Preceded by: Young Fritz (Kozintsev, Trauberg, USSR, 1942). A surviving fragment of one of Kozintsev and Trauberg's rare World War II films. Young Fritz is the story of a teenager who turns fascist and even joins the Gestapo. Written in verse by the poet and translator Samuil Marshak. (24 min fragment, In Russian with English subtitles, B&W, 35mm) (Yunost Maksima). The Youth of Maxim is the first part of a classic trilogy in which Kozintsev and Trauberg evoke the disturbed, restless pre-revolutionary years on the basis of memories and experiences of Bolshevik workers. Maxim is a fictional hero, a true popular hero, with indestructible good spirit and talents. His longing after freedom is in fact a recognition of every human being's right to a normal, happy life. Maxim is subjected to hardships; he has to suffer imprisonment, but since he is a free spirit, his vitality overcomes all bitterness. The teasing freshness of popular ballads helps present serious historical events as simple, everyday human happenings. The dynamic narrative movement and the striking figure cut by Boris Chirkov as Maxim connect the film to the eccentric tradition of the 1920s, while the film's humor, Maxim's smile, and the gentleness of his gestures, give intimacy to this account of a much-glorified historical movement.-Tom Luddy and Yvette Biro The Youth of Maxim and Young Fritz are repeated Friday, April 5.