| Song of Russia | |
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 Theatrical Film Poster | |
| Directed by |
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| Written by |
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| Produced by | |
| Starring | |
| Cinematography | Harry Stradling Sr. |
| Edited by |
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| Distributed by | Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer |
Release date |
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Running time | 107 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $1,828,000[1][2] |
| Box office | $3,729,000[1] |
Song of Russia is a 1944 Americanwar film made and distributed byMetro-Goldwyn-Mayer. The picture was credited as being directed byGregory Ratoff, though Ratoff became ill near the end of the five-month production, and was replaced byLászló Benedek, who completed principal photography; the credited screenwriters werePaul Jarrico andRichard J. Collins. The film starsRobert Taylor,Susan Peters, andRobert Benchley.
Most of the score is adaptations ofTchaikovsky compositions byHerbert Stothart.[3]Jerome Kern andYip Harburg contributed the song "And Russia Is Her Name".[4]
American orchestra conductor John Meredith (Robert Taylor) and his manager, Hank Higgins (Robert Benchley), travel to theSoviet Union shortly before the country isinvaded by Germany. Meredith falls in love with beautiful Soviet pianist Nadya Stepanova (Susan Peters) while they tour the country on a 40-city tour. Their bliss is destroyed by the German invasion.[5]
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer rapidly greenlit a war film set in the Soviet Union in 1942 after theUnited States Office of War Information encouraged films positively portraying theAllied Powers and in order to beat competing studios with similar ideas. TheSoviet Government agreed to assist the film production in exchange for blocking "White orAnti-Soviet Russian" influence on the film. In October 1942, Russian-born directorGregory Ratoff discussed the project further with Soviet Ambassador to the United StatesAndrei Gromyko.[6]
Anna Louise Strong, David Hertz,Guy Trosper, andMichael Blankfort each worked on drafts of the screenplay before the final version was written by Paul Jarrico and Richard Collins. The U.S. government later pressured MGM to haveBoris Ingster rewrite the screenplay further to downplay the film'sStalinist tones.Kathryn Grayson,Hedy Lamarr, Barbara Pearson,Signe Hasso,Donna Reed, andGreta Garbo were all considered for the role of Nadya with Garbo preferred before Susan Peters was cast in the role.Walter Pidgeon andMargaret O'Brien were originally cast as John and Sasha.Elliott Sullivan andJean Rogers also auditioned for roles in the film, whileKeenan Wynn andMorris Ankrum were hired but recast.[6]
Principal photography began on the film on March 11, 1943, and continued until late May, resuming again in June and July. Reshoots occurred in December 1943. The film was shot in California, withRancho Park Golf Course and Sierra Mountains used as locations. On June 29, 1943, Ratoff collapsed during filming, forcingLászló Benedek to step in as director for the rest of principal photography. Additionally Marvin Stuart had to become assistant director after Roland Asher joined theRoyal Air Force, George Hively replacedGeorge Boemler as editor.[6]
The positive portrayal of the Soviet Union in the film is clearly linked to thewartime alliance of the Soviet Union and the U.S.[5]
After the end of the Second World War and the outbreak of theCold War, theHouse Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC) citedSong of Russia as one of the three noted examples of "pro-Soviet propaganda films" made by Hollywood, the others beingWarner Bros.'Mission to Moscow andRKO'sThe North Star. This assertion was supported by the Russian-American pro-capitalist andanti-Communist writerAyn Rand, who was specifically asked by a HUAC investigator to see the film and provide an expert opinion on it. Ayn Rand, in her 1947 testimony before the HUAC, citedSong of Russia as an example ofCommunist propaganda in the Hollywood motion picture-industry, depicting a romanticized Soviet Union with a degree of freedom and comfort that, in her opinion, did not exist in the real Soviet Union.[7]
Robert Taylor himself protested, after the fact, that he had had to make the film under duress, as he was under contract to MGM. Specifically, he claimed that theWar Production Board threatened to block his commission to theUnited States Navy unless he appeared in the film.[6] This is the rationale he used to explain why he was a friendly witness during the HUAC hearings in the 1950s. Russian-born director Ratoff testified that Taylor was telling the truth and that Taylor had explicitly protested about the aforementioned nonrealistic aspect of the film but had been told by MGM to "just do the picture" or else he would be liable for breach of contract.
Despite the criticism it received in later years, historians claiming it is nowadays more remembered for its content rather than its quality,Song of Russia was initially received positively.The New York Times called some scenes "a fine bit of cinematic art".[8] Furthermore, the reviewer praised the cast, writing:
"Taylor makes a very good impression as a young American caught in Russia by love and war. And Susan Peters is extraordinarily winning as a mentally solemn but emotionally bonny Russian girl. Robert Benchley throws some straws of cryptic humor into the wind as the American's manager, and Michael Chekhov, Vladimir Sokoloff and Michael Dalmatov are superb as genial Russian characters."[8]
Big Spring Daily Herald called Taylor and Peters "the most dynamic new romantic team sinceClark Gable was paired withLana Turner".[9]
The movie was also popular, earning $1,845,000 in the US and Canada and $1,884,000 elsewhere resulting in a profit of $782,000.[1]