The Man Who Saved the World
- This is the article for the 2014 documentary film. For the 1982 Turkish action film, see Dünyayı Kurtaran Adam.
| The Man Who Saved the World | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | Peter Anthony |
| Produced by |
Jakob Staberg Christian D. Bruun Mark Romeo Raphael Avigdor Svilen Kamburov |
| Written by | Peter Anthony |
| Starring |
Stanislav Petrov Nataliya Vdovina Sergey Shnyryov |
| Cinematography |
Kim Hattesen Anders Löfstedt |
| Edited by | Morten Højbjerg |
Release dates |
Premiered October 2014 Woodstock Film Festival |
| Country | Denmark |
| Language | English and Russian |
The Man Who Saved the World is a 2014 feature/documentary film by Danish director Peter Anthony about Stanislav Petrov, a former lieutenant colonel of the Soviet Air Defence Forces. Other stars appearing in the film include Robert De Niro, Matt Damon, Kevin Costner, Ashton Kutcher and Walter Cronkite.
The film premiered in October 2014 at the Woodstock Film Festival in Woodstock, New York, winning; "Honorable Mention: Audience Award Winner for Best Narrative Feature" and "Honorable Mention: James Lyons Award for Best Editing of a Narrative Feature."[1]
Synopsis
For a few crucial moments on September 26, 1983, Stanislav Petrov held the fate of the world in his hands.
When an alarm suddenly went off at Soviet nuclear early warning center Serpukhov-15, Stanislav was responsible for reacting to a report that five American nuclear missiles were heading toward the Soviet Union. Rather than retaliate, Stanislav followed his gut feeling and went against protocol, convincing the armed forces that it was a false alarm. His decision saved the world from a potential devastating nuclear holocaust.
In 2006, Petrov received an award at the United Nations,[2] where he was finally acknowledged for his historic deed and found the strength to reconcile with his past. On his journey, he was greeted by Walter Cronkite as "The Man Who Saved the World" and met Kevin Costner, Robert De Niro, Matt Damon, and Ashton Kutcher.
Shot on location in the former Soviet Union and the United States, The Man Who Saved the World shines a light on nuclear disarmament. It shows how precarious our world has become in the nuclear age and how our own belief in humanity and each other is the hope that we must foster in order to survive and thrive.
Production notes
Re-enactments are intertwined with modern documentary footage of Petrov to create a hybrid film that feels and looks like a narrative feature film rather than a traditional documentary. Sergey Shnyryov plays the part of Petrov in the re-enactments.
Anthony made the film over a decade; the process was difficult because of Petrov's reluctance to open up. Anthony said: “He is quite difficult to work with, as in his day, you could still go to the gulag for disclosing unauthorised information, and as an ex-soldier, he wasn’t really interested in discussing his personal feelings. That though, is the beauty of the story.”[3]
See also
- Vasili Arkhipov, a Soviet Naval officer who refused to launch a nuclear torpedo during the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis
References
- ↑ Bernstein, Rachel (21 October 2014). "2014 Woodstock Film Festival Honors Darren Aronofsky, Announces Audience Awards". Indiewire. Retrieved 26 April 2015.
- ↑ "Russian who 'saved the world' recalls his decision as 50/50". 17 September 2015.
- ↑ "The Man Who Saved the World feature". The Telegraph.
External links
- Official website: themanwhosavedtheworldmovie.com
- The Man Who Saved the World at the Internet Movie Database