Baltic Skies

{{short description|1960 film}} {{Infobox film | name = Baltic Skies | native_name = {{langx|ru|Балтийское небо}} | image = | caption = | director = Vladimir Vengerov | producer = | writer = Nikolai Chukovsky | starring = {{Plainlist| * Pyotr Glebov * Vsevolod Platov * Mikhail Ulyanov * Rolan Bykov * Mikhail Kozakov }} | music = Isaac Schwarts | cinematography = Genrikh Marandzhyan | editing = Stera Gorakova | released = {{Film date|1960}} | studio = | runtime = 163 minute | country = Soviet Union | language = Russian | budget = }} '''''Baltic Skies''''' ({{langx|ru|Балтийское небо}}) is a 1960 Soviet World War II film directed by Vladimir Vengerov.<ref>[https://kurkino.mos.ru/presscenter/news/detail/7938447.htmlДети из района Куркино приняли участие в киновикторине «Память о блокаде»]</ref><ref>[https://gazeta.spb.ru/2081695-0/ Назвали лучшие фильмы о блокадном Ленинграде]</ref><ref>[https://78.ru/news/2019-01-27/nazvani_luchshie_filmi_o_podvige_blokadnogo_leningrada Названы лучшие фильмы о подвиге блокадного Ленинграда]</ref><ref>[http://portal-kultura.ru/articles/cinema/229632-radi-zhizni-na-zemle/ Ради жизни на земле]</ref><ref>[https://www.mk.ru/culture/2018/04/17/svetlana-kryuchkova-teper-vystupaet-vmeste-s-synom.html Светлана Крючкова теперь выступает вместе с сыном]</ref>

The film tells about military pilots defending Leningrad during World War II.<ref>[https://www.kinopoisk.ru/film/46022/ Балтийское небо]</ref>

==Plot== The film portrays the Siege of Leningrad, focusing on the dramatic events of 1941 and the spring of 1942. At the center of the story is the fate of a squadron of Polikarpov I-16 fighter planes from one of the regiments of the Soviet Baltic Fleet Air Force, commanded by Captain Rassokhin (played by Mikhail Ulyanov). The squadron faces heavy losses, with comrades such as Baiseyitov and Commissar Kabankov falling in battle. Captain Rassokhin himself is killed, and his position is taken over by Major Lunin, a former civilian aviation pilot who has recently arrived at the front.

The film also introduces a diverse cast of characters, including Kuznetsov, played by Pavel Luspekayev. Kuznetsov is a troubled pilot who was expelled from military school for alcohol abuse but redeems himself through his bravery at the front, ultimately sacrificing his life in battle.

A significant subplot revolves around the love story between young Leningrader Sonya (played by Lyudmila Gurchenko) and pilot Tatarenko (played by Oleg Borisov). Sonya’s life is marked by personal tragedy—she loses her mother and grandfather, leaving her to care for her 9-year-old brother. Despite her youth, the harsh realities of the blockade force her to mature quickly. Her meeting with Tatarenko becomes a turning point, giving her a renewed sense of purpose.

Tatarenko, a skilled and courageous pilot, is wounded in battle but recovers in a hospital and returns to the front to replace his fallen comrades. For Sonya and Tatarenko, the war stretches ahead for two more long years. Yet amidst the hardships, they find fleeting moments of hope, walking together through Leningrad’s white nights—a city that, despite the horrors of war, embodies their youth, resilience, and dreams of victory.

== Cast == * Pyotr Glebov as Lunin (as P. Glebov) * Vsevolod Platov as Serov (as V. Platov) * Mikhail Ulyanov as Rassokhin (as M. Ulyanov) * Rolan Bykov as Kabankov (as R. Rolan) * Mikhail Kozakov as Bayseitov (as M. Kazakov) * Pavel Luspekayev as Kuznetsov * Nikolai Klyuchnev as Chepyolkin (as N. Klyuchnev) * Eve Kivi as Khikda (as E. Kivi) * Inna Kondrateva as Mariya Sergeyevna (as I. Kondrateva)<ref>[https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0053628/fullcredits/?ref_=tt_ov_st_sm Балтийское небо (1961) Full Cast & Crew]</ref>

== References == {{reflist}}

== External links == * {{IMDb title|id=0053628}}

Category:1960 films Category:1960 war films Category:1960 Soviet films Category:1960 Russian-language films Category:Soviet historical drama films Category:Soviet war drama films Category:Soviet black-and-white films Category:Films about the Eastern Front (World War II) Category:Films set in 1941 Category:Films set in 1942 Category:Films set in 1943 Category:Films set in Saint Petersburg Category:Russian aviation films Category:Russian World War II films Category:1960s historical drama films Category:Soviet World War II films Category:Russian-language historical drama films Category:Russian-language war drama films