Chapaev (Russian: «Чапаев») is a 1934 Soviet film. It was directed by brothers Georgi Vasilyev and Sergei Vasilyev on Lenfilm. It is a story about Vasily Ivanovich Chapaev (1887-1919), a legendary Red Army commander that became a hero of the Russian Civil War. The plot is based on the novel of the same name by Dmitri Furmanov, a Russian writer and Bolshevik commissar who fought together with Chapayev.
It was awarded as "Best Foreign Film" by US National Board of Review in 1935 and Grand-Prix of Paris World Affair in 1937.
By poll of cinema critics (1978) the film is considered as one of the best 100 films in the world history.
After the release of the film, Chapaev and his assistants Petka and Anka became Russian folklore characters. This trio, together with their political comissar Furmanov is present in high amount of Russian jokes.