Ballad of a Soldier
The Forty-First
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Ballad of a Soldier (Ballada o soldate)
Directed by Grigori Chukhrai.
With Vladimir Ivashov, Zhanna Prokhorenko, Antonina Maksimova.
USSR, 1959, 35mm, black & white, 89 min.
Russian with English subtitles.
Print source: HFA
A Russian solider is granted leave after single-handedly defeating the Nazis in battle. As he journeys home to visit his mother, he witnesses the unimaginable devastation of the Russian landscape, yet finds inspiration in the undying optimism of his fellow countrymen. Ukrainian-born Grigori Chukhrai proved to be one of the masters of the new Soviet cinema during the Khrushchev Thaw, when censorship was far less prevalent. He generated international acclaim including an Academy Award nomination for Best Screenplay for this powerful reflection on the post-Stalinist era.
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The Forty-First (Sorok Pervyi)
Directed by Grigori Chukhrai.
With Izolda Izvitskaya, Oleg Strizhenov, Nikolai Kryuchkov.
USSR, 1956, 35mm, color, 88 min.
Russian with English subtitles.
Print source: HFA
One of the first significant films to be produced during the post-Stalinist thaw of the 1950s—a period of reform led by Khrushchev—Chukhrai's The Forty-First focuses on a love story between a revolutionary soldier and her prisoner. Winner of a special prize at the 1957 Cannes Film Festival, this remake of Yakov Protazanov's silent classic recasts the historic struggle between the Tsarists and the revolutionaries in light of the horrors of World War II.
Part of film series
Screenings from this program
Ballad of a Soldier / The Forty-First
Nightfall / Great Day in the Morning
Verboten! / Dead Pigeon on Beethoven Street
I'll Never Forget What's 'is Name / The Jokers
Hearts of the World / True Heart Susie
Anna Christie / The Long Voyage Home
Suddenly Last Summer / The Roman Spring of Mrs. Stone
Quiet Days in Clichy / Henry and June
The Freshman / The Sin of Harold Diddlebock
The Sheep Has Five Legs / The Law is the Law
Hobson's Choice / Sidewalks of London
I Know Where I'm Going / Outcast of the Islands
An Inspector Calls / The Belles of St. Trinian's
Mother Joan of the Angels / Thérèse
Dawn of the Dead / Strange Behavior
