In the half-century anniversary of October, it was impossible to ignore the historical heritage of the Soviet people and the eyes of many filmmakers were turned to the events of that time. There was a thaw in the courtyard and the revaluation of values reached the very foundations of Soviet historiography. To the construction of Soviet power were admitted sympathizers, citizens of dubious origin and other elements alien to the previous era. And if the exclusion of Stalin from the construction of the Soviet state is quite understandable, then the small mention of Lenin in the creations of the 1967 cinema cannot but be surprising. The bet was made on the supporting characters quite possibly by that time by many forgotten: Sofia Perovskaya, Postyshev, Blucher, Sergey Lazo, Lisa Pylaeva. But films were especially successful, where the heroes were the simplest citizens far from politics who found themselves in the crucible of the revolution, finding their way in the dark, in doubts and spiritual throwing. “Commissioner”, “Stars and Soldiers”, “There is no ford in the fire”, “Seventh Satellite” left a good memory of the fiftieth anniversary of the revolution in the history of cinema.
"Nikolai Bauman" is undoubtedly a product of that time. Bauman doesn't look like a stereotypical underground revolutionary, he looks much more organic at a secular party. There we find him surrounded by beautiful ladies in evening dresses. When the tsarist guard does not allow him to enjoy all the pleasures of life, he hides not in a smoked basement, but in the luxurious palace of a large capitalist ace Savva Morozov, who supplies the Bolsheviks with solid sums of money. However, despite all this external decor, Bauman remains a Bolshevik to the tip of his ears, he indulges in epicureanism in his free time, and mainly he conducts exemplary underground work. He has not the slightest doubt in his business, for his sake he will go to prison, to hard labor, and to death. And he willingly demonstrates this readiness up to death.
Even more unusual in the Soviet film looks the figure of the famous merchant Savva Morozov, in a positive light. Savva Morozov is responsible for doubts, his doubts are so great that they overwhelm both the audience and the filmmakers themselves. Morozov is not just a cunning skin, by sponsoring the Bolsheviks, trying to achieve his insidious goals, it seems that he sincerely sympathizes with the Bolsheviks. This idea seemed so bold to the filmmakers that they could not develop it properly. This turns out to be the main problem of the film, some underdevelopment, understatement and indecision. The authors did not dare to touch on the figure of Bauman, who remained a fiery revolutionary a little tinsel and stopped before the figure of Morozov in serious reflection.
The film was made qualitatively. Director Semyon Tumanov has proved himself such a hit as "Come to me, Mukhtar!" and here he demonstrated his directorial skills. I didn't swell the cast either. Even with the changed reality, the film looks like.
6 out of 10