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Set during World War II, Ivan's Childhood follows the titular child (Nikolai Burlyayev), a young orphan who is left wandering around his war-torn country after losing his parents. Fueled by revenge, he insists in working with the military, whether it is as a scout, an informant, or a bona fide soldier. Meanwhile, several officers try to figure out what to do with the child as they can't deny he's useful, while also acknowledging that "war's no place for children".
Tarkovsky has been a major blind spot for me as a cinephile. Up until this point, I had only seen Stalker, and even that one is due for a rewatch, which is why I was looking forward to tackling this category. I chose Ivan's Childhood because it's his shortest film, but that doesn't stop it from being a great film and an impressive achievement, considering it's Tarkovsky's debut.
The first thing that hit me was how well shot the film is. This is something that I had already witnessed in Stalker, but that you can see Tarkovsky was already on top of here. The camera movement, blocking, and framing is excellent making you feel the isolation of the character in the midst of war, as well as his entrapment as a result of the conflict, heightened by his desire to do "something" against the enemy, but also to just be a child.
Tarkovsky uses some scattered flashbacks to moments that Ivan spent with his mother to remind us all of what is lost as a result of war. That notion of lost innocence and childhood, and the toll that war takes on everybody is powerfully portrayed. As we see Ivan's journey, we are constantly reminded of the above warning; that war's no place for children. But what choice do they have?
Grade:
IVAN'S CHILDHOOD
(1962, Tarkovsky)
A film from Andrei Tarkovsky
(1962, Tarkovsky)
A film from Andrei Tarkovsky
"A war's no place for children."
Set during World War II, Ivan's Childhood follows the titular child (Nikolai Burlyayev), a young orphan who is left wandering around his war-torn country after losing his parents. Fueled by revenge, he insists in working with the military, whether it is as a scout, an informant, or a bona fide soldier. Meanwhile, several officers try to figure out what to do with the child as they can't deny he's useful, while also acknowledging that "war's no place for children".
Tarkovsky has been a major blind spot for me as a cinephile. Up until this point, I had only seen Stalker, and even that one is due for a rewatch, which is why I was looking forward to tackling this category. I chose Ivan's Childhood because it's his shortest film, but that doesn't stop it from being a great film and an impressive achievement, considering it's Tarkovsky's debut.
The first thing that hit me was how well shot the film is. This is something that I had already witnessed in Stalker, but that you can see Tarkovsky was already on top of here. The camera movement, blocking, and framing is excellent making you feel the isolation of the character in the midst of war, as well as his entrapment as a result of the conflict, heightened by his desire to do "something" against the enemy, but also to just be a child.
Tarkovsky uses some scattered flashbacks to moments that Ivan spent with his mother to remind us all of what is lost as a result of war. That notion of lost innocence and childhood, and the toll that war takes on everybody is powerfully portrayed. As we see Ivan's journey, we are constantly reminded of the above warning; that war's no place for children. But what choice do they have?
Grade: