The Living and the Dead (Russian: Живые и мёртвые, romanized: Zhivye i myortvye) is a 1964 Soviet World War II drama film directed by Aleksandr Stolper and produced by Mosfilm based on the 1959 novel The Living and the Dead by Konstantin Simonov.
Contents
Plot
The film spans the period from the early days of the Great Patriotic War to the middle of winter 1941–1942, culminating in the Soviet counteroffensive near Moscow. This grand narrative of six months of catastrophic retreat followed by a powerful counterstrike is shown through the experiences of one man, Ivan Sintsov (played by Kirill Lavrov), a correspondent for an army newspaper. The war begins while Sintsov is on vacation with his wife, and he tries to return to his unit located in Western Belarus. However, his unit is overrun by the advancing Wehrmacht, making the journey impossible.
Near the town of Borisov, Sintsov meets another officer also attempting to reach his unit. Together, they go to the road to find transportation, but during a German air raid, the officer and the car he stopped are blown up. Sintsov continues his journey alone, eventually being assigned to a military newspaper in Mogilev and later another near Yelnia. The movie describes his work as a war correspondent during these trying times and his encounters with figures like Brigade Commander Fyodor Serpilin (played by Anatoly Papanov), whose steadfastness deeply influences him. Through his experiences, Sintsov transitions from a journalist to a soldier, ultimately fighting as a common infantryman, convinced that he must fulfill his duty in the face of adversity.
Cast
Kirill Lavrov as Ivan Sintsov
Viktor Avdyushko as Sergeant Shestakov, commander of the gun
Anatoli Papanov as General Serpilin
Aleksei Glazyrin as Malinin
Oleg Yefremov as Ivanov
Lyudmila Krylova as Ovsyannikova
Ludmila Lyubimova as Masha Sintsova
Lev Lyubetskiy as Commissar
Vasili Makarov as Nikolay Petrovich Zaichikov
Roman Khomyatov as Lyusun
Yevgeny Samoylov as Communist commander of a battalion
Zinovy Vysokovsky as Mikhail Weinstein, military photographer
Oleg Tabakov as Krutikov
Boris Chirkov as Biryukov
Mikhail Gluzsky as Major General Orlov
Yevgeni Shutov as policeman
Valentina Telegina as aunt Pasha Kulikova
Mikhail Ulyanov as Sergei Filippovich, Army Commander
Lyubov Sokolova as doctor (episode)
Vladimir Vysotsky as soldier (episode)
Alla Budnitskaya as Masha's friend