Ils ont combattu pour la patrie

Not about the global war, the real war occurs inside each person. Sergey Bondarchuk show us a simple way of connecting with all cast. The usual hero war actor is replacing with a real soldier who have fears, willings, and hope. Your feels are honest and always survive the love for your motherland.

As a tradition for Soviet movies, most of the actors here are theatrical actors and their interaction on the screen is nothing if not realistic and natural. But Shulshin's talent makes him rise above others.

If that's not enough you have Nikulin, who was a war veteran himself, in one of his dramatic roles.

Sergei Bondarchuk is a great director. He has proved it with War and Peace, with Waterloo and now again with They Fought for Their Moterhland.

The film looks great. It's amazing how Bondarchuk can translate a world to film and still make it feel very real. The production is great, except for some minor things (tank turrets don't move). When I watched this film, I got the feeling that the whole world was at war. Not only these soldiers somewhere in Russia, but that they were just small parts in a big world conflict.

Most people always complain about the acting in Russian movies. That doesn't go for this one. It all feels very natural. The pain they show looks real, their sweat is there and I cannot imagine it with other actors (or acting method). Sergei Bondarchuk himself plays a role and he shows that he cannot only direct, but also act.

What I loved the most, is that this film shows war as I think it is. There are humans, the enemy is just a dot far away and every fight there are losses. Russians and Germans bleed alike. The Soviet flag is shown and it's clear who we are supposed to root for, but the main characters aren't heroes. They fight because they are told too, not because they are tough.

The music is like the music of War and Peace; not really pleasant to listen to, but it's perfect for the film. When an act of horror is shown, voices rise as if they complain. A requiem to humanity.

They Fought for their Motherland is bit like Spielbergs Saving Private Ryan; only without the misplaced heroism and with that touch of humanity.

Maybe not for everyone (since their is a delicate balance between spectacle, humanity and of course philosophy), but when you are looking for more aspects of war than just the heroic stereotype combat, go for this.

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.

An excellent WW2 movie set on the Eastern Front near the Don River. Very authentic with lots of action. Kind of an epic scale of bravery at a period in the war when Germany seemed unbeatable. Stalingrad is raging at this time. This battalion is a rear guard as the others retreat across the Don River. The english subtitles are kind of poor. A man speaks and nothing or the dialogue is there but early or late for the scene. Its still a fine movie.