Red Square (1970) — AI Story Visualization

Plot Analysis Summary

A commissar's military and moral journey follows the transformation of a reluctant regiment into a disciplined revolutionary force, ending in sacrifice and remembrance.

Story Structure — 5 Plot Phases

Recruiting the Abandoned Regiment

Amelin is sent to a regiment that has abandoned its position. He faces hostility but gradually establishes common ground and begins rebuilding military discipline.

Key Events

• Mission to the Abandoned Regiment — Dmitry Amelin is sent to persuade a regiment that has abandoned its position to join the Red Army. Characters: Dmitry Amelin Location: The 38th Grenadier Regiment
• Soldiers Reject the Commissar — The soldiers respond with hostility when Amelin attempts to explain his mission. Characters: Dmitry Amelin Location: The regiment camp
• Finding Common Ground — Amelin gradually overcomes the soldiers' hostility and finds common ground with an anarchist agitator. Characters: Dmitry Amelin Location: The regiment camp
• A Regiment Begins Reforming — With help from a skilled officer, Amelin begins transforming the abandoned regiment into a military unit. Characters: Dmitry Amelin Location: The regiment camp
• Training for Battle — The reorganized regiment receives preparation needed to resist advancing German forces. Characters: Dmitry Amelin Location: The regiment training ground

Victory Near Petrograd

The reorganized regiment confronts a superior enemy force near Petrograd and wins. The battle also gives Amelin his first practical lessons in military tactics.

Key Events

• Battle Near Petrograd — On February 23, 1918, the regiment confronts a superior enemy force. Characters: Dmitry Amelin Location: Near Petrograd
• The Regiment Wins — The newly organized regiment emerges victorious despite facing a stronger force. Characters: Dmitry Amelin Location: Near Petrograd
• Lessons in Military Tactics — During the battle, Amelin learns the basics of military tactics from a professional officer. Characters: Dmitry Amelin Location: Near Petrograd
• A Wartime Friendship Forms — A friendship develops between Amelin, the officer, and the officer's wife. Characters: Dmitry Amelin Location: Near Petrograd

The Oath and the Return

The regiment joins the Red Army, while one professional officer initially refuses. Watching the oath ceremony on Red Square leads him to reconsider his decision.

Key Events

• The Regiment Joins the Red Army — The regiment joins the Red Army in full, while the professional officer initially refuses to participate. Characters: Dmitry Amelin Location: The regiment camp
• Oath on Red Square — The former officer watches newly formed Red Army units take their oath on Red Square. Characters: Dmitry Amelin Location: Red Square, Moscow
• Return to Military Service — Moved by the oath ceremony, the former officer reconsiders his decision and returns to military service. Characters: Dmitry Amelin Location: Red Square, Moscow

The Price of the Feint

In 1919, Amelin serves as commissar in a division preparing a major offensive. A diversion plan places familiar soldiers in a mission expected to cause severe losses.

Key Events

• Amelin Becomes a Division Commissar — In 1919, Amelin is appointed commissar to a division commanded by the officer. Characters: Dmitry Amelin Location: A Red Army division headquarters
• A Major Offensive Is Planned — The division prepares for a major offensive and receives a critical operational role. Characters: Dmitry Amelin Location: The division headquarters
• The Feint Strategy — Because direct forces are insufficient, the commander devises a diversion using a small unit and an armored train. Characters: Dmitry Amelin Location: The division headquarters
• Former Comrades Chosen — Many soldiers from the former regiment are assigned to the diversion force, which faces near-certain death. Characters: Dmitry Amelin Location: The division headquarters
• Amelin Joins the Decoy Force — Unable to accept the sacrifice from a distance, Amelin joins the doomed battalion himself. Characters: Dmitry Amelin Location: The division staging area

Sacrifice and Remembrance

The decoy attack succeeds and preserves the main division, but Amelin is the only survivor of the diversion force. The epilogue commemorates him at the Kremlin Wall.

Key Events

• The Ethical Cost of Command — The operation exposes the moral conflict between saving many soldiers and sacrificing familiar comrades. Characters: Dmitry Amelin Location: The division staging area
• The Diversion Attack — The decoy force and armored train simulate an attack, drawing the White forces' attention away from the main assault. Characters: Dmitry Amelin Location: The offensive battlefield
• The Main Assault Succeeds — The diversion succeeds, allowing the division's main forces to strike elsewhere with minimal losses. Characters: Dmitry Amelin Location: The offensive battlefield
• Amelin Is the Sole Survivor — Amelin is the only survivor of the decoy force and is carried to safety after suffering a severe concussion. Characters: Dmitry Amelin Location: The battlefield
• Ashes at the Kremlin Wall — In the epilogue, Amelin's ashes are interred in the Kremlin Wall, with his death recorded as August 2, 1941. Characters: Dmitry Amelin Location: Red Square and the Kremlin Wall

Story Breakdown

• Regiment Abandons Position — The opening crisis sends Amelin to recover a regiment that has withdrawn from its position.
  • Commissar Receives Mission — Amelin is assigned to persuade the regiment to join the Red Army.
  • Soldiers Resist Authority — The soldiers initially meet Amelin with hostility.
• Building Revolutionary Unity — Amelin works through distrust and finds a basis for cooperation within the divided regiment.
  • Common Ground Emerges — Amelin overcomes hostility and reaches an anarchist agitator.
  • Military Reform Begins — A skilled officer helps turn the regiment into a battle-ready unit.
• First Battle Victory — The reorganized regiment faces a superior enemy force near Petrograd and proves its effectiveness.
  • Enemy Forces Advance — The regiment confronts German forces near Petrograd.
  • Regiment Holds Ground — The unit wins despite its numerical disadvantage.
• Choosing Red Army Service — The regiment joins the Red Army, while a professional officer must decide whether to participate.
  • Initial Refusal — The officer refuses to join despite not opposing Soviet power.
  • Oath Changes Decision — The Red Square oath ceremony moves him to reconsider.
• Planning the Great Feint — The later offensive creates a strategic and ethical dilemma for Amelin and the division command.
  • Forces Are Insufficient — The division cannot rely on a direct assault with its available strength.
  • Armored Train Diversion — A small force and an armored train are assigned to simulate an attack.
• Sacrifice of Familiar Comrades — The diversion requires sending former regimental comrades toward an almost certain death.
  • Amelin Accepts Responsibility — Amelin joins the doomed battalion rather than remain outside the sacrifice.
  • Commander's Moral Burden — The plan exposes the cost of saving many soldiers by risking a few.
• Victory Through Loss — The feint succeeds militarily, but the victory leaves Amelin as the only survivor of the decoy force.
  • Main Assault Succeeds — The enemy is diverted while the division strikes elsewhere with minimal losses.
  • Sole Survivor Rescued — Amelin is carried to safety after suffering a severe concussion.
• Memory on Red Square — The film closes by linking Amelin's sacrifice to the symbolic center of the Red Army.
  • Ashes Interred — Amelin's ashes are placed in the Kremlin Wall.
  • Death Date Recorded — The epilogue records Amelin's death as August 2, 1941.

Directed by

Vasili Ordynsky

Key Cast

• Stanislav Lyubshin — Dmitry Amelin
• Vyacheslav Shalevich — Nikolay Kutasov
• Valentina Malyavina — Natalya Kutasova
• Sergey Nikonenko — Vladimir Koltsov
• Sergey Yakovlev — Vladimir Ilyich Lenin