Starring Bondarchuk, based on a story by Mikhail Sholokhov
Description: The hero, played by Bondarchuk, is a simple Russian man whose life is crippled by the war. His wife and daughter are killed when their village is bombed, his only son is killed in action days before the war ends, and he spends much of the war himself in a German prison camp. Contrary to official treatment that saw prisoners as cowards who had not sacrificed their lives for Stalin and motherland, the hero Andrei Sokolov shows a perseverance and quiet courage that all Russians could identify with. This classic scene shows him defying the merciless camp director and downing vodka so that he can bring some food home to his bunkmates.