For the Rest of His Life

For the Rest of His Life
Written by	Boris Vakhtin Pyotr Fomenko
Directed by	Pyotr Fomenko
Starring	Alexey Eybozhenko Ernst Romanov Lyudmila Arinina Taisia Kalinchenko
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)

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

The film tells about the life of doctors, nurses and other personnel of a hospital train during the Great Patriotic War.

Plot

In the first episode, viewers are introduced to the characters as Commissar Danilov walks through a medical train. The scene is interspersed with flashbacks of peaceful, happy lives before the war—recollections of Danilov, the charming young Lenochka Ogorodnikova, and Doctor Belov. When news of the war breaks, Danilov organizes the train and assembles its personnel.

In the second episode, new characters are introduced—severely wounded soldiers who, despite numerous surgeries and amputations, retain their hope and optimism. Most remain undaunted, continuing to find joy in life. In stark contrast, there is the tragic figure of Zhigalov, a naval officer who cannot bear to live as an invalid. Among the optimists, Junior Lieutenant Kramin stands out—a paralyzed soldier whose reunion with his wife becomes one of the most poignant moments of the series.

The third episode delves into the grueling daily struggles of the medical staff, balanced by lighter and more uplifting moments, including stories about a makeshift chicken coop on wheels and budding romances: between Senior Nurse Yulia Dmitrievna and Doctor Suprugov, and Nurse Faina and soldier Nizvetsky. New characters join the story, such as Uncle Sasha, a carpenter who lost his entire family of six in a train bombing, and Vasya, a young orphan girl. Danilov allows Vasya to stay on the train to help care for the mobile chicken coop. Amid these moments, the series also explores tragic events in the lives of many characters. A particularly somber moment occurs when Doctor Belov learns of the deaths of his wife and daughter in the besieged city of Leningrad during the fall of 1941.

The fourth episode depicts the bittersweet days leading up to Victory. Lenochka Ogorodnikova discovers that Dani, the man she loves, has married someone else. Doctor Belov finally returns to his beloved city of Leningrad, only to find his home reduced to ruins. Meanwhile, Yulia Dmitrievna travels on the train with her beloved Suprugov, filled with hope for their future together—they even share a ration for the journey.

Cast

• Alexey Eybozhenko as Commissar Danilov
• Ernst Romanov as Hospital train Commander Doctor Belov
• Lyudmila Arinina as Julia Dmitrievna
• Vladimir Bogin as Nikonov
• Yevgeny Solyakov as Danya
• Maya Bulgakova as Dusya
• Grigori Gai as intendant Sobol
• Valentin Gaft as Lt. Kramin
• Kira Golovko as Sonechka
• Mikhail Danilov as Doctor Suprugov
• Mikhail Zhigalov as one-legged Captain
• Sergey Zamorev as Nizvetsky
• Valery Zolotukhin as Sasha
• Taisia Kalinchenko as Lena Ogorodnikova
• Svetlana Karpinskaya as Nurse Faina
• Panteleimon Krymov 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

External links

• Na vsyu ostavshuyusya zhizn... at IMDb
• Final scene and title song on YouTube