They Fought for Their Motherland (1975)
Original title: Они сражались за Родину
They Fought for Their Motherland is a 1975 Russian-language war movie directed by Sergey Bondarchuk, with a running time of 2h 31m. It stars Vasiliy Shukshin, Vyacheslav Tikhonov and Sergey Bondarchuk.
In July 1942, in the Second World War, the rearguard of the Russian army protects the bridgehead of the Don River against the German army while the retreating Russian troops cross the bridge. While they move back to the Russian territory through the countryside, the soldiers show their companionship, sentiments, fears and heroism to defend their motherland.
Cast
- Vasiliy Shukshin as Pyotr Lopakhin
- Vyacheslav Tikhonov as pvt. Nikolay Strel'tsov
- Sergey Bondarchuk as pvt. Ivan Zvyagintsev
- Georgi Burkov as pvt. Alexander Kopytovsky
- Yuriy Nikulin as pvt. Nekrasov
- Ivan Lapikov as sergeant Poprischenko
- Nikolai Gubenko as lieutenant Goloschyokov
- Andrei Rostotsky as corporal Kochetygov
- Nikolay Volkov as pvt. Nikiforov
- Mykola Shutko as cook lisichenko
- Evgeniy Samoylov as Colonel Marchenko
- Nonna Mordyukova as Natalya Stepanovna