The Seventh Companion (1968): cast, story & where to watch

Released in 1968, The Seventh Companion is a drama and war film directed by Grigoriy Aronov, running about 89 minutes.

What it’s about. German apparently disavowed this, his first film, because of his co-director Grigori Aranov's more classical approach (and his kowtowing to Soviet authority); too bad, because it's something of a knockout. A brilliant, gripping portrait of the era of "Red Terror" during the civil war that followed the Bolshevik revolution, The Seventh Companion offers a superlative character study in General Adamov (Andrei Popov), a law professor in the tsarist army, who is incarcerated by the Bolshevik secret police along with many other members of the bourgeoisie. Finally released into the new world of the Soviet Union, the resigned officer finds that he has lost everything from his old life except a mantel clock that he carries through the night from place to place, until he ends up, like Rossellini's inmate seeking readmission to prison in Dovè la liberta?, back where he started.

Who’s in it. The Seventh Companion stars Andrei Popov as Maj. Gen. Adamov, Pyotr Chernov as Zykov, Vladimir Osenev as Priklonski and Sofiya Giatsintova as General's wife, among others.

How it landed. With an audience score of 6.6/10, The Seventh Companion has drawn a solid, mixed-to-positive response.

Where to watch. Streaming options change often. See the full, country-by-country breakdown on our where to watch The Seventh Companion page.

If you liked it. Fans of The Seventh Companion tend to enjoy The Shawshank Redemption, The Godfather, Schindler's List and The Godfather Part II.