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80% Critic Match
Ballad of a Soldier
“From the very pages of life itself!”
8.0 / 10• 1959• 1h 29m•NR• Russian
DramaRomanceWar
Storyline
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.
Cast & Crew
Vladimir Ivashov
Alyosha Skvortsov
Lead
Zhanna Prokhorenko
Shura
Antonina Maksimova
Katerina, Alyosha's Mother
Nikolay Kryuchkov
The General
Evgeniy Urbanskiy
Vasya, the Invalid
Elza Lezhdey
Liza, the Invalid's Wife
AK
Aleksandr Kuznetsov
Gavrilkin, the Train Sentry
Yevgeni Teterin
The Lieutenant, 'A Terrible Beast'
What People Are Saying
4.0
“A staggering achievement of craft and ambition. Grigoriy Chukhray's vision lands with breathtaking precision.”
4.0
“Every frame feels alive. Ballad of a Soldier is the rare release that takes its audience seriously.”
