Ballad of a Soldier
Release date: 1959-12-01
Votes: 205
Genres: Drama, Romance, War
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.
Reviews
CinemaSerf
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.
Movie Recommendation
Blue Exorcist: The Movie2012-12-28The atmosphere in True Cross Academy is lively and boisterous in the days leading up to the grand festival held once every 11 years. During this time, Okumura Rin is entrusted with the responsibility of suppressing the berserk Phantom Train. In the midst of his mission, he meets a devil whose appearance is that of a young boy.More...
The Needle1989-02-13Moro returns to Alma-Ata to collect money owed to him. While waiting out an unexpected delay, he visits his former girlfriend Dina and discovers she has become a morphine addict. He decides to help her kick the habit and to fight the local drug mafia responsible for her condition.More...
To Live1994-05-18Married couple Fugui and Jiazhen endure tumultuous events in mid-20th century mainland China as their personal fortunes move from wealthy landownership to peasantry.More...
Brigsby Bear2017-07-27Brigsby Bear Adventures is a children's TV show produced for an audience of one: James. When the show abruptly ends, James's life changes forever, and he sets out to finish the story himself.More...
The Organizer1963-10-25In the late 19th century, a former high school teacher turned unionist tries to organize workers laboring with inhuman conditions at a textile factory.More...
The Deep1977-06-17A pair of young vacationers are involved in a dangerous conflict with treasure hunters when they discover a way into a deadly wreck in Bermuda waters.More...
The Insatiable2006-11-01A drab, run-of-the-mill guy witnesses a vampiress devour a bum and becomes so infatuated with her, he tracks her down and traps her in a basement so she can't kill again.More...
Ladies of Leisure1930-04-05Kay Arnold is a gold digger who wanders from party to party with the intention of catching a rich suitor. Jerry Strong is a young man from a wealthy family who strives to succeed as an artist. What begins as a relationship of mutual convenience soon turns into something else.More...
A Film for Friends2011-06-11Considering that his life is a failure, a man records himself leaving a video-message to his loved ones. After this message, which tackles, in funny and sad ways, a lot of issues, both personal and social, he shoots himself in the head. But he fails. And what follows is the a ridiculous and horrific agony, that probably changes the characters' vision about life... A film done basically in one single shot.More...
The Dog House1952-11-29Spike is building the doghouse of his dreams. However, Tom chases Jerry through the chassis of the house and also pulls a board off it to attack the mouse with. When Jerry perches on Spike's head, even lying on top of his dream house does not stop it from being smashed. Tom bolts, but Spike stomps on his tail, then dusts himself off and wrenches the cat facing in his direction. He issues Tom an ultimatum: leave his dream house alone or suffer the consequences ("Wait a minute pussycat! Ever since I was a pup I've wanted a place of my own and I still want it! But if one thing happens to my little dreamhouse...there's goin' to be moider!").More...
Possum2018-10-26A disgraced children's puppeteer returns to his childhood home and is forced to confront his wicked stepfather and the secrets that have tortured him his entire life.More...
Brief Encounter1945-11-24Returning home from a shopping trip to a nearby town, bored suburban housewife Laura Jesson is thrown by happenstance into an acquaintance with virtuous doctor Alec Harvey. Their casual friendship soon develops during their weekly visits into something more emotionally fulfilling than either expected, and they must wrestle with the potential havoc their deepening relationship would have on their lives and the lives of those they love.More...
Mamma Roma1962-09-22After years spent working as a prostitute in her Italian village, middle-aged Mamma Roma has saved enough money to buy herself a fruit stand so that she can have a respectable middle-class life and reestablish contact with the 16-year-old son she abandoned when he was an infant. But her former pimp threatens to expose her sordid past, and her troubled son seems destined to fall into a life of crime and violence.More...
Lagaan: Once Upon a Time in India2001-06-15In 1890s India, an arrogant British commander challenges the harshly taxed residents of Champaner to a high-stakes cricket match.More...
Repulsion1965-06-01Beautiful young manicurist Carole suffers from androphobia (the pathological fear of interaction with men). When her sister and roommate, Helen, leaves their London flat to go on an Italian holiday with her married boyfriend, Carole withdraws into her apartment. She begins to experience frightful hallucinations, her fear gradually mutating into madness.More...
Chungking Express1994-07-14Two melancholic Hong Kong policemen fall in love: one with a mysterious underworld figure, the other with a beautiful and ethereal server at a late-night restaurant.More...
Falling Down1993-02-26An ordinary man frustrated with the various flaws he sees in society begins to psychotically and violently lash out against them.More...
The Platform2019-11-08A slab of food descends down a vertical facility. The residents above eat heartily, leaving those below starving and desperate. A rebellion is imminent.More...
Gran Torino2008-12-12Disgruntled Korean War veteran Walt Kowalski sets out to reform his neighbor, Thao Lor, a Hmong teenager who tried to steal Kowalski's prized possession: a 1972 Gran Torino.More...
Se7en1995-09-22Two homicide detectives are on a desperate hunt for a serial killer whose crimes are based on the "seven deadly sins" in this dark and haunting film that takes viewers from the tortured remains of one victim to the next. The seasoned Det. Somerset researches each sin in an effort to get inside the killer's mind, while his novice partner, Mills, scoffs at his efforts to unravel the case.More...
Similar Movies
Pearl Harbor
2001-05-21The lifelong friendship between Rafe McCawley and Danny Walker is put to the ultimate test when the two ace fighter pilots become entangled in a love triangle with beautiful Naval nurse Evelyn Johnson. But the rivalry between the friends-turned-foes is immediately put on hold when they find themselves at the center of Japan's devastating attack on Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7, 1941.The Last Emperor
1987-10-04A dramatic history of Pu Yi, the last of the Emperors of China, from his lofty birth and brief reign in the Forbidden City, the object of worship by half a billion people; through his abdication, his decline and dissolute lifestyle; his exploitation by the invading Japanese, and finally to his obscure existence as just another peasant worker in the People's Republic.D-Day: The Untold Sto...
2019-06-02To commemorate the 75th anniversary of D-Day, this special presents the key events of the Allied invasion of Nazi-held Europe and the subsequent battles that captured the control of the Normandy coast. Some of the last surviving veterans recall in detail the terror, patriotism and drama from the frontlines of war. This special also honors the diverse backgrounds of all who served.Alone
1959-03-12A group of partisans fight to the last man to cover a retreat, leaving only five, who take the newborn child of a dead woman with them. Based on the novel by Mihajlo Ranovcevic.Echelon of Doctor M
1955-02-14Continuing their exploits against the Yugoslav National Liberation Army, the Ballists attack an echelon of wounded warriors led by Dr. M. He takes the wounded to a nearby town. Aware that the justice is on the side of Doctor M., Ramadan, son of one of the Ballist leaders, joins him and contributes to defeat of the Ballists.Gandhi
1982-12-01In the early years of the 20th century, Mohandas K. Gandhi, a British-trained lawyer, forsakes all worldly possessions to take up the cause of Indian independence. Faced with armed resistance from the British government, Gandhi adopts a policy of 'passive resistance', endeavouring to win freedom for his people without resorting to bloodshed.Closely Watched Train...
1966-11-18At a village railway station in occupied Czechoslovakia, a bumbling dispatcher’s apprentice longs to liberate himself from his virginity. Oblivious to the war and the resistance that surrounds him, this young man embarks on a journey of sexual awakening and self-discovery, encountering a universe of frustration, eroticism, and adventure within his sleepy backwater depot.Platoon
1986-12-19As a young and naive recruit in Vietnam, Chris Taylor faces a moral crisis when confronted with the horrors of war and the duality of man.Judgment at Nuremberg...
1961-12-18In 1947, four German judges who served on the bench during the Nazi regime face a military tribunal to answer charges of crimes against humanity. Chief Justice Haywood hears evidence and testimony not only from lead defendant Ernst Janning and his defense attorney Hans Rolfe, but also from the widow of a Nazi general, an idealistic U.S. Army captain and reluctant witness Irene Wallner.The Bridge on the Riv...
1957-10-11The classic story of English POWs in Burma forced to build a bridge to aid the war effort of their Japanese captors. British and American intelligence officers conspire to blow up the structure, but Col. Nicholson, the commander who supervised the bridge's construction, has acquired a sense of pride in his creation and tries to foil their plans.Enemy at the Gates
2001-02-28A Russian and a German sniper play a game of cat-and-mouse during the Battle of Stalingrad in WWII.Saving Private Ryan
1998-07-24As U.S. troops storm the beaches of Normandy, three brothers lie dead on the battlefield, with a fourth trapped behind enemy lines. Ranger captain John Miller and seven men are tasked with penetrating German-held territory and bringing the boy home.The Tin Drum
1979-05-02Oskar Matzerath is a very unusual boy. Refusing to leave the womb until promised a tin drum by his mother, Agnes, Oskar is reluctant to enter a world he sees as filled with hypocrisy and injustice, and vows on his third birthday to never grow up. Miraculously, he gets his wish. As the Nazis rise to power in Danzig, Oskar wills himself to remain a child, beating his tin drum incessantly and screaming in protest at the chaos surrounding him.The Marriage of Maria...
1979-03-23Maria marries a young soldier in the last days of World War II, only for him to go missing in the war. She must rely on her beauty and ambition to navigate the difficult post-war years alone.The Master Race
1944-09-22When allied troops liberate a small battle-scarred Belgium town in 1944 the American and British commanders do all they can to help the war-weary people back on their feet. There are mental and physical wounds to heal, fields to plough, the church to rebuild. But a top Nazi, knowing the War is lost, has infiltrated the town and is fostering dissent and disunity.Night Plane from Chun...
1943-05-31Without lights and in a driving rain, a bus is lumbering along the muddy Assam Road en route from Chunking to the Indian border. Passengers include a European of unknown nationality, a missionary a French officer, and a White Russian. There is also an ancient Chinese lady on an important diplomatic mission to Indian and her traveling companion. The trip is halted when Japanese planes bomb the road and hit a munitions truck and kill many Chinese soldiers. The Chinese commander puts the wounded soldiers on the bus and directs it to a nearby secret airport where the officer in charge is an American attached to the Chinese Air Force.Little Boy
2015-04-23An eight-year-old boy is willing to do whatever it takes to end World War II so he can bring his father home. The story reveals the indescribable love a father has for his little boy and the love a son has for his father.Heroes of the Undergr...
1976-01-27Besides martial arts, Bruce Lee's contribution to Chinese society was instilling a strong sense of nationalism. After his death, anti-Japanese films found new breathe especially in Taiwan. Based on a King Hu’s script, Heroes Of The Underground tapped into Lee's nationalistic fervor and the Confucian ethic of country above family and starred the popular Ching Li as a World War II, Chinese secret agent planted into the Japanese Headquarters at Changsha. Tears flow in the name of country pride.To Be or Not to Be
1942-03-06During the Nazi occupation of Poland, an acting troupe becomes embroiled in a Polish soldier's efforts to track down a German spy.Fighter Attack
1953-11-29World War II film set in German occupied Italy. A US fighter pilot is shot down in enemy territory during a raid against a German supply depot. He receives from Italian partisans in laying the groundwork for a new attack by his squadron.