A Simple Story () is a 1960 Soviet

romantic drama film Romance films involve romantic love stories recorded in visual media for broadcast in theatres or on television that focus on passion (emotion), passion, emotion, and the affectionate romantic involvement of the main characters. Typically their ...

directed by Yuri Yegorov. The picture was the 48th most attended domestic film in the Soviet Union. The film tells the story of a determined widow who becomes the first woman chairperson of a struggling collective farm, transforming it through resilience and leadership while navigating personal sacrifices, community dynamics, and her own evolving desires.

Plot

In the collective farm "Zarya," the position of chairman frequently changes, with new appointees every year. During one of the meetings, where the district committee introduces yet another candidate, the young widow Aleksandra Potapova—who, like many women in the village, lost her husband during the

Great Patriotic War The Eastern Front, also known as the Great Patriotic War (term), Great Patriotic War in the Soviet Union and its successor states, and the German–Soviet War in modern Germany and Ukraine, was a Theater (warfare), theatre of World War II ...

—unexpectedly suggests that a woman should take on the role. To her surprise, the community elects her. Aleksandra begins her new duties with determination, despite not fully understanding the complexities of the position. She faces challenges in her relationships with villagers, particularly with the former chairman, Lykov, whose son Ivan she has been romantically involved with. Aware of the scrutiny she faces as chairwoman, Aleksandra ends her relationship with Ivan and focuses on her responsibilities. Over time, her hard work inspires the villagers, who begin to support her efforts. The farm merges with another struggling collective, gradually improving under her leadership. Throughout her work, Aleksandra frequently interacts with Danilov, the district committee secretary, and falls in love with him. Although he reciprocates her feelings, Danilov cannot bring himself to make a change in his life. In the film's final scene, district officials arrive to offer Aleksandra the position of director at an advanced state farm equipped with modern technology and better living conditions. Initially, she agrees, but as she steps outside and sees her concerned fellow villagers silently opposing the idea, she decides to stay with her community.

Cast

Nonna Mordyukova Noyabrina Viktorovna Mordyukova (Russian: Ноябри́на (Но́нна) Ви́кторовна Мордюко́ва; 25 November 1925 – 6 July 2008) was a Soviet and Russian actress and People's Artist of the USSR (1974). She was the star o ...

as Sasha Potapova * Mikhail Ulyanov as Secretary of the Communist Andrey Egorovich Danilov *

Vasily Shukshin Vasily Makarovich Shukshin (; 25 July 1929 – 2 October 1974) was a Soviet Russian writer, actor, screenwriter and film director from the Altai region who specialized in rural themes. A prominent member of the Village Prose movement, he beg ...

as Vanka Lykov * Daniil Ilchenko as Yegor Lykov, Ivan's father *

Valentina Vladimirova Valentina Kharlampiyevna Vladimirova (; 22 November 1927, in Vasylivka – 23 March 1994, in Moscow Moscow is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Russia by population, largest city of Russia, standing on the Moskva (r ...

as Avdotya *

Irina Murzaeva Irina Vsevolodovna Murzaeva (; May 15, 1906 — January 3, 1988) was a Soviet actress of theater and cinema. Biography She graduated from the Lunacharsky Theater College (1927). In 1927-1928 and 1930-1931 an actress Sverdlovsk Youth Theater, ...

as Sasha's mother * Aleksey Mironov as Guskov *

Oleg Anofriev Oleg Andreyevich Anofriyev (sometimes spelled Anofriev, ; 20 July 193028 March 2018), PAR, was a Soviet and Russian theatreРусский драматический театр: Энциклопедия / Под общ. ред. М. И. Андрее� ...

as Agronomist * Tatyana Babanina as Nastassya Mineeva (as T. Babanina) *

Nina Sazonova Nina Afanasievna Sazonova (; 1917 — 2004) was a leading actress of the Soviet Army Theatre in Moscow. The daughter of a peasant, she joined Aleksey Popov's theatre school at the age of 17. Popov went on to direct her in a number of product ...

as Lyuba

Production

The character of Potapova was specifically written for

. She was born in

Kuban Kuban ( Russian and Ukrainian: Кубань; ) is a historical and geographical region in the North Caucasus region of southern Russia surrounding the Kuban River, on the Black Sea between the Don Steppe, the Volga Delta and separated fr ...

into a peasant family and her mother was a kolkhoz chairman.

References

External links

* *
KinoPoisk
' 1960 films 1960s Russian-language films 1960 romantic drama films Gorky Film Studio films Soviet romantic drama films Russian-language romantic drama films Soviet black-and-white films 1960s Soviet films {{1960s-USSR-film-stub