

They Fought for Their Motherland
Overview
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.
Movie Details
Languages
Russian
Studio
Mosfilm
Key Crew

Sergey Bondarchuk
Director

Sergey Bondarchuk
Writer
Cast

Vasiliy Shukshin
Piotr Lopakhin

Vyacheslav Tikhonov
pvt. Nikolay Strel'tsov

Sergey Bondarchuk
pvt. Ivan Zvyagintsev

Yuriy Nikulin
pvt. Nekrasov

Georgi Burkov
pvt. Alexander Kopytovsky

Ivan Lapikov
sergeant Poprischenko

Nikolai Gubenko
lieutenant Goloschyokov

Nikolay Volkov
pvt. Nikiforov

Nonna Mordyukova
Natalya Stepanovna

Innokentiy Smoktunovskiy
surgeon

Lidiya Fedoseyeva-Shukshina
Glasha

Andrei Rostotsky
corporal Kochetygov

Tatyana Bozhok
nurse

Mykola Shutko
cook lisichenko

Andrei Popov
author's narration

Evgeniy Samoylov
Colonel Marchenko

Irina Skobtseva
head nurse

Angelina Stepanova
old Cossack woman

Danylo Ilchenko
Luka Mikhalych

Aleksey Vanin
soldier Akim Borzykh