Overview
A poignant tale of love and sacrifice amidst the chaos of war.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Brisk
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- Moderate
- lyrical
- tender
- wistful
- classic film night
- reflective evening
What critics said
Critics broadly regard the film as a poetic, technically accomplished, and deeply human World War II drama whose youthful performances and subtle emotional force conceal profound tragedy beneath a gentle lyricism.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Alyosha's brief leave becomes a cross-country journey through a war-torn landscape, structured around successive human encounters.
Alyosha and Shura fall in love while traveling through a country at war, with their limited time defining the relationship.
The film foregrounds Alyosha's mother, Shura, and disabled veterans, making compassion and loss more important than glory.
Train journeys, roads, and changing war-torn surroundings carry the film's poetic emotional rhythm.
Films like Ballad of a Soldier, and why
The Cranes Are Flying
humanist wartime romance with lyrical melancholy and emotionally direct performances
Fate of a Man
reflective World War II drama centered on ordinary soldiers, separation, and sacrifice
Ivan's Childhood
tender antiwar drama combining youthful love, compassion, and the costs of military conflict
Movie Details
- Director
- Grigoriy Chukhray
- Release Date
- 1959-12-01
- Runtime
- 89 min
- Rating
- 8.0 / 10 (228)
Cast
- Vladimir Ivashov
- Zhanna Prokhorenko
- Antonina Maksimova
- Nikolay Kryuchkov
- Evgeniy Urbanskiy
- Elza Lezhdey
- Aleksandr Kuznetsov
- Yevgeni Teterin
- Valentina Markova
- Mariya Kremneva
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- Criterion Channel
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is Ballad of a Soldier about?
- A young Soviet soldier’s brief journey home becomes a tender, lyrical encounter with love, duty, and the human cost of war.
- What is Ballad of a Soldier like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Ballad of a Soldier as brisk, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as layered.
- Is Ballad of a Soldier violent?
- Somewhat. Ember rates the violence in Ballad of a Soldier as moderate.
- What did critics think of Ballad of a Soldier?
- Critics broadly regard the film as a poetic, technically accomplished, and deeply human World War II drama whose youthful performances and subtle emotional force conceal profound tragedy beneath a gentle lyricism.
- Which films are like Ballad of a Soldier?
- Films with a similar feel include The Cranes Are Flying, Fate of a Man, and Ivan's Childhood.
- How long is Ballad of a Soldier?
- Ballad of a Soldier runs 89 minutes.
- Where can I watch Ballad of a Soldier?
- In United States, Ballad of a Soldier streams on Criterion Channel.
