The Living and the Dead (Russian: Живые и мёртвые, romanized: Zhivye i myortvye) is a 1964 Soviet World War II drama film directed by Aleksandr Stolper and produced by Mosfilm based on the 1959 novel The Living and the Dead by Konstantin Simonov.

[1] The film spans the period from the early days of the Great Patriotic War to the middle of winter 1941–1942, culminating in the Soviet counteroffensive near Moscow.

This grand narrative of six months of catastrophic retreat followed by a powerful counterstrike is shown through the experiences of one man, Ivan Sintsov (played by Kirill Lavrov), a correspondent for an army newspaper.

The movie describes his work as a war correspondent during these trying times and his encounters with figures like Brigade Commander Fyodor Serpilin (played by Anatoly Papanov), whose steadfastness deeply influences him.

Through his experiences, Sintsov transitions from a journalist to a soldier, ultimately fighting as a common infantryman, convinced that he must fulfill his duty in the face of adversity.