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Ballad of a Soldier

Play trailer Poster for Ballad of a Soldier 1960 1h 29m War Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
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94% Tomatometer 16 Reviews 93% Popcornmeter 2,500+ Ratings
During World War II, earnest young Russian soldier Alyosha Skvortsov (Volodya Ivashov) 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 (Zhanna Prokhorenko). In his tour of a country devastated by war, he struggles to keep hope alive.

Critics Reviews

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Dave Kehr Chicago Reader 02/08/2010
One of those "universal" tales that are so often vague and sticky, but the simplicity and restraint of director Grigori Chukhrai lift it above the run. Go to Full Review Sarah Boslaugh TheArtsStl Oct 25
7/10
Ballad of a Soldier is less a war film and more a film set in wartime. Go to Full Review Dwight MacDonald Esquire Magazine 07/30/2019
If one wanted to be polite, one could call it idyllic and wholesome. I don't want to be polite and so I call it a contrived exercise in the faux-naif. Go to Full Review Jesús Fernández Santos El Pais (Spain) 07/18/2019
The exaltation of a soldier's values is above any other contemporary war film... It is charged with romanticism in the way that it deals with the fundamental scenes and in its vision of ideal and pure love. [Full Review in Spanish] Go to Full Review Tomas Trussow The Lonely Film Critic 06/04/2019
4.5/5
It is, to me, one of the most beautifully realized meditations on war "time" that I've seen, finding in it a truth and poetic vision in which almost every element works seamlessly in tandem. Go to Full Review Ken Hanke Mountain Xpress (Asheville, NC) 07/06/2010
4/5
It's fairly standard stuff, made into something more by a sense of humanity and a knack for avoiding outright schmaltz. Go to Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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David K Apr 5 The lead actors make this film. Young, living in unsettle times, theirs is an idyllic love that carries this road film. Worth the time. See more 10/05/2018 It's absolutely one of my favorite films, which reveal the humanity in war. And that's rare in Soviet's 40's-50's movie industry. See more 01/27/2018 - When I told you I didn't have anyone else, I was admitting that I love you Why didn't you say anything? - You don't love me. ....................................................................................................................... - Wait, Shura - I have something to tell you That scene summarizes my life. 90/100 See more 11/19/2016 Ballad of a Soldier is a brilliant gem of mid-century Soviet cinema that will take you by surprise. It's lyrically unassuming, but not boring. It's moving and thoughtful, but not too sentimental. It has the episodic nature of life, combining the mundane and the extraordinary. See more 07/16/2016 I think a better title 4 this would b 'trains & trucks' 4 this WWII tale post WWII-Russian style. See more scott s 01/27/2016 A war story that is not about war. This movie looks at the human aspect of war and how in the devastation of war, humanity can still show love and kindness to all. This post-Stalin era film begins the thawing of communism, and brings to light the humanity of the Russian people. See more Read all reviews
Ballad of a Soldier

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Cast & Crew

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Grigoriy Chukhray

Director

Vladimir Ivashov

Pvt. Alyosha Skvortsov

Zhanna Prokhorenko

Shura

Antonina Maksimova

The mother

Nikolay Kryuchkov

The General

Evgeny Urbansky

Vasya
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Ballad of a Soldier

Ballad of a Soldier (1959) View more photos

Movie Info

Synopsis During World War II, earnest young Russian soldier Alyosha Skvortsov (Volodya Ivashov) 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 (Zhanna Prokhorenko). In his tour of a country devastated by war, he struggles to keep hope alive.
Director
Grigoriy Chukhray
Screenwriter
Grigoriy Chukhray
Production Co
Mosfilm
Genre
War, Drama
Original Language
Russian
Release Date (Theaters)
Nov 4, 1960, Original
Rerelease Date (Theaters)
Dec 26, 1960
Release Date (DVD)
Apr 30, 2002
Runtime
1h 29m