 Mikheil Chiaureli, Stalin's favourite director, and writer Pyotr Pavlenko have already collaborated to create the 1946 personality cult picture "The Vow".The Soviet Minister of Cinema, Ivan Bolshakov, instructed them both to begin work on "The Fall of Berlin" shortly after the release of "The Vow" in July 1946.The film was conceived as the Mosfilm studio's gift to Stalin for his official 70th birthday, which was to be held on 21 December 1950.