Filmography: Sergei Bondarchuk

Sergei Bondarchuk

Sergei Fyodorovich Bondarchuk (25 September 1920 – 20 October 1994) was a Soviet/Russian actor and filmmaker of Ukrainian origin, and one of the leading figures of Soviet cinema in the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s. He is best known for his sweeping period dramas, including his internationally acclaimed four-part adaptation of Leo Tolstoy's War and Peace (1966-67), and for Waterloo (1970), a Napoleonic War epic. Bondarchuk's work won him numerous international accolades. War and Peace won Bondarchuk, who both directed and starred in the lead role of Pierre Bezukhov, the Golden Globe Award for Best Foreign Language Film (1968), and the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film in 1968. He was made both a Hero of Socialist Labour and a People's Artist of the USSR. Quiet Flows the Don [ Тихий Дон , Tikhiy Don ] (1957-58) Against the backdrop of World War I and the Bolshevik Revolution, a young Cossack warrior navigates love, loyalty, and survival as his world transforms during the civil war that tears his homeland apart. Fate of a Man [ Судьба человека , Sudjba cheloveka ] (1959) Andrey Sokolov's life is ruthlessly crippled by World War II. After his wife and daughters are killed during the bombing of his village, he spends some time as a prisoner, and his only son is killed in action only a few days before the victory. War and Peace [ Война и мир , Voyna i mir ] (1965-67) [ English subs in .srt files ] Andrei Bolkonsky ( Андрей Болконский ): In 1805 St. Petersburg, Pierre Bezukhov, illegitimate son of a rich nobleman, is introduced to high society. His friend, Prince Andrei Bolkonsky, joins the Imperial Russian Army as aide-de-camp of General Mikhail Kutuzov in the War of the Third Coalition against General Napoleon Bonaparte. Natasha Rostova ( Наташа Ростова ): As 1809 nears its end, Natasha attends her first ball, where Andrei falls in love with her with the intent of marriage. However, as her father demands they wait, the prince travels abroad, leaving Natasha in desperate longing. But she meets Anatol Kuragin and forgets Andrei. The Year 1812 ( 1812 год ): In 1812, as Napoleon's army invades Russia, Kutuzov asks Bolkonsky to join him as a staff officer, yet the prince requests a command in the field. Pierre sets out to watch the armies' impending confrontation. As the Battle of Borodino rages, he volunteers to assist in an artillery battery. Pierre Bezukhov ( Пьер Безухов ): As Moscow is set ablaze by the retreating Russians, the Rostovs flee their estate, taking wounded soldiers with them, and unbeknownst to them, also Andrei. Pierre, dressed as a peasant, tries to assassinate Napoleon but is taken prisoner. As the French are forced to retreat, he's marched for months with the Grande Armée, until being freed by a raiding party. Waterloo [ Ватерлоо ] (1970) Facing the decline of everything he's worked to obtain, conqueror Napoleon Bonaparte and his army confront the British at the Battle of Waterloo. They Fought for Their Country [ Они сражались за Родину , Oni srazhalis' za Rodinu ] (1975) In July 1942, amidst WWII, the rearguard of the Red Army protects the bridgehead of the Don River against the German army while the retreating soviet 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. The Steppe [ Степь , Step ] (1977) Circa 1900, a Russian boy makes a daunting trip from his home village to a school in the city. Red Bells [ Красные колокола , Krasnye kolokola ] (1982-83) [ two parts edited into single film; no subs ] American journalist John Reed travels to Mexico during the Mexican Revolution and interviews Francisco Villa. Simultaneously, his relationship with Mabel Dodge is explored, as well as his participation in the Patterson strike, and his work as a reporter during World War I. Boris Godunov [ Борис Годунов ] (1986) A possible impostor torments a newly crowned medieval czar who may have ordered the real successor's death.