by Hal Erickson
synopsis
Fifty Soviet cameramen were involved in the production of this fascinating 68-minute documentary. The film purports to depict life among the Russian states in the course of a single day: August 14, 1947. Not surprisingly, the viewer is bombarded with images of cheerful Soviet citizens, happily devoting all their energies for the betterment of the State. Once the film has dealt with the industrial and agricultural advances of postwar Russia, there's a lengthy demonstration of Red Army muscle, both on the battlefields and in the annual May Day parades. August 14 was filmed in what was advertised as a revolutionary new color process, but which was actually the old German Agfacolor system.
