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In The Russians Are Coming, director Heiner Carow and screenwriter Claus Kuchenmeister tell the story of the final days of World War II from the perspective of a member of the Hitler youth. For this boy, an ardent devotee of National Socialism, the day that will later become known as "Liberation Day" in the GDR brings about the collapse of his entire world.

Originally included in the DEFA production schedule in 1966 as a reserve entry for the forthcoming 50th anniversary of the October Revolution in 1967, the almost-finished film was aborted in 1968. It would not be completed until 1987. A DEFA film about fascism without an anti-fascist hero would have been unusual at any time, but The Russians Are Coming strayed too far from the dominant narrative and was inopportune.

This double DVD presents a new, restored version of the film and allows viewers their first ever opportunity to compare it with Career (1971), in which Heiner Carow made use of parts of the unreleased material from The Russians Are Coming.

Director: Heiner Carow
Cast: Gert Krause-Melzer, Viktor Perevalov, Vsevolod Safonov
Country: East Germany
Genre: Drama, War

DVD9 + DVD5 | NTSC 16:9 | 01:31:27, 01:21:05 | 4.58 Gb + 3.69 Gb
Language: German
Subtitles: English