Release CalendarTop 250 MoviesMost Popular MoviesBrowse Movies by GenreTop Box OfficeShowtimes & TicketsMovie NewsIndia Movie Spotlight
    What's on TV & StreamingTop 250 TV ShowsMost Popular TV ShowsBrowse TV Shows by GenreTV News
    What to WatchLatest TrailersIMDb OriginalsIMDb PicksIMDb Podcasts
    OscarsABFFPride MonthOutfest OutfrontsSTARmeter AwardsAwards CentralFestival CentralAll Events
    Born TodayMost Popular CelebsMost Popular CelebsCelebrity News
    Help CenterContributor ZonePolls
For Industry Professionals
  • All
  • Titles
  • TV Episodes
  • Celebs
  • Companies
  • Keywords
  • Advanced Search
Watchlist
Sign In
Sign In
New Customer? Create account
  • Fully supported
  • English (United States)
    Partially supported
  • Français (Canada)
  • Français (France)
  • Deutsch (Deutschland)
  • हिंदी (भारत)
  • Italiano (Italia)
  • Português (Brasil)
  • Español (España)
  • Español (México)
  • Cast & crew
  • User reviews
  • Trivia
IMDbPro

They Fought for Their Country

Original title: Oni srazhalis za rodinu
  • 1975
  • 2h 38m
IMDb RATING
7.8/10
3.1K
YOUR RATING
They Fought for Their Country (1975)
DramaWar

July 1942. Soviet forces are retreating in the face of a massive German onslaught towards Stalingrad. An infantry platoon is tasked with holding a vital hill in order to give their comrades ... Read allJuly 1942. Soviet forces are retreating in the face of a massive German onslaught towards Stalingrad. An infantry platoon is tasked with holding a vital hill in order to give their comrades time to cross the Don River and regroup.July 1942. Soviet forces are retreating in the face of a massive German onslaught towards Stalingrad. An infantry platoon is tasked with holding a vital hill in order to give their comrades time to cross the Don River and regroup.

  • Director
    • Sergey Bondarchuk
  • Writers
    • Sergey Bondarchuk
    • Mikhail Sholokhov
  • Stars
    • Vasiliy Shukshin
    • Vyacheslav Tikhonov
    • Sergey Bondarchuk
  • See production, box office & company info
  • IMDb RATING
    7.8/10
    3.1K
    YOUR RATING
    • Director
      • Sergey Bondarchuk
    • Writers
      • Sergey Bondarchuk
      • Mikhail Sholokhov
    • Stars
      • Vasiliy Shukshin
      • Vyacheslav Tikhonov
      • Sergey Bondarchuk
    • 19User reviews
    • 4Critic reviews
  • See production, box office & company info
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Awards
      • 3 nominations

    Photos57

    They Fought for Their Country (1975)
    Sergey Bondarchuk in They Fought for Their Country (1975)
    Nikolay Gubenko in They Fought for Their Country (1975)
    Tatyana Bozhok in They Fought for Their Country (1975)
    Andrey Rostotskiy in They Fought for Their Country (1975)
    Vyacheslav Tikhonov in They Fought for Their Country (1975)
    Aleksey Vanin in They Fought for Their Country (1975)
    Vasiliy Shukshin and Nikolay Shutko in They Fought for Their Country (1975)
    Ivan Lapikov in They Fought for Their Country (1975)
    Vasiliy Shukshin and Nonna Mordyukova in They Fought for Their Country (1975)
    Vasiliy Shukshin and Vyacheslav Tikhonov in They Fought for Their Country (1975)
    Lidiya Fedoseeva-Shukshina in They Fought for Their Country (1975)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Vasiliy Shukshin
    Vasiliy Shukshin
    • Pyotr Lopakhin
    Vyacheslav Tikhonov
    Vyacheslav Tikhonov
    • Nikolay Streltsov
    Sergey Bondarchuk
    Sergey Bondarchuk
    • Ivan Zvyagintsev
    Georgiy Burkov
    Georgiy Burkov
    • Aleksandr Kopytovskij
    Yuriy Nikulin
    Yuriy Nikulin
    • Pvt. Nekrasov
    Ivan Lapikov
    Ivan Lapikov
    • Sgt. Poprischenko
    Nikolay Gubenko
    Nikolay Gubenko
    • Lt. Goloshchyokov
    Andrey Rostotskiy
    Andrey Rostotskiy
    • Cpl. Kochetygov
    Nikolay Volkov
    Nikolay Volkov
    • Pvt. Nikiforov
    Nikolay Shutko
    Nikolay Shutko
    • Petro Lisichenko - Cook
    Evgeniy Samoylov
    Evgeniy Samoylov
    • Marchenko
    Nonna Mordyukova
    Nonna Mordyukova
    • Natalya Stepanovna
    Innokentiy Smoktunovskiy
    Innokentiy Smoktunovskiy
    • Vrach-khirurg
    Angelina Stepanova
    Angelina Stepanova
    • Staraya kazachka
    Irina Skobtseva
    Irina Skobtseva
    • Polkovoy Vrach
    Tatyana Bozhok
    Tatyana Bozhok
    • Sanistruktor
    Lidiya Fedoseeva-Shukshina
    Lidiya Fedoseeva-Shukshina
    • Glikeriya
    • (as Lidiya Fedoseeva)
    Daniil Ilchenko
    Daniil Ilchenko
    • Luka Mikhalych
    • Director
      • Sergey Bondarchuk
    • Writers
      • Sergey Bondarchuk
      • Mikhail Sholokhov
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    More like this

    The Destiny of a Man
    8.0
    The Destiny of a Man
    Only Old Men Are Going to Battle
    8.3
    Only Old Men Are Going to Battle
    The Dawns Here Are Quiet
    8.1
    The Dawns Here Are Quiet
    Trial on the Road
    7.9
    Trial on the Road
    Boris Godunov
    6.6
    Boris Godunov
    Seventeen Moments of Spring
    8.8
    Seventeen Moments of Spring
    Belorussky Station
    7.7
    Belorussky Station
    Twenty Days Without War
    7.8
    Twenty Days Without War
    White Sun of the Desert
    7.7
    White Sun of the Desert
    Love and Doves
    7.9
    Love and Doves
    The Meeting Place Cannot Be Changed
    8.8
    The Meeting Place Cannot Be Changed
    Officers
    7.5
    Officers

    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      This was the last film of Vasiliy Shukshin.
    • Goofs
      During the first battle, a few of the Germans are carrying MP44 (or STG 44) assault rifles. This film takes place in summer 1942 and those rifles were not in service in the German army (even as prototypes) until over two years later.
    • Quotes

      Ivan Zvyagintsev: May our love towards our country live in our hearts as long as we live.

      Ivan Zvyagintsev: May our hatred to enemy always shine on the tips of our bayonets...

    • Connections
      Featured in Sergey Bondarchuk (1982)

    User reviews19

    Review
    Review
    Featured review
    8/10
    Awesome in so many ways
    I don't understand why I had never heard of this film before. It was by accident that I found it, so I gave it a whirl.

    And Wow! I think you could write a novelette on what makes this a great film. There's just too much to say in a review, so I'll be general.

    This war film is about Russians fighting against Germans in World War II. In ways, it is much like old American World War II films, with the spotlight on a small group of soldiers in one unit.

    The director does so much that is superior that I can't even begin to start on his achievement here.

    The film shows us the reality of war, including the "down time" in between conflicts, when soldiers peruse the low points.

    Yet we are never bored, even when the action is supplanted by drama. The reason is that the script is so well written, and I must also congratulate whomever translated this into English for me, because its dialog would make any American film writer jealous.

    One of the clever things our writer-director team does is keep the reality in the beginning by not letting us know who will survive, and who may be a central character.

    Two characters dominate the story, a lady's man and a cook. However, the other characters are also spectacular.

    What really makes this film work is the humor, a dark humor, but a realistic one, and one that will make you laugh and cry and the same time. When one old veteran tells the story of his trench disease, you'll laugh along with the other soldiers. It's one of those stories that is Hell when you live it, but hilarious when you tell it after the war.

    For me, the magical part is something that I can't say without a spoiler.

    The camera work is amazing. The drama is amazing. The theatrics is amazing. Okay, it's all amazing.
    helpful•25
    6
    • drystyx
    • Nov 11, 2012

    Top picks

    Sign in to rate and Watchlist for personalized recommendations
    Sign in

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • May 12, 1975 (Soviet Union)
    • Country of origin
      • Soviet Union
    • Language
      • Russian
    • Also known as
      • They Fought for the Motherland
    • Filming locations
      • Mosfilm Studios, Moscow, Russia(Studio)
    • Production companies
      • Mosfilm
      • Pervoe Tvorcheskoe Obedinenie
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      2 hours 38 minutes
    • Color
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • Mono
      • Stereo
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.37 : 1

    Related news

    Contribute to this page

    Suggest an edit or add missing content
    They Fought for Their Country (1975)
    Top Gap
    By what name was They Fought for Their Country (1975) officially released in Canada in English?
    Answer
    • See more gaps
    • Learn more about contributing
    Edit page

    More to explore

    Recently viewed

    Please enable browser cookies to use this feature. Learn more.
    Get the IMDb App
    Sign in for more accessSign in for more access
    • Get the IMDb App
    • Help
    • Site Index
    • IMDbPro
    • Box Office Mojo
    • IMDb Developer
    • Press Room
    • Advertising
    • Jobs
    • Conditions of Use
    • Privacy Policy
    • Your Ads Privacy Choices
    IMDb, an Amazon company

    © 1990-2023 by IMDb.com, Inc.