Nepobedimyye (1933) Review: Soviet Actors Pretending to be Americans

If you have about an hour and a half to kill and you really like seeing how 1930s Russians imagined America, then Nepobedimyye is worth a look.

Most people will probably find it way too slow or preachy, but history nerds will get a kick out of the absurd costumes.

It’s based on a book called 'Immortal' by some guy named L. Desbury, and it’s all about the 'struggle' of the working class.

Honestly, it feels less like a movie and more like a long, grainy shout. 📢

You can tell the director, Vladimir Korsh-Sablin, really wanted us to feel the heat of the factory floor.

The smoke is everywhere, and sometimes it's so thick you can't even see the actors' faces, which might actually be a good thing.

The plot is pretty simple: workers are mad, the bosses are pure evil, and there are these pro-fascist groups lurking in the shadows.

There is this one scene where a group of workers are standing around a table, and the lighting is so dramatic it looks like a horror movie.

One actor, Ivan Grankin, has this way of staring into the camera that makes you feel like you owe him money.

It’s kind of funny seeing Soviet actors try to act 'American' by wearing slightly-too-big suits and tilted hats. 🎩

They don't really look like Americans; they look like Russians who got lost on their way to a wedding.

The pacing is a bit of a mess, and some scenes just stop out of nowhere.

I found myself wondering if some of the film was just lost or if they ran out of money that day.

It reminds me a little of the energy in Spartak, but with more wrenches and fewer swords.

There’s a lot of pointing. People point at machines, they point at each other, and they point at the sky.

I guess pointing was a big part of acting back then?

The music is also incredibly loud and never seems to take a break, even when people are just talking.

It’s like the composer was worried we’d fall asleep if there wasn't a trumpet blasting every five seconds. 🎺

One of the 'capitalist' villains has a mustache that is so perfectly groomed it’s almost distracting.

You find yourself watching the mustache instead of listening to his evil plan to crush the union.

If you've seen The Unexpected Shot, you know how these early 30s films love their dramatic close-ups.

But here, the close-ups last forever.

Like, okay, I get it, he's sad about the factory closing, we don't need to count his eyelashes.

The whole thing is very black and white, and I don't just mean the film stock.

There is zero nuance here—you are either a hero of the people or a monster in a top hat.

It lacks the weird charm of something like The Sawmill, which at least had some physical comedy to keep things moving.

Instead, we get a lot of speeches.

So many speeches.

I actually drifted off for a second during a bit about industrial production quotas.

But then a gun went off and I jumped. 🔫

The ending is exactly what you'd expect from a movie made in the USSR in 1933.

It doesn't really wrap up the characters' lives so much as it just makes a big statement.

I think I liked the sets more than the actual story.

Everything looks heavy and metallic and cold.

It’s a tough watch if you aren't in the right mood.

Don't go in expecting a masterpiece, just expect a very loud piece of history.

Anyway, it’s a weird artifact. 🎞️

I'm glad I saw it once, but I don't think I'll be rushing to watch it again anytime soon.

The actors really gave it their all, even if 'their all' involved a lot of sweating and yelling.

It's definitely better than some of the hollow stuff we get now, at least it has a soul, even if that soul is very, very angry.