Sovinfilm - The Unknown War Set 1 (1978) Part 3 The Siege of Leningrad

A landmark television series, detailing the drama of the World War II Eastern front from the Soviet perspective The Unknown War is a landmark television documentary series about the Soviet struggle against — and ultimate victory over — the Nazi war machine. Hosted and narrated by Academy Award–winner Burt Lancaster, this sprawling series features rare and stunning footage recorded by Soviet camera crews on the front lines, most of it unseen since its original broadcast 30 years ago. From the June 22, 1941, invasion of the Soviet Union to the Russians' victorious march into Berlin in 1945, the devastating battles in the air, at sea and on land are detailed with astonishing images. These stories of heroism, savagery and suffering from what the Russians call “The Great Patriotic War” will shed new light on the Red Army's massive contribution to the Allies' defeat of Hitler in World War II. A Soviet-American collaboration produced in 1978 — during the throes of the Cold War — the 20-part saga was pulled from the air in the wake of the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan. Its reemergence should be heralded as an essential addition to the recorded history of World War II. Film footage from Soviet archives comprises a major portion of the series, supplemented by film from both the United States and British archives. Academy Award Winner Burt Lancaster spent three weeks in eight cities in Russia, for location filming. Executive producer and director Isaac Kleinerman was film editor of the classic documentary series “Victory at Sea” and producer of “The Twentieth Century” and “The 21st Century” for CBS-TV. He is an Emmy and Peabody Award winner. Script consultant Harrison Salisbury is a Pulitzer Prize winning journalist, historian and one of the foremost authorities on Russian affairs. Affiliated with the New York Times for almost 30 years and serving as its Moscow correspondent from 1949 to 1954. A companion book, “The Unknown War,” written by Salisbury, was originally published 1978.

Part 3 The Siege of Leningrad

In the history of the Unknown War, Leningra stands out as a symbol of the courage and persistence of the Russian people. For years Leningrad resisted capture by Hitler's forces. In the aching cold of winter, with nothing to eat, hundreds of thousands of Leningraders perished from starvation or simply froze to death. Still they fought on. During the terrifying siege, which the Russians call “The 900 Days,” Nazi troops encircled the city and cut off all communications — but Leningrad would not surrender.

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