The Deserter (1933 film)
The Deserter (1933 film)
The Deserter is a Soviet drama directed by Vsevolod Pudovkin. It was Pudovkin’s first sound film.
Plot
Karl Renn, a German shipyard worker in Hamburg, is a member of the Communist Party who is sent by the Soviet Union to help organize a general strike to pressure employers. The strike leads to clashes with the police. After about a month, many workers are exhausted and start becoming strike-breakers. An armed conflict erupts, and even Karl’s wife is drawn in, but he stays at home out of fear. Later, as a Party delegate, he travels to the Soviet Union with four comrades for a meeting. He works in a blast furnace and grows enthusiastic about communism. When he learns that his Party Chief in Hamburg has been killed, he returns to Germany to continue the fight for workers’ rights.
Style and reception
The film is noted for its vivid visual storytelling and innovative use of sound. Grigori Roshal praised its shot patterns and seamless progression from one shot to the next. The New York Times suggested the film could have been shorter by about fifteen minutes without hurting its value. Graham Greene called it “a bad film with some superb moments” but agreed it should be seen. Leonard Maltin gave it 3.5 out of 4 stars, praising its visuals and experimental sound work as a strong, essential experience.
Credits
Director: Vsevolod Pudovkin
Stars: Boris Livanov, Tamara Makarova, Sergey Martinson, Maksim Shtraukh, Sergei Gerasimov
Cinematography: Anatoli Golovnya, Yuli Fogelman
Editing: I. Aravina, M. Usoltseva
Music: Yuri Shaporin
Production: Mezhrabpom
Distributor: Garrison Films Inc. (United States)
Release: September 19, 1933
Running time: 103 minutes
Country: Soviet Union
Language: Russian
Original title: Dezertir (The Deserter)
This page was last edited on 3 February 2026, at 06:02 (CET).