 The premier intervened in Pavlenko's writing, read the screenplay's manuscript and corrected several grammatical mistakes; he also deleted a short sequence during which a German civilian in Berlin exhorted his family to hasten and flee as the Red Army approaches.German historian Lars Karl believed this signaled his resolution to demonstrate that the civilian populace had nothing to fear from the Soviets.The picture was the first feature film about the Battle of Berlin and the events in Hitler's bunker, preceding "Der letzte Akt" by five years.