Smelye Lyudi (1950)
Directed by Konstantin Yudin
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Synopsis by Hal Erickson
The storyline of the Russian The Horsemen spans the whole of WW II, from the beginning of hostilities in 1939 to VJ day in 1945. The main character is a farmer-jockey named Vasya (Sergei Gurzo), more concerned with horseracing than the affairs of the world. Vasya's personal travails don't amount to a hill of beans when the Nazis invade his homeland. Through a series of incredible plot convolutions, both Vasya and his prize horse become involved in the Resistance movement. Despite its wartime trappings, The Horsemen borrows heavily from Hollywood westerns during many of its action highlights.