For the Rest of His Life

For the Rest of His Life (Russian: На всю оставшуюся жизнь, Na vsyu ostavshuyusya zhizn) is a Soviet war drama mini-series. It is an adaptation of the novel The Train (Sputniki) by Vera Panova.

For the Rest of His Life
Written by	Boris Vakhtin [ru] Pyotr Fomenko
Directed by	Pyotr Fomenko[1]
Starring	Alexey Eybozhenko Ernst Romanov [ru] Lyudmila Arinina Taisia Kalinchenko [ru]
Theme music composer	Veniamin Basner
Country of origin	Soviet Union
Original language	Russian
Production
Cinematography	Vyacheslav Babenko
Running time	270 minutes
Production company	Lentelefilm
Original release
Release	1975 (1975) – 1975 (1975)

The mini-series consists of four episodes depicting a Soviet frontline hospital train during the German invasion of the Soviet Union.

Plot

The first episode introduces the characters as Commissar Danilov (Alexey Eybozhenko) walks through the hospital train. The scene is interspersed with flashbacks of peaceful, happy lives before the war. When news of the war breaks, Danilov readies the train and assembles its personnel.

The second episode introduces severely wounded soldiers who, despite numerous surgeries and amputations, retain hope and optimism. Most remain undaunted, continuing to find joy in life.

The third episode recounts the difficult wartime lives of the medical staff, balanced by lighter and uplifting moments, including stories about a makeshift chicken coop on wheels and budding romances between senior nurse Yulia Dmitrievna and Doctor Suprugov, as well as nurse Faina and soldier Nizvetsky. New passengers join the train's crew, such as Uncle Sasha, a carpenter who lost his entire family of six in a train bombing, and Vaska, an orphan girl. Danilov allows Vaska to stay to help tend the train's chicken coop. Amid these moments, the series also explores tragic events in the lives of the characters. A notable moment occurs when Doctor Belov learns of the death of his wife and daughter in the siege of Leningrad.

The fourth episode depicts the bittersweet days leading up to victory. Lenochka Ogorodnikova discovers that Danya, the man she loves, has married another. Doctor Belov finally returns to Leningrad, only to find his home reduced to ruins, but learns that his son is alive and fighting at the front. Meanwhile, Yulia Dmitrievna travels on the train with her beloved Dr. Suprugov, filled with hope for their future together.

Cast

• Alexey Eybozhenko as Commissar Danilov
• Ernst Romanov [ru] as Hospital train Commander Doctor Belov
• Lyudmila Arinina as Julia Dmitrievna
• Vladimir Bogin [ru] as Nikonov
• Yevgeny Solyakov as Danya
• Maya Bulgakova as Dusya
• Grigori Gai [ru] as intendant Sobol
• Valentin Gaft as Lt. Kramin
• Kira Golovko as Sonechka
• Mikhail Danilov [ru] as Doctor Suprugov
• Mikhail Zhigalov as one-legged Captain
• Sergey Zamorev [ru] as Nizvetsky
• Valery Zolotukhin as Sasha
• Taisia Kalinchenko [ru] as Lena Ogorodnikova
• Svetlana Karpinskaya [ru] as Nurse Faina
• Panteleimon Krymov [ru] as Sukhoyedov
• Gleb Strizhenov as Kravtsov
• Margarita Terekhova as Faina and one-legged pregnant woman
• Nina Urgant as Aunt Laundry
• Georgy Shtil as Goremykin

Awards

• 1976 — Tbilisi TV Movie Festival Award