BALLAD OF A SOLDIER (1960)

Original Title: Ballada o soldate
 

Directed by: Grigori Chukhrai
Starring: Vladimir Ivashov, Zhanna Prokhorenko
Run time: 88 minutes
 

Soldiers are not just soldiers they are our brother, father, sister, and most of it; son. On of the soldier is the central of this story; Private Alyosha Skvortsov (Vladimir Ivashov). A young soldier who happen to destroy two German tanks, thus is given a medal by his superior. However Alyosha wants something more, he wanted a leave so he can fix the roof of his mother's house. With his youthful looks and naivety, Alyosha is representing the common soldier from the lower class of Russian society.

Given the leave, Alyosha went into a road trip where he met so many people and small adventures that shows him that in this terrible times, kindness still existed. Behind the lines of war he witness a veteran who lost his leg and a woman secretly betraying her husband while spending some quality time in the train with Shura, (Zhanna Prokhorenko) a wandering girl, boarding on the train illegally too.

These small adventures are not just mere accessories but a simple story on how the society at that time functions. The frustration, sadness and hope was all presented equally.

Without any political rhetoric or even the usual Soviet propaganda, this film is a humanist one and shows the sacrifice individuals have to make in the war. This one is a perfect companion to The Cranes Are Flying, one of the best Soviet films in years and makes us feel, there shouldn't be any wars anymore so no sons shall be separated from their mothers.

THE CRANES ARE FLYING (1957)

Original Title: Letyat zhuravli

Directed by: Mikhail Kalatozov
Starring: Tatyana Samojlova, Aleksey Batalov, Vasili Merkuryev
Run Time: 94 min


As the kick-off review I would like to share you this rare gem. Sure everyone has ever heard of Tarkovsky's Stalker or Solaris but this one from Russia? I stumble upon it as I browse for something else and seeing the high rating, it intrigues me.

Released during Stalinist rule in Soviet Russia (In Soviet Russia movies watch you, so to say) I expect some sort of propaganda or communist glorification, but I was mistaken. There is no propaganda at all but a simple human story on how things greater than ourselves rule our life and most of the times, it is cruel.

You think Scorsese invent cinematic one shot tracking without editing? This one will makes you amazed that Kalatozov and cinematographer Sergei Urusevsky manages to use amazing and advanced camera angles plus placing to enhance the story.

Veronika's (Tatyana Samojlova) lover, Boris (Alexei Batalov) must go since he has volunteered to be drafted in the army at the front line to fight the Germans when they invade in 1941. In his absence, Veronica suffers psychologically, keep waiting for the mail from the front line to arrive. This absence is being used by Boris's cousin to steal Veronika's heart. Will Veronika survive? As she decided to marry Boris's cousin, she's facing a dilemma, being marked as a traitor (the lover is away defending the country and she's marrying someone else, a draft dodger) or facing uncertainty.

Life is difficult in Russia at that time and there are no easy choices. The story itself is very romantic and heart breaking. It encompass more than just love story, it is love for the country, willingness to put the need of many than the need of self and how war could really affect people who is not even at the front line.