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Ballad of a Soldier
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Ballad of a Soldier | |
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| Directed by | Grigori Chukhrai |
| Produced by | M. Chernova |
| Written by | Valentin Yezhov Grigori Chukhrai |
| Starring | Vladimir Ivashov Zhanna Prokhorenko |
| Music by | Mikhail Ziv |
| Cinematography | Vladimir Nikolayev Era Savelyeva |
| Editing by | Mariya Timofeyeva |
| Distributed by | Union Film Distributors Inc. (USA) |
| Release date(s) |  1 December 1959 26 December 1960 |
| Running time | 89 min. |
| Language | Russian |
| All Movie Guide profile | |
| IMDb profile | |
Ballad of a Soldier, (Russian: Баллада о солдате, transliteration: Ballada o soldate) is an award-winning 1959 Soviet film drama set in World War II. The film was directed by Grigori Chukhrai and produced at Mosfilm.
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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. The film tells the story of a young soldier making his way through the countryside during the first few months of the war at a time when the Soviet Union seemed destined to fall to the powerful Nazi onslaught. Awarded a six-day pass for destroying two German tanks, Alyosha (Vladimir Ivashov) makes his way home to visit his mother. The film received considerable praise for both its technical craft and its strong, yet subtle story. Viewed from the earnestness and unabashed youthfulness of the protagonist, "Ballad of a Soldier" distanced itself from the fierce propaganda which bound other films before it. American critics, particularly, hailed it as an instant classic, with the New York Times's own Bosley Crowther offering it iconic status.
New York Times film review, 1960
- Vladimir Ivashov - Pvt. Alyosha Skvortsov
- Zhanna Prokhorenko - Shura
- Antonina Maksimova - The mother
- Nikolai Kryuchkov - The general
- Yevgeni Urbansky - Vasya
- Elza Lezhdey - Vasya's wife
- BAFTA Award for Best Film from any Source, 1961
- Bodil Awards for Best European Film, 1961
- Cannes Film Festival, 1960 - Special jury prize
- 5th San Francisco International Film Festival, 1960 - winner, Golden Gate Award for Best Film
- 5th San Francisco International Film Festival, 1960 - winner, Golden Gate Award for Best Director - Grigori Chukhrai
- Nominated: Academy Award for Writing Original Screenplay - Grigori Chukhrai, Valentin Yezhov
 Zhanna Prokhorenko as Shura and Vladimir Ivashov as Alyosha Skvortsov |
 Antonina Maksimova as Alyosha's mother and Vladimir Ivashov as Alyosha Skvortsov |
 Yevgeni Urbansky as Vasya and Elza Lezhdey as Vasya's wife |
 VHS cover |
- Ballad of a Soldier at the Internet Movie Database
- Criterion Collection essay by Vida Johnson
- Ballad of a Film-Director: Grigorii Chukhrai
| Preceded by The Apartment |
BAFTA Award for Best Film from any Source 1960 tied with The Hustler |
Succeeded by Lawrence of Arabia |
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| Cinema of the Russian Empire (Pre-1917) • Cinema of the Soviet Union (1917-1990) | |
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