An Optimistic Tragedy (1963): cast, story & where to watch

Released in 1963, An Optimistic Tragedy is a drama, war and history film directed by Samson Samsonov, running about 120 minutes.

What it’s about. 1918 year. A woman commissar has been appointed from the Central Committee of the Bolshevik Party to the Russian warship Gromoboi, which is ruled by anarchist sailors. The leader of the ship is the anarchist Vozhak. The Commissioner was instructed to reorganize the naval detachment into the First Sailor Regiment. She faces a difficult task: to win the authority of the sailors and eradicate anarchy. Of the remaining officers on the ship — lieutenant Bering, who served in the tsarist fleet on the battleship "Emperor Paul I". He must become the commander and, together with the sent commissar, lead the regiment to the front in the Black Sea region.

Who’s in it. An Optimistic Tragedy stars Margarita Volodina as Commissar, Boris Andreyev as Vozhak, Vyacheslav Tikhonov as Aleksei and Vsevolod Sanayev as Siplyy, among others.

How it landed. With an audience score of 6.0/10, An Optimistic Tragedy has drawn a solid, mixed-to-positive response.

Where to watch. Streaming options change often. See the full, country-by-country breakdown on our where to watch An Optimistic Tragedy page.

If you liked it. Fans of An Optimistic Tragedy tend to enjoy The Shawshank Redemption, The Godfather, Schindler's List and The Godfather Part II.