AllMovie

The Soviet war documentary Moscow Strikes Back was released in the U.S. in a specially-prepared English language version. Utilizing the stock-footage facilities of Moscow's Central Newsreel Service, the film places the recent Nazi invasion of the USSR within historical context, as proof of the ongoing resilience and courage of the Russian people. Horrifying shots of frozen, mutilated German and Russian corpses are intercut with morale-boosting battle scenes, very few of which seem to be staged for the benefit of the cameras. The film's original running time has been pared down to a brisk 55 minutes through the simple expedient of removing idyllic scenes showing the Soviet Union at peace before the incursion of the Nazi juggernaut. The U.S. release version of Moscow Strikes Back was co-written by Albert Maltz, narrated by Edward G. Robinson and scored by Dmitri Tiomkin: all three men would eventually suffer for their efforts during the HUAC-inspired "Red Scare" of the postwar era.