About the film
Private Alyosha Skvortsov knocks out two German tanks almost by accident and, instead of a medal, asks for leave to see his mother. The journey should take days; every kindness he does on the way costs him time.
On a freight train he meets Shura, a girl travelling alone, and the film becomes a quiet, beautiful love story set against a country at war.
Ballad of a Soldier is one of the best-loved films of the Khrushchev Thaw. It is short, simple and unforgettable.
Did you know?
- Director Grigori Chukhrai served as a paratrooper in the war.
- Zhanna Prokhorenko was still a drama student when she was cast.
- The film won awards at Cannes and was nominated for an Oscar for its screenplay.
