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.
- Awards
- 1 win
- Vanja
- (as Pavlik Boriskin)
- Muller
- (as Yu. Averin)
- Captive in the church
- (as N. Aparin)
- Kryzhnev
- (as Ye. Kudryashov)
- Director
- Writers
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaThe Best Film in the poll of the magazine "Soviet Screen" in 1960.
- GoofsWhen 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.
- ConnectionsFeatured in Sergey Bondarchuk (1982)
Another of those great Russian war films from the late 50s/early 60s, which, as with Japan, seems to have been the nation's best era for cinema. The quicksilverlike photography is predictably superlative, and there are solid performances all round, especially from the lead, Sergey Bondarchuk, who also directed the film.
There's a number of clumsy transitions between scenes in the last half hour of the film that don't really work, and it perhaps runs a little out of steam once he has escaped, but that's about the most I can come up with in terms of criticism, and the final impression one takes away is less of battlefields than the healing, rebuilding and moving on from them that has to take place afterwards.
Well worth watching if you're in the mood for a 90-minute war epic, alongside The Cranes are Flying and Ballad of A Soldier.
- MogwaiMovieReviews
- Aug 7, 2021
- How long is The Destiny of a Man?Powered by Alexa
Details
- Release date
- Country of origin
- Languages
- Also known as
- Destiny of a Man
- Filming locations
- Mosfilm Studios, Moscow, Russia(Studio)
- Production company
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
- Runtime1 hour 43 minutes
- Color
- Sound mix
- Aspect ratio
- 1.37 : 1
Contribute to this page
![Boris Zelensky in The Destiny of a Man (1959)](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BMDg1OTA2YjMtNjQ5NC00YmQ2LTkxZjAtYTQzYjdkYzYwNmExXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyNzgzODI1OTE@._V1_QL75_UX90_CR0,5,90,133_.jpg)