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The Destiny of a Man

Original title: Sudba cheloveka
  • 1959
  • 1h 43m
IMDb RATING
8.0/10
3.5K
YOUR RATING
Boris Zelensky in The Destiny of a Man (1959)
DramaWar

A Soviet soldier, Andrei Sokolov, has been separated with his family by World War II. Suffering in Nazi captivity, he dreams of meeting his darlings after the victory. But cruel fate turned ... Read allA Soviet soldier, Andrei Sokolov, has been separated with his family by World War II. Suffering in Nazi captivity, he dreams of meeting his darlings after the victory. But cruel fate turned out otherwise.A Soviet soldier, Andrei Sokolov, has been separated with his family by World War II. Suffering in Nazi captivity, he dreams of meeting his darlings after the victory. But cruel fate turned out otherwise.

  • Director
    • Sergey Bondarchuk
  • Writers
    • Yuriy Lukin
    • Fyodor Shakhmagonov
    • Mikhail Sholokhov
  • Stars
    • Sergey Bondarchuk
    • Pavel Boriskin
    • Zinaida Kirienko
  • See production, box office & company info
  • IMDb RATING
    8.0/10
    3.5K
    YOUR RATING
    • Director
      • Sergey Bondarchuk
    • Writers
      • Yuriy Lukin
      • Fyodor Shakhmagonov
      • Mikhail Sholokhov
    • Stars
      • Sergey Bondarchuk
      • Pavel Boriskin
      • Zinaida Kirienko
    • 14User reviews
    • 12Critic reviews
  • See production, box office & company info
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Awards
      • 1 win

    Photos95

    14 x 22 movie poster
    The Destiny of a Man (1959)
    The Destiny of a Man (1959)
    The Destiny of a Man (1959)
    The Destiny of a Man (1959)
    Sergey Bondarchuk in The Destiny of a Man (1959)
    Evgeniy Teterin in The Destiny of a Man (1959)
    Sergey Bondarchuk, Pavel Boriskin, and Evgeniy Teterin in The Destiny of a Man (1959)
    Evgeniy Teterin in The Destiny of a Man (1959)
    Sergey Bondarchuk in The Destiny of a Man (1959)
    Sergey Bondarchuk and Pavel Volkov in The Destiny of a Man (1959)
    Sergey Bondarchuk in The Destiny of a Man (1959)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Sergey Bondarchuk
    Sergey Bondarchuk
    • Andrei Sokolov
    Pavel Boriskin
    Pavel Boriskin
    • Vanja
    • (as Pavlik Boriskin)
    Zinaida Kirienko
    Zinaida Kirienko
    • Irina Sokolova
    Pavel Volkov
    Pavel Volkov
    • Ivan Timofeyevich
    Yuri Averin
    Yuri Averin
    • Muller
    • (as Yu. Averin)
    Konstantin Alekseev
    Konstantin Alekseev
    • German Major
    Pavel Vinnikov
    Pavel Vinnikov
    • Soviet Colonel
    Evgeniy Teterin
    Evgeniy Teterin
    • Writer
    Anatoli Chemodurov
    Anatoli Chemodurov
    • Soviet Colonel
    Lev Borisov
    Lev Borisov
    • Platoon Commander
    Georgi Shapovalov
    Georgi Shapovalov
    Aleksandr Novikov
    Aleksandr Novikov
      Nikolai Aparin
      • Captive in the church
      • (as N. Aparin)
      Vyacheslav Beryozko
        Vladimir Ivanov
        Vladimir Ivanov
        • Inmate
        L. Kadochkin
        • Young communist
        Yevgeni Kudryashov
        Yevgeni Kudryashov
        • Kryzhnev
        • (as Ye. Kudryashov)
        Aleksandr Kuznetsov
        • Director
          • Sergey Bondarchuk
        • Writers
          • Yuriy Lukin
          • Fyodor Shakhmagonov
          • Mikhail Sholokhov
        • All cast & crew
        • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

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        Storyline

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        Did you know

        Edit
        • Trivia
          The Best Film in the poll of the magazine "Soviet Screen" in 1960.
        • Goofs
          When the lead character steals the Nazi car, in broad daylight, a owl echo sounds.
        • 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]

          Muller: Have a drink before you die, Russian Ivan. To the triumphant armies of the fatherland.

          [Officers around the table stand for the toast]

          Sokolov: [Places his drink down on the table] I appreciate it, but I'm not much of a drinker.

          Muller: You refuse to drink to our victory?

          [Goes to the table, returns with a piece of bread]

          Muller: Very well, then. I propose you drink to your death.

          Sokolov: To my death and my release from this torment, I will drink.

          [Drinks entire glass of vodka in one draught, places the glass on the table and the bread on the top of the glass]

          Sokolov: I'm ready now, Herr Commandant, come on.

          Muller: Have a bite to eat before you die.

          Sokolov: I never feel like eating after only one glass.

          Muller: [Pours another glass full, offers him the bread and glass] Don't be shy, go ahead.

          Sokolov: [Drinks second glass dry, replaces the glass and bread] . Sorry, Herr Commandant, but I don't eat after two glasses, either.

          Muller: [Officers at table, laughing and applauding: Bravo! It's incredible. He's had a whole bottle without eating anything!. Commandant returns to table, slowly pours a third drink, filling the glass to the brim]

          Sokolov: [Takes third glass and bread from the Commandant. Pauses, then drinks entire glass while staring at Commandant. Takes a tiny bit of bread, leaves the rest with the glass on the table]

          Muller: [Ordering his officers to be silent] Listen here, Sokolov. You're a good Russian soldier. A brave soldier. I'm a soldier also. And I respect a worthy enemy. I'm not going to shoot you. This morning our invincible armies reached the Volga and have taken complete possession of Stalingrad. And to this marvelous news you owe your life which I generously give back to you. Return to your barracks.

          [Picks up a loaf of bread and butter from the table]

          Muller: Take this with you, for your courage.

        • Connections
          Featured in Sergey Bondarchuk (1982)

        User reviews14

        Review
        Review
        Featured review
        memorable Soviet war-drama
        At first I thought this film would be the usual war film in total line with the politburo's view on The Great War. But after 15 minutes in the film, something changes. First we have a scene in which Sokolof (the main character played by director Bondarcuk)) comes home drunk - something I have never seen in an older Soviet movie, than the war breaks out and after a slightly over the top scene in which Sokolof says goodbye to his family all hell breaks loose. The scene where Sokolof drives his car filled with ammunition across the frontline is incredible, and this is only the beginning of the war. Although the story sometimes is quit melodramatic, the photography of the film is exceptional modern for a film made in 1959. In beautiful black and white the viewer witnesses the whole damn thing called war. The film is not as heartbreaking and in-your-face as Come And See by Klimov, but Klimov must have seen this film and used it as an inspiration. Russia lost 20 million people during the second world war (some because of Stalin) but what it meant for and how it changed the life of ordinary people is all to clear in this story. This man's fate as he calls it. Although the film, I suppose, is rare, see it if you ever have a chance.
        helpful•36
        6
        • info-108
        • Jun 1, 2000

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        Details

        Edit
        • Release date
          • April 12, 1959 (Soviet Union)
        • Country of origin
          • Soviet Union
        • Languages
          • Russian
          • German
        • Also known as
          • Destiny of a Man
        • Filming locations
          • Mosfilm Studios, Moscow, Russia(Studio)
        • Production company
          • Mosfilm
        • See more company credits at IMDbPro

        Technical specs

        Edit
        • Runtime
          1 hour 43 minutes
        • Color
          • Black and White
        • Sound mix
          • Mono
        • Aspect ratio
          • 1.37 : 1

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