If a friend is not an enemy or a friend, so be it. . . What in this film was a direct story, what is mysticism, and what is the author's technique?
One story: the crew of an American bomber was captured by the Germans. All four crew members became the organizers of the escape from the camp, but three went to take the fire on themselves, and one left. As it turned out, left not just in the barracks, but alive.
The second story is that this “fourth” returned home after the war and became a journalist. He was entrusted with the action: to disrupt another flight of an American aircraft over the territory of the USSR, so that after hitting the spy U-2 Soviet anti-aircraft missile to spin a huge international scandal, if not the Third world (nuclear) war. . .
The third story: the pilots who were in captivity, as it turned out, were internationalists and participants in the Spanish Civil War, someone was considered a Communist, someone was just an honest hot guy, someone considered Spanish Republicans honest people, and Francoists fascists.
Now imperialist commissioners sit on a Senate committee and World War II veterans can be charged with anti-American activities for their involvement in the Spanish Civil War and their support of the Communists. Or membership in the Communist Party. Or for refusing to testify, which is fraught with going to jail for three years.
And the last story: the hero of Vysotsky rushes, because he has already made compromises, and he has to give an account before the commission, and in the face of a living, but loyal to him beloved woman, and before the shadows of old comrades, whose lives were paid for the escape from the concentration camp on the eve of the execution in the distant war years.
The mystical part connects all the fragments or four storylines – “stories”.
Stolper made a film about morality and ethics. Ghosts of friends visit the hero of the film, because this way you can transfer the torment of conscience to the screen.
The main character is represented by Vysotsky. Among the performers we see a whole constellation. This film is still good for those who would like to see the work of famous domestic actors in those years when they were young.
For such a “time machine” only a positive, although not the highest assessment. It is worth watching the film from the first frames to the last.
Unfortunately, such a movie is already a museum exhibit. And in the living of the brilliant young talent of celebrities almost no one left. . .
7 out of 10