Fate of a Man (1959)
"Sudba cheloveka" (original title)

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 ... See full summary »

Director:

Sergey Bondarchuk

Writers:

Yuri Lukin, Fyodor Shakhmagonov,

Stars:

Sergey Bondarchuk, Pavel Boriskin, Zinaida Kirienko

1 win.

Cast

Credited cast:
Sergey Bondarchuk	...	Sokolov
Pavel Boriskin	...	Vanja (as Pavlik Boriskin)
Zinaida Kirienko	...	Irina
Pavel Volkov	...	Ivan
Yuri Averin	...	Muller (as Yu. Averin)
Kirill Alekseyev	...	German Major
Pavel Vinnikov
Yevgeni Teterin
Anatoli Chemodurov
Lev Borisov
Georgi Shapovalov
Aleksandr Novikov	...	(as A. Novikov)
Anatoliy Kuznetsov
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Nikolai Aparin	...	(as N. Aparin)
V. Beryozko

Storyline

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...

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Plot Keywords:

prisoner of war | world war two | based on novel

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Genres:

Biography | Drama | War

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Details

Country:

Soviet Union

Language:

Russian German

Release Date:

23 October 1959 (Finland)

Also Known As:

Fate of a Man

Company Credits

Production Co:

Mosfilm

Technical Specs

Runtime:

103 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Black and White

Did You Know?

Quotes

Sokolov: [Snaps to attention] Prisoner Sokolov reporting as ordered.
Muller: So four cubic meters is too much to quarry, eh?
Sokolov: It is, Commandant, far too much.
Muller: And you need only one cubic meter for your grave, right?
Sokolov: Yes, that's quite enough for a grave. Even there'd be room to spare.
Muller: I'm going to do you a great honor. I'll shoot you with my own pistol.
[Gesturing with his gun]
Muller: Let's go into the yard.
Sokolov: Whatever you say.
[Turns sharply about face]
[...]

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Connections

Featured in Pomnyu, lyublyu... (2000)

User Reviews

suffering?

This first directorial effort from actor Bondarchuk (mainly known for his monumental War and Peace) shouldn't have starred the director. His ruddy countenance didn't convince me one bit he suffered through all the mishaps in his life during the Great War. Furthermore I found it very hard to believe the Germans went to so much effort to save the lives of these Untermenschen. There were good performances though and it is shot beautifully.

Watch instead Come and See (Idi i Smotri) for a shattering experience of the Great War.