1917. Soldiers living in horror in the imperialist trenches write a letter to Lenin asking for an end to the war and for them to "return home to the happiness of all." One of them, the man on leave Ivan Shardin, is responsible for taking the letter to Petrograd, where Soviet power was in its early days. Shardin meets, in the hotel where his sister worked, the Red Guards, Chibisov and Zhigulev, workers. Accompanied to Smolny by Chibisov, Shardin meets Lenin. The latter explains to him the meaning of events and Shardin decides to return to the front, but to that of the civil war. A peasant-soldier, he is elected commander with Chibisov, the worker-Bolshevik.
The central scene in the film is the meeting of Shadrin and Lenin. A soldier with a rifle and a kettle unsuccessfully walks around Smolny in search of boiling water. He accidentally bumps into Lenin, who devotes time to him, shows great concern for his needs and answers all his questions. After this, the soldier returns to the front.
The "restoration" of the film in 1965 mostly came down to removing footage of Stalin.
"A Man with a Gun", along with the films "Lenin in October" and "Lenin in 1918", are the most famous films in Soviet Leniniana and propaganda. The images of Lenin created by Strauch and Shchukin were considered the classic embodiment of the leader of the world proletariat on the movie screen, generalizing his idealized image of "the most humane man". Krupskaya considered Lenin played by Strauch the most reliable embodiment of the image of the leader.
In Soviet times, the film was beyond criticism, and any negative comments regarding the artistic value of the film were not allowed.
The film "A Man with a Gun" introduced such an actor as Mark Bernes to the general public and brought him great fame. In this film, Bernes performed the popular song “Clouds rose over the city...” (Music and lyrics by P. Armand).
Тучи над городом встали / Les nuages se sont levés au-dessus de la ville / The clouds have risen above the city
Тучи над городом встали / Les nuages se sont levés au-dessus de la ville / The clouds have risen above the city
Mузыка и слова-Павел Арманд, поёт-Марк Бернес
Musique et paroles : Pavel Armand, chante : Mark Bernes
Music and lyrics : Pavel Armand, sings: Mark Bernes
Тучи над городом встали
Тучи над городом встали,
В воздухе пахнет грозой,
За далекою Нарвской заставой
Парень идёт молодой.
Далека ты путь дорога,
Выйди ж милая моя,
Мы простимся с тобой у порога
И быть может навсегда,
Мы простимся с тобой у порога
И быть может навсегда.
Черные силы метутся,
Ветер нам дует в лицо,
За счастье народное бьются
Отряды рабочих бойцов.
Далека ты путь дорога,
Выйди ж милая встречай,
Мы простимся с тобой у порога
Ты мне счастья пожелай,
Мы простимся с тобой у порога
Ты мне счастья пожелай.
Жаркою страстью пылаю,
Сердцу тревожно в груди,
Кто ты? Тебя я не знаю,
Но наша любовь впереди.
Приходи же друг мой милый,
Поцелуй меня в уста,
И клянусь я тебя до могилы
Не забуду никогда,
И клянусь я тебя до могилы
Не забуду никогда.
Les nuages se sont levés au-dessus de la ville
Les nuages se sont levés au-dessus de la ville,
Dans l’air flotte l’odeur d’un orage,
Au-delà de la lointaine barrière de Narva
Marche un jeune garçon.
Long est ton chemin, ta route,
Sors donc, ma bien-aimée,
Nous nous dirons adieu sur le seuil,
Et peut-être pour toujours.
Nous nous dirons adieu sur le seuil,
Et peut-être pour toujours.
Les forces noires s’agitent,
Le vent souffle en plein visage,
Pour le bonheur du peuple combattent
Les détachements de travailleurs-soldats.
Long est ton chemin, ta route,
Sors donc, ma douce, viens m’accueillir,
Nous nous dirons adieu sur le seuil,
Souhaite-moi le bonheur, je t’en prie.
Nous nous dirons adieu sur le seuil,
Souhaite-moi le bonheur, je t’en prie.
Je brûle d’une passion ardente,
Mon cœur est en tumulte dans ma poitrine.
Qui es-tu ? Je ne te connais pas,
Mais notre amour est devant nous.
Viens donc, mon cher ami,
Embrasse-moi sur les lèvres,
Et je jure, jusqu’à la tombe,
Jamais je ne t’oublierai.
Et je jure, jusqu’à la tombe,
Jamais je ne t’oublierai.
The clouds have risen above the city
The clouds have risen above the city,
The air carries the scent of a storm,
Beyond the distant Narva Gate
A young man is walking.
Far is your path, your road,
Come out, my dearest one,
We shall part at the doorstep,
And perhaps forever.
We shall part at the doorstep,
And perhaps forever.
Dark forces are stirring,
The wind blows straight in our faces,
For the people’s happiness are fighting
The detachments of worker-soldiers.
Far is your path, your road,
Come out, my sweet, to meet me,
We shall part at the doorstep,
Wish me happiness, I beg you.
We shall part at the doorstep,
Wish me happiness, I beg you.
I burn with fiery passion,
My heart is troubled in my chest.
Who are you? I do not know you,
But our love lies ahead.
Come then, my dear friend,
Kiss me on the lips,
And I swear, until the grave,
I will never forget you.
And I swear, until the grave,
I will never forget you.
