Minin and Pozharsky (1939): Cast & Plot

In the summer of 1610, a broad swath of rural Russia lies ruined by Polish invaders, and two traveling merchants push into the devastated countryside with a sense of mission as much as necessity. Kuzma Minin and Nelyub Ovtsyn drive their cart through the smoke and ash, searching for a way to help their homeland. They come upon a wounded peasant named Roman on a burning ruin, and Minin stubbornly decides to carry him away from the blaze. On the way, the wounded man speaks with a surprising clarity about Russia’s need to be freed from Polish rule, and Minin feels the weight of responsibility in his words. Roman, after a brief exchange, bids farewell to the merchants and disappears into the cold air of the countryside.