One of the most honored films in Russian history, Grigori Chukhrai’s Ballad of a Soldier, was also one of the few Russian films to be seen and appreciated by wide audiences overseas.
Grade: A (***** out of *****)
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The story per se is deceptively simple, centering on a young soldier named Ayosha (Vladimir Ivashov), who gets a leave in order to visit his home.
However, the film offers truly profound insights on the horror and absurdity of war, and does it with lyrical realism.
Though particular in context, the film comes across as a universal statement about war, longing, family, and love.
The opening narration– “This is the road to town. Those who leave from our village and those who come home depart and return on this road—immediately establishes that we are about to see a road movie that is at once concrete and allegorical.
Journeying home on a ten-day leave, Ayosha encounters a variety of people who embody the frustration and grief of wartime life.
Among his encounters are a legless soldier frightened at the prospect of going home; a comrade’s wife living with another man out of loneliness, a homeless, wandering girl who escapes from the freight car of a military train.
This last encounter leads to a touching quasi-romantic attachment for a brief couple of hours.
By the time the young man reaches home, he has only a short time with his loved ones.
For many viewers, the climactic, most touching scene is toward the end of the saga, when the soldier embraces his mother (Antonia Maximova), after a long, long cross-country trip.
The two lead actors, Ivashov and Prokhorenko, were both only 19 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 coloring to the film, that is, the spontaneity and charm of youth.” Both would go on to long careers in cinema.
International Commercial Hit
Ballad of a Soldier was released on December 1, 1959 in the Soviet Union and became an instant hit, selling over 30 million tickets at screenings.
The film was released in the US in 1960 as part of a Soviet-American film exchange during thaw in the Cold War.
Other films shown as part of this cultural exchange included The Cranes Are Flying (1957) and Fate of a Man (1959).
The film received considerable praise for both its technical craft and its subtle story.
Critical Status:
The film received the Lenin Prize in 1961, as did its director and producer.
1960 Cannes Film Festival – Special jury prize[7]
Fifth San Francisco International Festival, 1960 – Golden Gate Award for Best Film and Best Director
BAFTA Award for Best Film From Any Source, 1961
Bodil Awards for Best European Film, 1961
Oscar Context:
Nomination for Best Original Screenplay Oscar (1961): Grigory Chukhray and Valentin Yezhov
Credits
Mosfilm production
Director: Grigori Chukhrai
Screenplay: Valentin Yoshov and Chukhrai
Cinematography (b/w): Vladimir Nikolayev, Era Saveleva
Music: Michael Siv
Running time: 86 minutes
