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DramaRomanceWar

Ballad of a Soldier

- From the very pages of life itself!

During World War II, earnest young Russian soldier Alyosha Skvortsov is rewarded with a short leave of absence for performing a heroic deed on the battlefield. Feeling homesick, he decides to visit his mother. Due to his kindhearted nature, however, Alyosha is repeatedly sidetracked by his efforts to help those he encounters, including a lovely girl named Shura. In his tour of a country devastated by war, he struggles to keep hope alive.

Release Date : 1959-12-01

Language :Russian

Adult : false

Status : Released

Production Company : Mosfilm

Production Country : Soviet Union

Alternative Titles :

Cast

Vladimir Ivashov

Character Name : Alyosha Skvortsov

Original Name : Владимир Ивашов

Gender : Male

Zhanna Prokhorenko

Character Name : Shura

Original Name : Жанна Прохоренко

Gender : Female

Antonina Maksimova

Character Name : Katerina, Alyosha's Mother

Original Name : Антонина Максимова

Gender : Female

Nikolay Kryuchkov

Character Name : The General

Original Name : Николай Крючков

Gender : Male

Evgeniy Urbanskiy

Character Name : Vasya, the Invalid

Original Name : Evgeniy Urbanskiy

Gender : Male

Elza Lezhdey

Character Name : Liza, the Invalid's Wife

Original Name : Эльза Леждей

Gender : Female

Aleksandr Kuznetsov

Character Name : Gavrilkin, the Train Sentry

Original Name : Александр Кузнецов

Gender : Male

Yevgeni Teterin

Character Name : The Lieutenant, 'A Terrible Beast'

Original Name : Евгений Тетерин

Gender : Male

Valentina Markova

Character Name : Zoya, Skvortsovs' Neighbor

Original Name : Valentina Markova

Gender : Female

Mariya Kremneva

Character Name : Elizaveta Petrovna, Pavlov's Wife

Original Name : Mariya Kremneva

Gender : Male

Vladimir Pokrovskiy

Character Name : Vasiliy Egorovich, Pavlov's Father

Original Name : Vladimir Pokrovskiy

Gender : Male

Georgiy Yumatov

Character Name : The Driver

Original Name : Георгий Юматов

Gender : Male

Gennadiy Yukhtin

Character Name : Seryozha Pavlov

Original Name : Геннадий Юхтин

Gender : Male

Valentina Telegina

Character Name : Old Woman Truck Driver

Original Name : Валентина Телегина

Gender : Female

Lev Borisov

Character Name : The Soldier, Pavlov's Buddy

Original Name : Лев Борисов

Gender : Male

Leonid Chubarov

Character Name : Sergeant Major Mos'ko

Original Name : Leonid Chubarov

Gender : Male

Vladimir Kashpur

Character Name : Ryaboy

Original Name : Владимир Кашпур

Gender : Male

Valentin Abramov

Character Name : Joking Soldier in Train

Original Name : Valentin Abramov

Gender : Male

Mikhail Dadyko

Character Name : Alyosha's Train Companion

Original Name : Mikhail Dadyko

Gender : Male

Semen Svashenko

Character Name : Old Ukrainian

Original Name : Semen Svashenko

Gender : Male

Nina Menshikova

Character Name : Telegraph Office Clerk

Original Name : Нина Меньшикова

Gender : Female

Valentin Bryleev

Character Name : The Soldier, Pavlov's Buddy

Original Name : Валентин Брылеев

Gender : Male

Evgeniy Evstigneev

Character Name : Truck Driver Who Changed His Mind

Original Name : Евгений Евстигнеев

Gender : Male

Yuriy Dubrovin

Character Name : Pavlov's Buddy

Original Name : Юрий Дубровин

Gender : Male

Valentina Ananina

Character Name : Alyosha's Neighbor (uncredited)

Original Name : Валентина Ананьина

Gender : Female

Aleksey Bakhar

Character Name : The Driver (uncredited)

Original Name : Алексей Бахарь

Gender : Male

Tatyana Barysheva

Character Name : Pavlov's Neighbor (uncredited)

Original Name : Татьяна Барышева

Gender : Female

Valentina Berezutskaya

Character Name : Alyosha's Neighbor (uncredited)

Original Name : Валентина Березуцкая

Gender : Female

Vera Burlakova

Character Name : The Woman with Baby (uncredited)

Original Name : Вера Бурлакова

Gender : Female

Aleksandra Danilova

Character Name : Alyosha's Neighbor (uncredited)

Original Name : Александра Данилова

Gender : Female

Marina Gavrilko

Character Name : Ukrainian Refugee (uncredited)

Original Name : Марина Гаврилко

Gender : Female

Zoya Isaeva

Character Name : The Train Conductor (uncredited)

Original Name : Зоя Исаева

Gender : Female

Pyotr Kiryutkin

Character Name : Alyosha's Train Companion (uncredited)

Original Name : Пётр Кирюткин

Gender : Male

Mayya Kokhanova

Character Name : Ukrainian Refugee (uncredited)

Original Name : Mayya Kokhanova

Gender : Male

Viktor Markin

Character Name : The Soldier with Bandaged Hand (uncredited)

Original Name : Виктор Маркин

Gender : Male

Radner Muratov

Character Name : Alyosha's Train Companion (uncredited)

Original Name : Раднэр Муратов

Gender : Male

Artur Nishchyonkin

Character Name : Alyosha's Train Companion (uncredited)

Original Name : Artur Nishchyonkin

Gender : Male

Sergey Pryanishnikov

Character Name : Pavlov's Neighbor (uncredited)

Original Name : Sergey Pryanishnikov

Gender : Male

Alevtina Rumyantseva

Character Name : The Girl with Bucket (uncredited)

Original Name : Алевтина Румянцева

Gender : Female

Vsevolod Sanayev

Character Name : Part-bit (uncredited)

Original Name : Всеволод Санаев

Gender : Male

Pyotr Savin

Character Name : The Soldier in Trench (uncredited)

Original Name : Пётр Савин

Gender : Male

Ekaterina Savinova

Character Name : The Train Conductor (uncredited)

Original Name : Екатерина Савинова

Gender : Female

Olga Shakhova

Character Name : Resident of the Bombed House (uncredited)

Original Name : Ольга Шахова

Gender : Female

Georgi Shapovalov

Character Name : Soldier-driver (uncredited)

Original Name : Георгий Шаповалов

Gender : Male

Nikolay Smorchkov

Character Name : The Soldier at Ferry (uncredited)

Original Name : Николай Сморчков

Gender : Male

Evgeniy Steblov

Character Name :

Original Name : Евгений Стеблов

Gender : Male

Lyubov Sokolova

Character Name : The Woman at Market (uncredited)

Original Name : Любовь Соколова

Gender : Female

Elena Volskaya

Character Name : Alyosha's Neighbor (uncredited)

Original Name : Елена Вольская

Gender : Female

Yuriy Yakovlev

Character Name : Narrator (uncredited)

Original Name : Юрий Яковлев

Gender : Male

Reviews

C

CinemaSerf

@Geronimo1967

2024-12-13

When the young "Alyosha" (Vladimir Ivashov) risks life and limb to take out a couple of approaching Nazi tanks, his Comrade General (Nikolay Kryuchkov) proudly suggests an official citation for his bravery. Instead, he pleads to be allowed to travel home to fix his mother's roof. The battalion is due for some rest anyway, so he is given a furlough for six days to get home and get back. Armed with some tins of beef and a message from one of his colleagues to his sweetheart, he sets off on a journey across a war-torn land where he has to use his wits and guile to make it in time. Along the way he meets "Shura" (Zhanna Prokhorenko) who is also fleeing from their invaders and after a typically nervous start in a hay-strewn railway carriage, the two begin to bond as their journey reminds them not just of the dangers of soldiering during wartime, but also of the fairly profound effects that can have on a civilian population struggling for basics - physical and emotional. Aleksandr Kuznetsov is really the only other actor to have anything like a recurring role - he is the train sentry not averse to a little tinned beef either, otherwise it's down to the two actors to tell a story of endurance and love that is really quite endearing. The horrors of war are never far away, but they don't overwhelm a plot that is essentially about humanity, decency and family in the face of unpredictability and fear - a toxic combination for a couple yet to get out of their teens. Ivashov shines here. His character's innocence and integrity are possibly designed for propagandist purposes, but they swiftly rise above that to show us a story of a young man who could just as easily have fought for any of the allies during WWII - and I thought he delivered it really personably. There's a hint of jeopardy at the end and as his journey is frequently tinged with a realism that isn't all rose-coloured cottages the whole thing comes across as a plausible tale of the impact of conflict and of, potently, what they were all fighting for in the first place. There's a lot packed into the ninety minutes, including some humour now and again, and I did enjoy it.