People enjoy war films for a number of reasons. Whether it’s a love of history, powerful storytelling or admiring soldiers’ and civilians’ resilience, the genre continues to attract audiences around the world.
But while many people will have seen Saving Private Ryan or Schindler’s List, there’s one film that some movie enthusiasts say is the best World War 2 movie of all time, and most people outside of Russia have never even heard of it.
Ballad of a Soldier, directed by Grigory Chukhray, was released in the Soviet Union in 1959 and became an instant classic.
It tells the story of Alyosha Skvortsov, a young Red Army soldier who is granted leave after a heroic act in battle and sets off to visit his mother.
But on his journey home, he meets several people whose lives have also been torn apart by the war, including a young woman he falls in love with.
Although set during wartime, the film is not primarily about battles or military strategy.
Instead, it focuses on themes of love, sacrifice, and humanity.
One reviewer called it “absolutely one of my favorite films, which reveals the humanity in war. And that’s rare in the Soviet’s 40s-50s movie industry.”
Another said: “Ballad of a Soldier is a brilliant gem of mid-century Soviet cinema that will take you by surprise.
“It’s lyrically unassuming, but not boring. It’s moving and thoughtful, but not too sentimental.
“It has the episodic nature of life, combining the mundane and the extraordinary.”
The New York Times’ Bosley Crowther also praised the film for its subtle power.
He wrote: “Chukray’s ability to make the film flow in such a swift, poetic way that the tragedy of it is concealed by a gentle lyric quality.”
He also praised the “two splendid performances” by Vladimir Ivashov and Zhanna Prokhorenko.
The film has a 93% critic score and 93% audience rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
One viewer simply said: “This was the best freaking movie! See it.”
Another added: “The best ever World War 2 film I’ve ever watched.”