'' They Fought for Their Country '' ( ) is a 1975 Soviet war film based on the eponymous novel written by Mikhail Sholokhov and directed by Sergei Bondarchuk . It was entered into the 1975 Cannes Film Festival . The film is the story of a Soviet platoon fighting a rearguard action during the German drive on Stalingrad . The film was selected as the Soviet entry for the Best Foreign Language Film at the 49th Academy Awards , but was not accepted as a nominee
1975 Cannes Film Festival
1975 Cannes Film Festival
They Fought for Their Country