By Sebastian Baczkiewicz

Eyewitness to the Battle of Stalingrad, Vassily Grossman was loved by the front line soldiers for his vivid portrayal of their struggle. But twenty years later his great war novel Life and Fate, was banned by the KGB. It would never see print in his lifetime.

Vassily Grossman....Anton Lesser

Sasha....Jimmy Chamberlain

Valentin....Steven Webb

Valentin (older)....Raymond Coulthard

Anya/Olga....Gillian Bevan

Commissar Bruk....Matthew Marsh

Colonel Gurtiev/Polyakov....Fred Pearson

Petrov....Andrew Tiernan

Grekov....Stephen Critchlow

Yuri/Concierge/Third Soldier....Ben Crowe

Corporal Tanya Driabin....Carla Simpson

Freddy Parkhomenko....Nicholas Boulton

Albert/Concierge....Kenneth Collard

Marya....Laura Doddington

Lyusia....Laura Martin-Simpson

Grossman's Mother....Jennie Stoller With Scott Brooksbank, Simon Donaldson and Richard Firth

Assistant Producer: Janice Thomas

Director: Mark Burman

Producer: Jeremy Mortimer