Le Destin d'un homme

Original title: Sudba cheloveka

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

See production info at IMDbPro

IMDb RATING

7.9/10

YOUR RATING

See production info at IMDbPro

Awards
- 1 win total

Photos90

+ 83

Top cast42

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Sergey Bondarchuk

Andrey Sokolov

Pavel Boriskin

Vanyushka
(as Pavlik Boriskin)

Zinaida Kirienko

Irina Sokolova
(as Z. Kirienko)

Pavel Volkov

Ivan Timofeevich
(as P. Volkov)

Yuri Averin

Müller
(as Yu. Averin)

Konstantin Alekseev

German Major Engineer
(as K. Alekseev)

Pavel Vinnikov

Soviet Colonel
(as P. Vinnikov)

Evgeniy Teterin

Writer
(as E. Teterin)

Anatoli Chemodurov

Soviet Artillery Lieutenant Colonel
(as A. Chemodurov)

Aleksandr Novikov

Soviet Devout Soldier
(as A. Novikov)

Lev Borisov

Platoon Commander
(as L. Borisov)

Viktor Markin

Military Doctor
(as V. Markin)

Yevgeni Kudryashov

Kryzhnev
(as E. Kudryashov)

Aleksandr Kuznetsov

Vladimir Ivanov

Lead Singer
(as V. Ivanov)

Pyotr Savin

Pyotr
(as P. Savin)

Yevgeniya Melnikova

Landlady
(as E. Melnikova)

Vyacheslav Beryozko

Director
- Sergey Bondarchuk
Writers
All cast & crew
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User reviews16

7.93.9K

Featured reviews

Kirpianuscus

about memories

the novel by Sholokhov. the performance of Bondarchuk. the wise script. the close-up. and the life of a man who seems be only new Job. a film who impress not only for the drama but for its profound poetry of small details. a confession. and the hope. the war's traces. and the future as new beginning. it is part of a long chain who defines the Soviet cinema as artistic treasure. it is, in same measure, fruit of a political situation. but, more important, it is a fine work. because it reflects human feelings, duties and pain out of ideological circle. because it is an universal story. and one of beautiful examples of high cinema. that could be all. not a great show but useful exercise about the force of art. and, sure, for the Eastern public, a travel in history, against wars, crisis, disasters. and cases of survive.

8brogmiller

Man's inhumanity to Man

This immensely powerful film represents the directorial debut of Sergey Bondarchuk who also takes the main role of Andrey Sokolov. It is based upon a short story by Mikhail Sholokhov who received a Nobel Prize under Krushchev and became a hardliner under Brezhnev. Already evident here is Bondarchuk's astonishing sense of the visual and his skill with actors. As with subsequent films he does have a tendency to 'overcook it' but that is a minor criticism. The film is aided by Venyamin Basner's marvellous score and great camerawork by Vladimir Monakhov. Zanaida Kirienko is as touching here as she is in 'Quiet flows the Don' and there is a chilling performance by Juli Averin as a German Kommandment. A highlight of the film is when he spares Sokolov's life because of the latter's capacity for drinking large amounts of vodka on an empty stomach! Excellent scene. Sokolov loses so much in the course of the film but gains 'compensation' at the end. Bondarchuk is excellent in the role. It is difficult to find a sub-titled version of this but the story is so gripping and the film so visually impressive that somehow it doesn't seem to matter. Fully deserving of the Grand Prize at the 1st Moscow International Film Festival which also honoured Bondarchuk six years later for his monumental 'War and Peace'.

7tom neal

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.

7CinemaSerf

The Fate of a Man

"Sokolov" (Sergey Bondarchuk) hopes that his warrior days are behind him after the civil war as he settles down with sweetheart "Irina" (Zinaida Kirienko) and starts a family. Sadly for him, the Nazis don't share his desires for a peaceable life and so he is duly conscripted into the Soviet army. Like so many of his counterparts, he waves goodbye to his family promising to return but having no real idea when or if he shall. Things definitely don't get off to a good start when he is captured by the invaders and imprisoned amidst a perilous environment of arbitrary killings regardless of whether you are a prisoner of war, a Russian citizen or a Jew. With the impetus of the war shifting, though, he manages to escape and we follow his attempts to make it back home to his family. Now this is told in retrospective so we do know what the outcome of his searching is going to be and as we near the denouement we find a character that's utterly devoid of hope - until the young lad "Vanya" (a joyous effort from Pavel Boriskin) makes an unpredictably profound impact on the older man now largely bereft of purpose. The wartime photography delivers strongly here illustrating the mayhem and chaos brought by the indiscriminate activities of their enemy and, latterly, their own forces whilst clearly demonstrating the horrors randomly inflicted on the population. Bondarchuk is also expert at portraying a character that is simple, decent and ultimately one who wants merely to be left to the joys of his family and his hard work. That's especially poignant when he is facing death at the hands of the prison camp commandant who sees the killing of his inmates as little different from sport. There's a tiny bit of religiosity in here too, which I thought added an extra human dimension to a story that could just as easily be applied to any of a million foot soldiers fighting in WWII without knowing what was going on at home. If the last scene doesn't bring a lump to your throat...

Vincentiu

impressive

a Sholokhov adaptation. powerful and honest. a Bondarchuk gem. and map of a war. it is a great Soviet film. not only as artistic work or testimony about elements of a period. not as sign of post Stalin evolution of art. but for silence of images. for the message after decades to its viewer. because the fate of man is, in fact, the fate of East Europe in last period of XX century. sufferance, pain and death. and delicate hope as freedom space. love as only gun against cruelty of a time. camps as metaphor for Nazi and Soviet system. fear, struggle for survive, guilty because innocence is only fiction. and sense of life, again and again, as fruit of battle against yourself. a film about life. pure life. without exception or pink ingredients. cold, bitter, strange but beautiful. if you discover force to remain yourself in middle of each storm.

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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.