Andrei Tarkovsky
I generally liked this movie. It was very different from the other movie we watched by Tarkovsky. This one was very easy to follow and was much more like a story-however, it seems as though Tarkovsky is a big fan of the flashback and dream sequences. He cuts out a lot of extra scenes by simply putting them in a dream so it's like a short version of a long story. This movie reminded me a lot of the Ballad of a Soldier because he followed a particular soldier through the war rather than all the soldiers and the war itself which leads one to believe it wasn't a film based on Socialist Realism.
There were a lot of things i liked about this movie. First, i liked Ivan's tough guy attitude. It as though he was literally fearless. I also liked how Ivan insisted on helping the war efforts and said "those who did nothing during war time were useless." I also loved how Kholin and Katasonov treated him like their son. It was nice to know they were thinking of adopting him after the war, which showed they really cared about him. Second, i thought the scene with Kholin and Masha in the birch forrest was beautiful. I know Tarkovsky appreciated nature- and this was one of the more striking natural environments that i've seen in a movie. However, the situation between Kholin, Masha, and Galtsev confused me. When in the woods, it seemed as though Masha was in no way interested in Kholin, but then they kissed and when he said come over here she did it. Then Galtsev wanted to transfer her so I couldn't figure out if he was mad at her or what the deal was exactly. Finally, i thought the movie gave a shocking account of the german massacres. Toward the end when they were going through the german HQ's they showed places where people were hanged, tortured etc. They also gave us the audio of when Ivan was hanged which was upsetting to hear.
Overall, i thought this movie gave a great account of a young boys interest in the war efforts while giving a background on why he was interested in doing so-I'm assuming to avenge his parents death since they were killed by germans. It was a sad movie; however, it was an enjoyable one.
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I like the idea of the film being a shorter version of a much longer story. And indeed there are many gaps throughout that aren't quite explained (e.g., how they've reached certain points that they stop at; why Ivan is ultimately allowed to stay with them, etc.). But these gaps don't interfere, I think, with our ability to perceive what's essential about the film (something almost apart from its storyline, perhaps).
ReplyDeleteI concur completely on the striking beauty of the birch forest scene. I think the "love triange" (if one can indeed call it) that potentially exists between Kholin-Masha-Galtsev is purposefully left murky.
I also think that their is tremendous beauty in the birch forest. I also think that the relationship might be like that on purpose. I also think that maybe the trees represent that murkiness. In the birch forest, the camera moving made me feel like he was trying to get you to see the confusion of the forest in general. There is just repetitive, look-alike trees everywhere, maybe leaving you feeling alone or lost.
ReplyDeleteAnd therefore it is perhaps no accident and altogether appropriate that Galtsev is unable to find Masha in that forest...
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