Tale of a True Man () is a Soviet feature film directed by Aleksandr Stolper, shot on the same name book by Boris Polevoy.
For the participation in the film, a number of film actors and the cameraman were awarded the Stalin Prize in 1949.
Plot
At the heart of the dramatic history are the real facts of the biography of the fighter pilot Alexey Maresyev. Shot in battle over the occupied territory, he for three weeks made his way through the snow-covered forests until he got to the partisans. Having lost both legs, the hero subsequently shows an amazing strength of character, again sits at the helm of the aircraft and replenishes the account of air victories over the enemy.
Cast
Pavel Kadochnikov as Alexey Maresyev
Nikolay Okhlopkov as commissar Vorobiev
Aleksei Dikiy as Vasily Vasilyevich
Vasili Merkuryev as Stepan Ivanovich the foreman
Tamara Makarova as Klavdia Mikhailovna
Lyudmila Tselikovskaya as Zinochka
Lev Sverdlin as Naumov
Czeslaw Sushkevich as Kukushkin
Viktor Khokhryakov as Degtyarenko
Aleksandr Mikhailov as Petrov
Boris Dobronravov as chairman of the commission
Boris Babochkin as commander of the regiment
Lyubov Sokolova as collective farmer Varvara (debut role) Sergei Bondarchuk as Gvozdev Mikhail Gluzsky as captain Cheslov Vladimir Gribkov as Zuyev Ivan Ryzhov as patient in the sanatorium
Awards
Stalin Prize
Aleksandr Stolper (director) Mark Magidson (cinematographer) Pavel Kadochnikov (actor) Vasili Merkuryev (actor) Nikolay Okhlopkov (actor)