Los człowieka

A big war movie shown many times on TV during the communist years. Bondarčuk, the director, did a magnificent job in the lead role. I have to admit that after all these years, I don't remember the whole film, but at the time it was a great experience. I still remember the riveting scene when Bondarčuk, as a prisoner in a concentration camp, goes to the camp commander to beg for food and meet his certain death. He miraculously avoids it in the end, with the help of vodka, in a way I won't reveal, so as not to spoil it. But I doubt anyone will see it anyway, because Soviet films are not in vogue today, and very undeservedly so. Many of them are excellent, without any communist propaganda, and it’s a shame they don’t show them anymore. (08.05.2003)

When I saw Fate of a Man again after many years, I thought a lot about it. It's not that it doesn't have a lot of good aspects, and it's not that it doesn't stand out from the contemporary Soviet productions, and as a debut, it is a surprisingly mature work. But there's still a catch. Bondarchuk has plenty of enthusiastic admirers, so in the end, as is my custom when I am unsure, I lean towards a lower rating where others rate higher. Whoever claims that the film lacks or minimizes the propagandist dimension has blinders on. The effort to construct a new Soviet man is quite noticeable in reality. Personally, I also dislike the sentiment where Bondarchuk deliberately works with an orphan. As for the escape from captivity, it probably wouldn't be so easy in reality, but the biggest problem lies in the scene of confrontation with the camp boss. Here, Bondarchuk deliberately plays on a patriotic note. That said, I don't deny Bondarchuk's exceptional talent. Fate of a Man is good, but not exceptional in my eyes. Overall impression: 65%. (31.10.2016)

Bondarchuk may occasionally reduce the character of humanity too much down to kitschy and simple cinematic motifs, but what is nevertheless (or maybe because of it) a beautiful pacifist story about an ordinary man in extraordinarily bad times blossoms under his hands. No period propaganda, just a raw look at the horrors and consequences of war through the lens of a narrative film, which does not stand out above the rest, but undoubtedly deserves its important place in the history of not only Soviet cinema. There are several scenes (vodka with the enemy, the ending in the car) that are among the most unforgettable ever. 75% (03.05.2016)