10 Russian movies about WWII you can watch for FREE!
In our ‘Content hub’ section, we already have dozens of Soviet and Russian movies available for FREE with English subtitles. Below, we’ve highlighted a select few that are devoted to World War II.
1. ‘The Cranes Are Flying’ (1957) – dir. Mikhail Kalatozov
Two lovebirds stroll around Moscow until late at night and, in the morning, discover that the Soviet Union is at war. The young man is called up for front line service, while his girlfriend remains in Moscow and ends up marrying another man.
The movie is not recommended to those with an overly sensitive disposition. The jury at Cannes in 1958 cried so much they awarded it the festival’s highest award, the Palme d’Or.
Watch the movie in our ‘Content hub’ section.
2. ‘The Fate of a Man’ (1959) – dir. Sergei Bondarchuk
A soldier named Andrei Sokolov endures injury, captivity and even a concentration camp… And then, miraculously manages to escape. Back home, he learns that his entire family has perished: his wife and daughters after a bombing raid and his son on the front lines on the last day of the war. Grief-stricken, Sokolov lives mechanically until he meets an orphan boy named Vanushka. To numb the pain of his loss, Sokolov decides to claim to be the child's father. The movie is based on the short story of the same name by Nobel laureate Mikhail Sholokhov, which was based on a true story.
The movie won prizes at several international film festivals, including in Moscow, Minsk, Karlovy Vary (Carlsbad) and Melbourne.
Watch the movie in our ‘Content hub’ section.
3. ‘Ballad of a Soldier’ (1959) – dir. Grigory Chukhray
After performing a heroic deed in battle, a young soldier is granted leave to visit his mother. The journey home is long and, along the way, he encounters many different people, including his first love. It takes a heart of stone not to cry when the soldier hugs his mother before his departure back to the front, neither of them knowing whether he will ever return again…
Watch the movie in our ‘Content hub’ section.
4. ‘An Inch of Land’ (1964) – dirs. Andrey Smirnov, Boris Yashin
The war time Summer of 1944. A small unit headed by Captain Motovilov successfully fights for a tiny patch of land on the banks of the Dniester. Critics praised the movie for its realistic depiction of wartime life. It was well described by front line writer Grigory Baklanov in his novel of the same name, on which the movie is based.
Watch the movie in our ‘Content hub’ section.
5. ‘A Soldier Came Back from the Front’ (1971) – dir. Nikolai Gubenko
World War II has just ended and a demobilized soldier named Nikolai Egorov returns to his native village. His wife has died and only his little daughter Nadia remains. She has grown noticeably and the man initially does not even recognize her in a crowd of orphaned children. The movie is based on Sergei Antonov's short stories and is dedicated to the hardships of reviving peaceful life after the war.
Watch the movie in our ‘Content hub’ section.
6. ‘They Fought for Their Country’ (1975) – dir. Sergei Bondarchuk
This screen adaptation of the eponymous novel by Mikhail Sholokhov was directed by Oscar-winner Sergei Bondarchuk. Timed to coincide with the 30th anniversary of Victory Day, it tells about the exploits of Soviet troops during World War II and is acknowledged as a classic of the genre.
Watch the movie in our ‘Content hub’ section.
7. ‘The Ascent’ (1977) – dir. Larisa Shepitko
Winter 1942. Byelorussia (now Belarus) is occupied by the Nazis. Two partisans are taken prisoner. After brutal interrogations, one of the men agrees to cooperate. He justifies the betrayal to himself as a temporary measure, hoping to escape and rejoin the partisans in fighting. Playing a double game, the hero fails to notice how he personally kicks the support out from under his comrade-in-arms on the gallows…
The movie received the highest award at the Berlin Film Festival in 1977. It’s based on the novella by Vasil Bykov and also inspired by real events.
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8. ‘The Battle for Moscow’ (1985) – dir. Yuri Ozerov
The script of this multi-part movie is based on documentary materials and memoirs of Marshal Georgy Zhukov. It’s dedicated to two major battles in World War II, the defense of the Brest Fortress and the Battle of Moscow. One scene even shows the execution of partisan Zoya Kosmodemyanskaya.
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9. ‘Stalingrad’ (1989) – dir. Yuri Ozerov
This movie is dedicated to one of the most pivotal battles of World War II, the Battle of Stalingrad. This is one of four legendary movie epics devoted to the war by director Yuri Ozerov. He took on the project after watching several Hollywood movies that never once mentioned the role of the Soviet troops. Critics highly praised the documentary accuracy and the epic scale of the filming.
Watch the movie in our ‘Content hub’ section.
10. ‘On the Road to Berlin’ (2015) – dir. Sergei Popov
Young Lieutenant Sergey Ogarkov fails to accomplish a combat mission, causing an entire division to be encircled and killed. The young man is sentenced to death by firing squad. Suddenly, the village where Ogarkov is being held is captured by the Nazis. The condemned man and his guard manage to escape and, together, they begin to break through to their own lines…
The movie was released for the 70th anniversary of the victory in World War II and won the TEFI award for ‘Best Documentary’ in 2017.
Watch the movie in our ‘Content hub’ section.
You can discover the incredible stories of other war heroes in our special project ‘Heroes of War’.
Also, see how World War II unfolded on the Eastern Front in our documentary series ‘Path to Victory’.
