Ballad of a Soldier(Russian:Баллада о солдате,Ballada o soldate), is a 1959Sovietwar romance film directed byGrigory Chukhrayand starringVladimir IvashovandZhanna Prokhorenko.[2]While set duringWorld War II,Ballad of a Soldieris 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 aRed Armysoldier tries to make it home during a leave, meeting several civilians on his way and falling in love. The film was produced atMosfilmand won several awards, including theBAFTA Award for Best Film From Any Sourceand was nominated for anAcademy Award for Best Original Screenplay.
Ballad of a Soldier | |
---|---|
Directed by | Grigory Chukhray |
Written by | Valentin Yezhov Grigory Chukhray |
Produced by | M. Chernova |
Starring | Vladimir Ivashov Zhanna Prokhorenko Antonina Maksimova Nikolai Kryuchkov |
Cinematography | Vladimir Nikolayev Era Savelyeva |
Edited by | Mariya Timofeyeva |
Music by | Mikhail Ziv |
Production company | |
Release date |
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Running time | 88 minutes |
Country | Soviet Union |
Language | Russian |
Box office | $167,000 (US)[1] |
Plot
editA middle-aged farm woman walks through her village and gazes down a country road. A voiceover reveals that her son was killed in the war and buried in a foreign land.
On theEastern Front,nineteen-year-old Private Alyosha Skvortsov (Vladimir Ivashov) single-handedly destroys two attackingGermantanks, more out of self-preservation than bravery. His commanding general wants to give him a decoration, but Alyosha asks instead for a leave to see his mother and to repair the leaking roof of their home. He is given six days.
During his journey, he sees the devastation the war has wrought on the country and meets various people. When the jeep Alyosha is riding gets stuck in the mud, Private Pavlov helps push it out. As Alyosha will be passing through his home city, Pavlov persuades him to take a present to Pavlov's wife. Pavlov's sergeant reluctantly parts with two bars of soap, the entire supply for their platoon.
At the train station, Alyosha helpfully carries the suitcase of Vasya, a soldier discharged because he has lost a leg. Vasya does not want to go home, as he would be a burden to his wife, and their relationship had already been troubled. However, he changes his mind and is welcomed with open arms by the loving woman.
When he attempts to board a freight car of an army supply train, Alyosha is stopped by Gavrilkin, a sentry. However, a bribe of a can of beef eases Gavrilkin's fear of his lieutenant, a "beast". Shura (Zhanna Prokhorenko) later sneaks aboard as well, but when she sees him, she becomes frightened and tries to jump off the speeding train. Alyosha stops her from risking her life. She tells him she is going to see her fiancé, a pilot who is recuperating in a hospital. As the hours pass, she loses her fear and mistrust of him. Gavrilkin spots the civilian stowaway, forcing Alyosha to bribe him anew. When the lieutenant discovers the unauthorized passengers, he lets them remain aboard and even makes Gavrilkin return the bribe.
At one stop, Alyosha gets out to fetch some water, but the train leaves without him. Frantic, he gets a lift to the next station from an old woman truck driver. He is too late; the train has already departed. However, Shura got off and is waiting for him. The couple then go to see Pavlov's wife. They discover that she is living with another man and leave. Alyosha returns, takes back the soap he had given her, and gives it instead to Pavlov's invalid father.
When they finally part, Shura confesses she lied; there was no fiancé, only an aunt. Alyosha realizes too late, after his train departs, that when Shura said she had no one, she was telling him that she loves him. His train is stopped by a blown-up bridge and set on fire by German bombers. With time running out, Alyosha rafts across the river and persuades another truck driver to give him a ride to his rural village, Sosnovka. He gets to see his mother only for a few minutes before having to make his way back to his unit. His mother vows to wait for him. The voiceover tells us that while he could have gone far in life if he had lived, he will always be remembered simply as a Russian soldier.
Cast
edit- Vladimir Ivashovas Private Alyosha Skvortsov
- Zhanna Prokhorenkoas Shura
- Antonina Maksimovaas Alyosha's mother
- Nikolai Kryuchkovas the general
- Yevgeni Urbanskyas Vasya
- Elza Lezhdeyas Vasya's wife
- Aleksandr Kuznetsov as Gavrilkin
- Yevgeni Teterinas The lieutenant
- Valentina Markova as Liza (Pavlov's wife)
- Marina Kremnyova as Zoya (neighbor girl)
- Vladimir Pokrovsky as Pavlov's invalid father
- Georgi Yumatovas Sergeant giving bars of soap
- Gennadi Yukhtinas Private Seryozha Pavlov
- Valentina Teleginaas Old woman truck driver
- Lev Borisovas Joking soldier on train
- Yevgeny Yevstigneyevas Truck driver
The two lead actors, Ivashov and Prokhorenko, were both only nineteen years old and did not have much acting experience. Grigory Chukhray commented on his casting choice:
We took a big risk. It was risky to give the main roles to quite inexperienced actors. Not many would have done so in those times, but we ventured and did not regret afterwards. Volodya and Zhanna gave the most precious colouring to the film, that is, the spontaneity and charm of youth.[3]
Both would go on to long careers in cinema.
Production
editAccording toRobert Osborne,the primary host ofTurner Classic Movies,Soviet leaderNikita Khrushchevwas a fan of the director, so Chukray was given more leeway than normal.
Reception
editBallad of a Soldierwas released on December 1, 1959, in the Soviet Union and sold 30.1 million tickets at screenings.[4]
The film was released in the United States in 1960 as part of a Soviet-American film exchange during athawin theCold War.Other films shown in the US as part of this cultural exchange includedThe Cranes Are Flying(1957) andFate of a Man(1959).[5]
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, the film was hailed as an instant classic by Soviet and American critics.The New York TimesreviewerBosley Crowtherapplauded Chukray's ability to make the film "flow in such a swift, poetic way that the tragedy of it is concealed by a gentle lyric quality."[6]He also noted the "two splendid performances" by Ivashov and Prokhorenko.
The film received theLenin Prizein 1961, as did its director and producer.
Awards
edit- 1960 Cannes Film Festival- Special jury prize[7]
- 5thSan Francisco International Film Festival,1960 -Golden Gate Award for Best FilmandGolden Gate Award for Best Director
- BAFTA Award for Best Film From Any Source,1961
- Bodil Awards for Best European Film,1961
- Nomination for anAcademy Award for Best Original Screenplay(1961) –Grigory ChukhrayandValentin Yezhov
See also
edit- Thaaye Unakkaga,a 1960 Indian film remake
References
edit- ^"O'Seas Films $69,000,000 in US".Variety.2 May 1962. p. 18.
- ^Peter Rollberg (2016).Historical Dictionary of Russian and Soviet Cinema.US: Rowman & Littlefield. p. 79.ISBN978-1442268425.
- ^Ivanova, Vera (April 27, 2006)."Ballad of a Film-Director: Grigorii Chukhrai".Russia-IC.com.Archivedfrom the original on 12 March 2008.Retrieved2008-04-13.
- ^Zemlianukhin, Sergei; Miroslava Segida (1996).Domashniaia sinemateka 1918–1996 (Домашняя Синематека 1918–1996)(in Russian). Moscow: Duble-D. p. 420.ISBN5-900902-05-6.
- ^Balio, Tino (2010).The Foreign Film Renaissance on American Screens, 1946–1973.University of Wisconsin Press. pp. 218–220.ISBN978-0-299-24793-5.
- ^Crowther, Bosley (December 27, 1960)."Movie Review: Ballad of a Soldier".The New York Times.Archivedfrom the original on 2011-03-10.Retrieved2008-04-13.
- ^"Festival de Cannes: Ballad of a Soldier".festival-cannes.com.Archivedfrom the original on 2012-02-07.Retrieved2009-02-15.