Night Witches (В небе «ночные ведьмы»)

Dedicated to the women flyers brought up by the Komsomol

Screenplay by

Vladimir Valutskiy Evgeniya Zhigulenko

Directed by Evgeniya Zhigulenko

Director of Photography Lev Ragozin

Production Designer Boris Komyakov

Music by Ye. Kryilatov

…Killed for the Motherland in our flight,

We go on flying in eternity.

We are not just shadows silent and bland,

We’re the cry of the cranes, we’re the wind.

Those killed in the sky for their homeland

Are becoming the sky over it.

We breathe and warm the nests of birds

We lullaby the children, their sleep to sweeten…

Starring

Valentina Grushina as Oksana Zakharchenko

Yana Druz as Galya Polikarpova

Dima Zamulin as Fyodor

Nina Menshikova as Regiment Commissar

Valeriya Zaklunnaya as Regiment Commander

T. Mirkikova as Yulia Nesterova

Ye. Astafyeva as Katya Maksimova

A. Sviridova as Tonya Zhukova

S. Martyinov as Lazarev

D. Chogovadze as Sofiko

S. Korenev as the General

V. Klyagina as Soldatova

Night witches! Night witches!

Night Witches in the Sky

Lieutenant, lights out.

All go to sleep.

It’s exactly one year today.

The longest and most terrifying year of my life.

Listen, Masha.

If you go on flying like you did today, ...

... I won’t send you on a mission again. Understood?

Nothing’s going to happen to me.

I’m lucky.

365 nights.

And each night waiting for it to end.

Waiting to know if everyone returns.

What’s the matter with you, Masha?

How many have we lost?

We’ve been at the front exactly a year.

I remember sitting on the draft board of the Komsomol Central Committee, ...

... receiving both well-known women flyers ...

... and very young girls.

They came demanding, begging, insisting, ...

... crying when they were turned down to go to the front.

The squadron had been already formed, ...

... but they kept writing, coming, arriving.

The main thing is not to oversleep.

The main thing for you is not to forget to take her things.

As a result of fierce fighting, ...

... they broke the enemy’s resistance ...

... and took by storm the city of Kharkov…

It’s you again?

We need to see someone.

I told you you can’t.

Please, we’ll be very quiet.

We came from the front.

Everybody comes from the front. Only after five.

We’ll be in flight then.

At 5 we’ll be already bombing.

I’m going to complain to the head doctor.

What a pest! C’mon, Katya.

Polikarpova, where’re you going?

And what’s this?

Soldatova, I’m running to the front.

Galya, I applied for your regiment, I was turned down for my eyeglasses.

Don’t even squeak about this.

- Of course not. - Good.

Galya, take me with you.

- Galya! - Quiet.

There’s something you can do here. There’s nothing I can do here.

Take me along!

- Comrade girl. - Yes, comrade young man?

I’ve witnessed your courageous act.

So what?

I approve. To a ball? To a date? Or…?

Or.

- In that case, please. - Thank you.

I’ll deliver you to your destination. What’s the course?

- 270 degrees. - Forward.

May I introduce myself? Lazarev.

Polikarpova.

I’m pleased. Such a nice girl, and a hooligan to boot, is my colleague.

- What do you mean by that? - Just what I said.

So you’re flying those things?

What do you mean by “those things”?

I mean those…

Kerosene stoves.

Stop.

Nothing derogatory about it. All call them kerosene stoves or bookshelves.

No, it’s just that we’ve arrived. Stop.

Wait. Will you at least tell me your first name?

Want to run away?

My kerosene stove can fly, too.

I’m taking off!

Your name?

Kerosene stove!

What’s going on in your regiment?

Shatrova’s forbidden to go up in the air, yet she’s flying fighting planes.

It’s a crime!

It’s war. I have no one else to fly.

Everyone’s busy, everyone’s hurrying to the front, and I must treat them.

What can I do?

Your beauties have just stolen a patient again.

I’m warning you, I’m going to complain to the General.

Call the 2nd Squadron commander and the doctor to me now.

Yes, Comrade Commander?

Commissar, where’re you?

I’m here. What’s up?

Comrade Commander, the assignment has been carried out.

Did you allow Maksimova and Nesterova to fly to the hospital?

The girls gathered presents for Galya. What’s happened?

Yes, Comrade Commander?

Just look what Zakharchenko’s subordinates are doing.

And I’m being accused of committing a crime.

What crime, Dusya?

Yes, Comrade Commander?

Can you explain what happened?

What’s happened?

Look, you’ll see it. Zakharchenko, you look, too.

Well?

What do you say?

Something’s going to happen now.

Comrade Commander, lance-corporal Polikarpova has arrived from hospital, ...

... absolutely healthy and ready to fly.

Ten days of arrest for everybody. The sick one goes back to hospital.

Who’s going to fly?

I’m not sick and I’m not going to the hospital.

Zakharchenko, what’s going on in your squadron?

I knew it would end like this.

Comrade Commander, the General wants you.

Yes, Comrade General?

I see.

I see, Comrade General. Yes.

An urgent change of assignment. I’m flying to HQ.

Navigators, check the routes.

Chief of HQ, define the front line.

Maximal alert. Take-off on green flare.

Comrade Commander, two of the squadron’s navigators are sick.

Allow me to fly with Polikarpova.

- When were the stitches removed? - They’ve been removed.

A temporary amnesty for all. Until the war is over.

What’s this screaming?

How are you?

- I’m okay. - Can you fly?

Report to the commander. I’ve got problems with my engine.

The assignment has been carried out.

- How are you feeling? - Good.

- Will you take a rest today? - No, I’ll fly.

Bring the fuel here.

Zina, which flight will it be with us?

The eighth, Comrade Commander.

Will you have something to eat, Comrade Commander?

Alright.

It’s hot! Thanks for feeding me!

Zina, is the plane ready for flight?

Yes, ready, Comrade Commander.

- Katya, which flight are we doing? - Eighth.

The regiment’s 5,000th mission.

How long ago it was.

Days turned into weeks, weeks into long, hard months.

The fascists got pretty tired of us,

and they nicknamed us “night witches”.

That’s something.

If the enemy curses us,

it means my girls are very good.

The planes will be back in an hour.

Reveille, girls. Your planes are coming back.

Antonina, why are you sitting? Come on.

I’ll wait for my girls.

When will you get smart, Galina?

What an idea - to run away from the hospital!

I had to lie to the commander that the navigators were sick.

Oksana.

You’re a true friend.

Oh, come on.

Have a little sleep.

Want me to take over? Have a sleep.

All right.

Oksana, a Messer on our right!

Let’s go, you hear?

Oksana, the tanks!

Tanks! Hurry up!

Let’s run! We’re Russians. Let’s run! Hurry!

C’mon, hurry!

Why don’t you say something?

What’s your name?

I’m Oksana.

And you?

Does something hurt?

C’mon, say something.

Comrade Lieutenant, the commissar calls you.

C’mon, go to sleep. I’ll be back soon. Alright?

Don’t let anyone in. Let him sleep.

Get to know our squadron.