Ballad Of A Soldier (Criterion Collection) (1959) On DVD

Actor:           Vladimir Ivashov, Zhanna Prokhorenko, Antonina Maksimova, Nikolay Kryuchkov, Evgeniy Urbanskiy                                                                                               
Director:      Grigoriy Chukhray
Genre:          Foreign
Year:             1959
Studio:          Criterion
Length:         88
Released:    April 30, 2002
Rating:          Unrated (Video)
Format:         DVD
Misc:              NTSC, Black & White
Language:    Russian
Subtitles  :    English

DESCRIPTION:

Grigory Chukhraj's poetic odyssey of an accidental hero on a six-day pass is a sentimental journey through the ideals of the Soviet state in World War II. Vladimir Ivashov is the fresh-faced signalman whose trip from the Russian front to visit his white-haired mother becomes a series of detours as he stops to help the loyal comrades, fellow soldiers, and salt-of-the-earth civilians (as well as a few shirkers and scoundrels) he meets along the way. On a transport train he even falls in love with a pretty young stowaway, a feisty blond girl-next-door on her way to visit a wounded boyfriend. Delicately photographed and gently paced, this deliriously romantic road movie is undeniably Soviet in its celebration of patriotism and collectivism, but Chukhraj transcends politics with delightfully vivid characters and a deft mix of comedy, melodrama, and romance.

Special Features:

• Interview With Director Grigori Chukhrai and Stars Vladimir Ivashov and Zhanna Prokhorenko, Conducted After a Preview Screening in New York