Film by Archie Reid, showing what life was like in Russia in the 1960s.

Women doing physical labour is a shock to some viewers. The film shows Palace of Peter the Great, the beauty of St Petersburg, later known as Leningrad.

The famous Cathedral of Blood is shown, many old churches and buildings were restored.We see office and factory workers enjoying the beach. We also see more modern buildings like the Exhibition of Economic Achievements and monuments to Russia’s space programme. 

Archie Reid was a History teacher and prolific film maker, you can find several of his gems on the Britain on Film map. This material is courtesy of Elizabeth Reid. 

The previous version hosted on the DFA was an old tape transfer. This version was created using a silent film transfer and synced with the audio from the tape version. The file was replaced on 20th June 2024.