
They Fought for Their Motherland
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.
Top Billed 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
Featured Crew

Sergey Bondarchuk
Director

Sergey Bondarchuk
Writer

Mikhail Sholokhov
Novel
Yelena Mikhaylova
Editor

Vladimir Dostal
Co-Director

Vadim Yusov
Director of Photography

Vyacheslav Ovchinnikov
Original Music Composer

Yuri Mikhajlov
Sound
Feliks Yasyukevich
Production Design
Nadezhda Buzina
Costume Design
Igor Lazarenko
Production Manager