Retrieved January 18, 2021.
  2. ^ Hoai-Tran Bui (February 13, 2020). "The World's First Vertical Format Blockbuster is Coming, Whether We Want It Or Not". SlashFilm. Retrieved January 18, 2021.
  3. ^ Альперина, Сусанна (February 16, 2021). "Фильм "Девятаев" про побег советского летчика из плена выйдет 29 апреля". Российская газета (in Russian). Retrieved April 22, 2021.
  4. ^ Девятаев (2021) (in Russian), retrieved 2021-05-03
  5. ^ a b c Korsakov, Denis (2021-04-22). "Режиссер Тимур Бекмамбетов: О подвиге Михаила Девятаева я узнал благодаря жене" [Director Timur Bekmambetov: I learned about the feat of Mikhail Devyataev thanks to my wife]. kp.ru (in Russian). Retrieved 2021-04-30.
  6. ^ a b "Тимур Бекмамбетов: патриотизм рождается из верности своему слову и преданности друзьям" [Timur Bekmambetov: patriotism is born out of loyalty to one's word and loyalty to friends]. ТАСС (in Russian). Retrieved 2021-05-01.
  7. ^ ""Прямо дух захватывает": зрители – о первом трейлере военной драмы "Девятаев"" ["It takes your breath away": the audience-about the first trailer of the military drama " Devyataev"]. smotrim.ru (in Russian). Retrieved 2021-05-01.
  8. ^ "Прилучный воплотит Девятаева в первом вертикальном фильме Бекмамбетова" [Priluchny will embody Devyataev in Bekmambetov's first vertical film]. Kino-Teatr (in Russian). 2020-02-15. Retrieved 2021-05-02.
  9. ^ a b "Что за песню спел лидер Rammstein для российского фильма "Девятаев"?" [What song did the leader of Rammstein sing for the Russian film "Devyataev"?]. aif.ru (in Russian). 2021-04-23. Retrieved 2021-04-30.
  10. ^ Karev, Igor (2020-03-19). "Вертикальный фильм с онлайн-боями. Как снимают кино о летчике Девятаеве" [Vertical movie with online battles. How to make a movie about the pilot Devyataev]. aif.ru (in Russian). Retrieved 2021-04-30.
  11. ^ Grater, Tom (February 13, 2020). "'Searching' Producer Timur Bekmambetov To Shoot World's First Vertical Format Blockbuster". Deadline. Retrieved January 18, 2021.
  12. ^ Epstein, Adam (14 February 2020). "The age of the vertically shot blockbuster is upon us". Quartz. Retrieved 2021-05-03.
  13. ^ Grater, Tom (March 18, 2020). "Timur Bekmambetov Vertical Movie 'V2. Escape from Hell' To Use Remote Filming Methods During Coronavirus Crisis". Deadline. Retrieved January 18, 2021.
  14. ^ a b Pearson, Ben (March 19, 2020). "Don't Worry, the World's First Vertical Blockbuster Will Complete Production Remotely During the Coronavirus Outbreak". SlashFilm. Retrieved January 18, 2021.
  15. ^ ""Девятаев": военный экшн Бекмамбетова для МТС Медиа выйдет в прокат" ["Devyatayev": military action by Bekmambetov for MTS Media will be released]. nsk.kp.ru (in Russian). 2021-02-24. Retrieved 2021-04-30.
  16. ^ "Воздушные бои для фильма "Девятаев" снимали в War Thunder – вот трейлер" [Air battles for the film "Devyatayev" were filmed in War Thunder – here's the trailer]. WTFTime.ru (in Russian). 16 February 2021. Retrieved 2021-04-30.
  17. ^ a b c Martinova, Alena (2021-04-27). "Звезды на премьере фильма "Девятаев": Прилучный появился с Карпович, а Олег Газманов – с красавицей-женой" [Stars at the premiere of the film "Devyatayev": Priluchny appeared with Karpovich, and Oleg Gazmanov – with his beautiful wife]. kp.ru (in Russian). Retrieved 2021-04-30.
  18. ^ a b Shakirova, Inzilya (2021-04-28). ""Ради роли Прилучный похудел на 15 килограмм": Бекмамбетов представил в Казани фильм "Девятаев"". kazan.kp.ru (in Russian). Retrieved 2021-04-30.
  19. ^ "Прилучный рассказал, на какие жертвы пошел ради съемок в фильме Бекмамбетова" [Priluchny told what sacrifices he made for the sake of filming in the film Bekmambetov]. Evening Moscow (in Russian). Retrieved 2021-05-02.
  20. ^ a b "Devyatayev". April Club News. Retrieved 2021-05-02.
  21. ^ "War Thunder Game Being Used For WWII Movie Scenes – Gameindustry.com". Game Industry News. 2020-03-26. Retrieved 2021-05-05.
  22. ^ "Военный экшн-фильм "Девятаев" выйдет в прокат 29 апреля" [Military action film "Devyataev" will be released on April 29]. Kino-Teatr (in Russian). 2021-02-16. Retrieved 2021-05-02.
  23. ^ "Бекмамбетов будет дистанционно снимать фильм "ФАУ. Побег из ада"" [Bekmambetov will remotely shoot the film " FAU. Escape from Hell"]. ТАСС. 2020-03-19. Retrieved 2021-05-01.
  24. ^ "Shake-up caused by COVID can also be seen as a blessing, Cinema now has to evolve and move on". The New Indian Express. 19 July 2020. Retrieved 2021-05-02.
  25. ^ "Московский международный кинофестиваль откроется фильмом "Девятаев"" [Moscow International Film Festival will open with the film "Devyatayev"]. ТАСС (in Russian). Retrieved 2021-04-30.
  26. ^ "ДЕВЯТАЕВ :: Каталог фильмов :: Московский Международный кинофестиваль" [DEVYATAEV :: Film catalog :: Moscow International Film Festival]. www.moscowfilmfestival.ru (in Russian). Retrieved 2021-04-30.
  27. ^ Krupsky, Vladimir (2021-04-27). "В Казани почтили память Михаила Девятаева" [In Kazan, the memory of Mikhail Devyataev was honored]. kazan.kp.ru (in Russian). Retrieved 2021-04-30.
  28. ^ ""Масса денег, которую приносят ОТТ-сервисы, бодрит весь рынок"" ["The mass of money that OTT services bring in invigorates the entire market»]. Kommersant (in Russian). Retrieved 2021-05-01.
  29. ^ a b "Военная историческая драма "Девятаев" выходит в широкий прокат" [Military historical drama "Devyataev" is released in wide release]. RIA Novosti (in Russian). 2021-04-29. Retrieved 2021-05-01.
  30. ^ "Что смотреть в кино и дома на этих выходных: Девятаев, Ася, Дуров и На дальних берегах" [What to watch in the movies and at home this weekend: Devyatayev, Asya, Durov and On the Distant Shores]. www.intermedia.ru (in Russian). 2021-04-30. Retrieved 2021-05-02.
  31. ^ "Выставка о летчике Девятаеве открылась в Музее Победы" [The exhibition about the pilot Devyataev opened in the Victory Museum]. Evening Moscow (in Russian). Retrieved 2021-05-02.
  32. ^ Stalina, Yulia (2021-04-23). "Забежал в последний момент: Тиль Линдеманн опоздал на закрытый показ фильма в Екатеринбурге" [I ran in at the last moment: Till Lindemann was late for a private screening of the film in Yekaterinburg]. ural.kp.ru (in Russian). Retrieved 2021-04-30.
  33. ^ "Москвичи смогут провести майские праздники на бесплатных показах сети Москино" [Muscovites will be able to spend the May holidays on free shows of the Moskino network]. Kino-Teatr (in Russian). 2021-05-01. Retrieved 2021-05-02.
  34. ^ Gill, Tarvin (2020-02-17). "This war movie will be shot entirely in vertical mode. And yes, you're meant to watch it on your phone". Mashable SEA. Retrieved 2021-05-02.
  35. ^ Lindahl, Chris (2020-02-15). "Vertical Movies, Here We Come: First Up Is Timur Bekmambetov's $10 Million War Drama". IndieWire. Retrieved 2021-05-03.
  36. ^ "Rammstein's Till Lindemann Shares Russian Language Single "Lubimiy Gorod" -". mxdwn Music. 2021-04-24. Retrieved 2021-05-03.
  37. ^ Genius English Translations – Till Lindemann – Любимый город (Beloved City) [English Translation], retrieved 2021-04-30
  38. ^ "LINDEMANN veröffentlicht offizielles Musikvideo zu "Lubimiy Gorod"". Rolling Stone (in German). 2021-04-26. Retrieved 2021-05-02.
  39. ^ "Vocalista de Rammstein interpreta en ruso canción de guerra soviética". eltiempo.com. 2021-04-23.
  40. ^ "Тилль Линдеманн спел песню Марка Бернеса на русском языке. Видео" [Till Lindemann sang a song by Mark Bernes in Russian]. 360tv.ru (in Russian). 22 April 2021. Retrieved 2021-05-02.
  41. ^ Rozin, Igor (2021-05-01). "5 reasons to watch 'V-2. Escape from Hell', Russia's new WWII blockbuster". www.rbth.com. Retrieved 2021-05-03.
  42. ^ "На что пойти в кино на длинных выходных" [What to go to the movies on a long weekend]. RIA Novosti (in Russian). 2021-04-29. Retrieved 2021-05-01.
  43. ^ "Торжественное открытие ММКФ-2021" [Till Lindemann recorded a song for " Devyataev»]. KinoReporter (in Russian). 22 April 2021. Retrieved 2021-05-02.
  44. ^ ""Это супер": Лещенко оценил исполнение лидером Rammstein советского хита" ["It's super": Leshchenko praised the performance of the leader of Rammstein Soviet hit]. Evening Moscow (in Russian). Retrieved 2021-05-02.
  45. ^ "Лев Лещенко одобрил Тилля Линдеманна за создание нормального нравственного фона" [Lev Leshchenko approved Till Lindemann for creating a normal moral background]. www.intermedia.ru (in Russian). 2021-04-26. Retrieved 2021-05-02.
  46. ^ "Павел Прилучный предлагает к 9 мая спеть "Любимый город" всей страной" [Pavel Priluchny offers to sing "Beloved City" by the whole country by May 9]. vesti.ru (in Russian). Retrieved 2021-04-30.
  47. ^ "Жажда жизни и преданность Родине: фильм "Девятаев" открыл ММКФ" [Thirst for life and devotion to the Motherland: the film "Devyataev" opened the MIFF]. smotrim.ru (in Russian). Retrieved 2021-05-01.
  48. ^ "Девять друзей Девятаева" [Nine friends of Devyataev]. Kommersant (in Russian). Retrieved 2021-05-01.
  49. ^ Grigorieva, Natalia (2021-04-23). ""Девятаев": Беги, летчик, беги" ["Devyataev": Run, pilot, run]. Kino-Teatr (in Russian). Retrieved 2021-05-02.
  50. ^ a b Zagvozdkina, Katya (29 April 2021). "Первым делом самолеты: Военная драма "Девятаев" про подвиги летчика" [First of all, planes: The military drama "Devyataev" about the exploits of a pilot]. KinoReporter (in Russian). Retrieved 2021-05-02.
  51. ^ "Рецензия на фильм "Девятаев": Павел Прилучный в бегах" [Review of the film "Devyataev": Pavel Priluchny on the run]. www.intermedia.ru (in Russian). 2021-04-23. Retrieved 2021-05-02.
  52. ^ "Первым делом – самолёты: рецензия на фильм "Девятаев"". www.film.ru. Retrieved 2021-05-02.
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