(BALLADA O SOLDATE, Grigori Chukhrai, USSR 1959, 89 min., Russian with subtitles, 35mm)

A young WWII soldier heroically disables two German tanks and is granted four days’ leave to visit his mother. On his journey home, he helps a crippled soldier return to his wife, falls in love, and survives the bombing of his train. Director Chukhrai’s heartbreaking and simply told anti-war statement is also a loving look at the Russian landscape and people. New 35mm print!