''A Mother's Heart'' () is a 1965

Soviet The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...

historical revolutionary film directed by

Mark Donskoy Mark Semyonovich Donskoy (21 March 1981) was a Soviet film director, screenwriter, and studio administrative head. Biography Mark Donskoy was born in Odessa in a Jewish family. During the Civil War, he served in the Red Army (1921-1923), an ...

. Donskoy was awarded

USSR State Prize The USSR State Prize () was one of the Soviet Union’s highest civilian honours, awarded from its establishment in September 1966 until the dissolution of the USSR in 1991. It recognised outstanding contributions in the fields of science, mathem ...

for the film in 1968. The film follows the formative years (1884–1890) of Vladimir Ulyanov growing up in

Simbirsk Ulyanovsk,, , known as Simbirsk until 1924, is a city and the administrative center of Ulyanovsk Oblast, Russia, located on the Volga River east of Moscow. Ulyanovsk has been the only Russian UNESCO City of Literature since 2015. The city wa ...

. The film was followed by the sequel, '' A Mother's Devotion'' in 1967.

Plot

The film unfolds between 1886 and 1893, portraying the life of Maria Alexandrovna Ulyanova, the resilient mother of Vladimir Lenin, as she navigates the trials and sacrifices faced by her revolutionary family. A cultured and enlightened woman from a prosperous background, Maria Alexandrovna endures the loss of her husband, Ilya Nikolaevich, in 1886, and shoulders the burden of raising her children alone. Her strength is tested further when her eldest son, Alexander, is arrested and executed for his revolutionary activities. At his trial, she sits in the crowd, seeing only her son as he utters his final words, asking for her understanding and forgiveness, a moment that leaves an indelible mark on her. Maria Alexandrovna continues to support her family through relentless adversity: her daughter Anna is arrested and exiled, her daughter Olga succumbs to illness, and Vladimir falls under police surveillance for participating in student protests. Despite her own pain, she moves with her children to Samara, working tirelessly as she witnesses their growing involvement in underground revolutionary circles. Haunted by Alexander's words about the sacrifices needed for the cause, she resolves to stand by her children as their unwavering supporter. By 1893, as the young Lenin moves to St. Petersburg to embrace the revolutionary struggle, Maria Alexandrovna remains, in his words, a "steadfast ally," embodying the spirit of commitment and love that sustains her family’s radical path.

Cast

* Yelena Fadeyeva as Mariya Aleksandrovna Ulyanova, the Mother * Daniil Sagal as Ilya Nikolayevich Ulyanov, the Father *

Nina Menshikova Nina Yevgenyevna Menshikova (; 8 August 1928 – 26 December 2007) was a Soviet actress. She was the wife of Stanislav Rostotsky and the mother of Andrei Rostotsky. Nina Menshikova was awarded the title of People's Artist of the RSFSR in 197 ...

Anna Anna may refer to: People Surname and given name * Anna (name) Mononym * Anna the Prophetess, in the Gospel of Luke * Anna of East Anglia, King (died c.654) * Anna (wife of Artabasdos) (fl. 715–773) * Anna (daughter of Boris I) (9th–10th c ...

Gennadi Chertov Gennadi () is a Greek village, seat of the municipal unit of South Rhodes, on the island of Rhodes, South Aegean region. In 2021 its population was 1,224. The village is 64 km from the town of Rhodes and 27 km from ancient Lindos Lindos (; ) i ...

as Aleksandr *

Rodion Nakhapetov Rodion Rafailovich Nakhapetov (Russian: Родион Рафаилович Нахапетов; born 1944) is a Soviet-American-Russian actor, film director and screenwriter. He received the People's Artist of the RSFSR (1985). Asteroid 256697& ...

Vladimir Lenin Vladimir Ilyich Ulyanov ( 187021 January 1924), better known as Vladimir Lenin, was a Russian revolutionary, politician and political theorist. He was the first head of government of Soviet Russia from 1917 until Death and state funeral of ...

* Nina Vilkovskaya as Olga *

Svetlana Balashova Svetlana () is a common Orthodox Slavic feminine given name, deriving from the East and South Slavic root ''svet'' (), meaning "light", "shining", "luminescent", "pure", "blessed", or "holy", depending upon context similar if not the same as th ...

Mariya Mariya is a variation of the feminine given name Maria. People * Mariya Abakumova (born 1986), Russian Olympic javelin thrower * Mariya Agapova (born 1997), Kazakhstani mixed martial arts fighter * Mariya Alyokhina (born 1988), Russian polit ...

Vitaly Churkin Vitaly Ivanovich Churkin ( rus, Виталий Иванович Чуркин, p=vʲɪˈtalʲɪj ɪˈvanəvʲɪtɕ ˈtɕurkʲɪn; 21 February 1952 – 20 February 2017) was a Russian diplomat. As a child actor, he starred in three films '' The Blu ...

as Fedka * Victor Mizin as Gorchilin *

Fyodor Nikitin Fyodor Mikhailovich Nikitin (; May 3, 1900 in Lokhvytsia – July 17, 1988 in Moscow) was a Soviet film and theater actor. People's Artist of the RSFSR (1969). Winner of two USSR State Prize, Stalin Prizes first degree (1950, 1951). Filmography ...

as Neklyudov * Vsevolod Safonov as Ishchersky *

Victor Salin The name Victor or Viktor may refer to: * Victor (name), including a list of people with the given name, mononym, or surname Arts and entertainment Film * ''Victor'' (1951 film), a French drama film * ''Victor'' (1993 film), a French shor ...

as Lionka *

Yuriy Solomin Jury, Jurij, Iurii, Iouri, Yury, Yuri, Youri, Yurii, Yuriy or Yurij is the Slavic languages, Slavic (, or , or , or ) form of the masculine given name George (given name), George; it is derived directly from the Greek form Georgios and related to ...

Dmitri Dmitry (); Church Slavic form: Dimitry or Dimitri (); ancient Russian forms: D'mitriy or Dmitr ( or ) is a male given name common in Orthodox Christian culture, the Russian version of Demetrios (, ). The meaning of the name is "devoted to, de ...

* Georgi Yepifantsev as Yelizarov

External links

* 1965 films 1960s historical drama films Soviet historical drama films 1960s Russian-language films Gorky Film Studio films Soviet black-and-white films Films directed by Mark Donskoy Films about Vladimir Lenin 1960s Soviet films Russian-language historical drama films {{1960s-USSR-film-stub