Anatoli Chemodurov
1919 - 1986Fate of a Man
Sergey Bondarchuk
Sergey Bondarchuk, Zinaida Kirienko
The story of a man (Andrey Sokolov) whose life was ruthlessly crippled by World War II. His wife and daughters were killed during the bombing of his village, he spent some time as a prisoner, and his only son was killed in action only a few days before the victory...
Fate of a Man
Бессмертный гарнизон
Eduard Tisse, Zakhar Agranenko
Vasili Makarov, Vladimir Yemelyanov
The Immortal Garrison is set in June of 1941, at the outset of the Nazi invasion of Russia. A group of Soviet servicemen, languidly biding their time at the Brest fortress on the Polish border, are suddenly galvanized into action. All desires to return home to their wives and sweethearts are swept aside as the courageous garrison unites to thwart a common enemy. The siege of Brest has served as story material for countless Russian films: in lieu of contradictory evidence, Immortal Garrison must be adjudged the best of these films. For its American release, Immortal Garrison was double-featured with another Soviet production, The Mexican.
The Immortal Garrison
Суд
Aida Manasarova, Vladimir Skuybin
Nikolay Kryuchkov, Oleg Zhakov
Three of them hunted a bear, but a man was accidentally killed instead. The investigation must determine which of the hunters is responsible for this death. However, there is also a judgment of conscience — the most difficult judgment, because a compromise with one's own conscience never leads to good...
The Judgment
Украинская рапсодия
Sergei Parajanov
Olga Reus-Petrenko, Yevgenia Miroshnichenko
Singer Oksana has lost her beloved in the war. Everyone thinks he perished, but actually he was taken prisoner, then ran away, hid, fell into American hands, and… Finally, he returns to his village, and meets Oksana. —Yerevan International Film Festival
Ukrainian Rhapsody
Vozvrashcheniye Vasiliya Bortnikova
Vsevolod Pudovkin
Sergei Lukyanov, Nikolai Timofeyev
Originally titled Vozvrachenia Vassilya Bortnikov, Vassili's Return was the last directorial effort by the great V.I. Pudovkin, who died in June of 1953. Like many of Pudovkin's later works, the film was diluted by interference from communist party officials; what remains, however, is well worth having, if miles removed from the brilliance of his earlier Mother, End of St. Petersburg and Storm over Asia. Based on a novel by G. Nikolayeva, the story centers upon a Russian named Vassili (Serge Lukynaov), who leaves his wife to do battle against the Germans in WW II. When Vassili is reported to have been killed in battle, his wife Avodtya (Natalya Medvedeva) marries another man. Per the film's title, Vassili returns, only to find his wife ostensibly out of his reach. Vassili and his former spouse eventually reunite as friends if not lovers, working side by side on a state-approved collective farm.
The Return of Vasili Bortnikov
Если ты мужчина...
Anatoli Chemodurov
Boris Tokarev, Nikolai Merzlikin
The main character of the film is an ordinary chauffeur Pavel, whose life is not very successful, despite the fact that he is a very kind and fair person. Finally, fate smiles at Pavel, he meets true love, but more and more tests fall to his lot, as if testing a simple guy for strength.
If You Are a Man
Кавалер Золотой звезды
Yuli Raizman
Sergey Bondarchuk, Anatoli Chemodurov
Soviet filmmaker Yuri Raisman once more combines political dogma with solid entertainment values in Dream of a Cossack (aka Cavalier of the Golden Star). The title character, played by future director Sergei Bondarchuk (and billed for obscure reasons as Semyon Bondarchuk), is an ex-soldier who returns home to the Kuban region, there to take up life as a farmer. Instead, he galvanizes the local citizenry into participating in a massive construction project, which will result in a new power station and canal. Thus does Raisman offer an prime example of Russian collectivism while making it seem as though it had sprung from individual initiative. Dream of a Cossack is based on a popular novel by S. Babayefsky.
Dream of a Cossack
