Bolshaya Zemlya on AllMovie

Like many another Soviet filmmaker, Sergei Gerasimov devoted his energies to the war effort during the 1940s. The Ural Front is the story of a defense factory that is moved -- lock, stock and barrel -- to the Ural mountains during the first Nazi assault. Characteristically, the film is a tribute to the solidarity and teamwork of Russian workers, most of whom are portrayed con brio by prominent stage and screen actors. The fact that the film was shot under wartime conditions makes Gerasimov's efforts all the more impressive. Completed in 1944, The Ural Front is also known as The Great Land and The Mainland.