The Patriots is set in a Russian provincial village during World War I. Hans Klering plays a German prisoner of war, put to work in the village's cobbler shop. The film takes its sweet time articulating the relationship between the prisoner and his largely benign captors.
Patriots is essentially a plea for tolerance; being a Russian film of the 1930s, of course, there are none more tolerant than the Soviets. A bilingual production (Russian and German),
The Patriots is available on video in an English-subtitled version. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide