Ballad of a Soldier (1959)

Original title

Баллада о солдате

Directed by

Grigori Chukhrai

Genre

drama film, war film, romance film

Country

Soviet Union

Runtime

1h 28m

Rated

16

Rating

8.0 of 10 from 220 voters

Elsewhere

IMDb

How it feels

A young Red Army soldier gets a short leave during World War II and tries to reach his mother. Along the way he helps strangers and falls in love.

bittersweetromanticgentlenostalgichopefultenderquietmoving

What happens

Ballad of a Soldier (Russian: Баллада о солдате, romanized: Ballada o soldate) is a 1959 Soviet war romance film directed and co-written by Grigory Chukhray and starring Vladimir Ivashov and Zhanna Prokhorenko. While set during World War II, Ballad of a Soldier is not primarily a war film. It recounts, within the context of the turmoil of war, various kinds of love: the romantic love of a young couple, the committed love of a married couple, and a mother's love of her child, as a Red Army soldier tries to make it home during a leave. On the way, he meets soldiers and civilians and also falls in love. The film was produced at Mosfilm and won several awards, including the BAFTA Award for Best Film From Any Source, and was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay. (from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA)

Trailer

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