Ballad of a Soldier [VHS] | Vladimir Ivashov, Zhanna Prokhorenko

Ballad of a Soldier [VHS] | Vladimir Ivashov, Zhanna Prokhorenko | the agonizing burden of war brilliantly written and acted

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	Ballad of a Soldier [VHS] Vladimir Ivashov, Zhanna Prokhorenko Union Film Distributors Inc., 1997 average customer review:based on 33 reviews view larger image
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highly recommended

Grigory Chukhraj's poetic odyssey of an accidental hero on a six-day pass is a sentimental journey through the ideals of the Soviet state in World War II. Vladimir Ivashov is the fresh-faced signalman whose trip from the Russian front to visit his white-haired mother becomes a series of detours as he stops to help the loyal comrades, fellow soldiers, and salt-of-the-earth civilians (as well as a few shirkers and scoundrels) he meets along the way. On a transport train he even falls in love with a pretty young stowaway, a feisty blond girl-next-door on her way to visit a wounded boyfriend. Delicately photographed and gently paced, this deliriously romantic road movie is undeniably Soviet in its celebration of patriotism and collectivism, but Chukhraj transcends politics with delightfully vivid characters and a deft mix of comedy, melodrama, and romance. --Sean Axmaker

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Not a Tractor in Sight

Comedians used to poke fun at Soviet movies during the Cold War era. The claim was that every Soviet film could be characterized by a single standard plot line--"Boy meets tractor, Boy falls in love with tractor, Boy marries tractor". Now, I'm not sure how accurate the wags were since Soviet films were never shown here, nor ours there. But, given Soviet emphasis on collective farming, and their theory that art should follow politics, that sort of result wouldn't be surprising.

Nonetheless, Soviet-made or not, this 1959 humanist gem shines like a proverbial pearl in the night. Sure, the boy and girl are idealized, but were there ever two more charming performers; they even look alike. Moreover, it's that natural glow amidst the seediest surroundings that suggests what some might call a triumph of the human spirit. After years of slickly contrived Hollywood pairings, I was captivated by a warmth and chemistry seemingly so unforced and unrehearsed that I marvel at how it was done. In my book, it's one of the great compelling love stories of the big screen.

Just as importantly, the movie is anti-war, but subtly so. We do see some devastation and combat, but the real indictment lies elsewhere. It rests with all the potentials cut short by unrelenting demands of the war machine. The boy must return to his unit or risk being shot as a deserter. Thus he must abandon the injured soldier with whom he could have been friends; he must risk losing the love of his life because trains must run on wartime; he must leave his mother, without even time to fix the leaky roof. But most of all, war demands that he, like so many fine young men, must leave life with a personal potential that will go tragically unrealized. As one of Chukrai's effects brilliantly illustrates, war is indeed a world turned upside down.

Also, there are the stunning visuals. Those vast Russian steppes may be flat and boring. Nonetheless, the corresponding big sky makes a magnificent backdrop for heroic low-angle shots of those dwelling amidst the vastness. Then there's that long dusty road at film's end, leading off into a great unknown that Alyosha must now travel. In contrast are the teeming crowds at the railway station, looking nothing like Hollywood in their simple cloth dresses and shirts. And what concern with fancy hair-do's can the women have when their hair is bound down with knotted kerchiefs. All in all, it's a revealing look at what could be called the Russian peasantry of the time.

No, the movie clearly doesn't come from the ministry of propaganda. Still, there are concessions. Note how cooperative strangers become no matter how initially cranky they are. The army officers especially are portrayed as understanding and non-threatening. Nobody is depicted negatively, except maybe the disloyal wife. Not even the Nazi enemy responsible for 20 million Russian dead is mentioned, let alone, vilified. No, the real antagonist here is war itself; the point is not stated, but it is shown to an uncommonly moving degree. The dedication at film's end may be to the Russian soldier, but the subtext throughout aims at the universal, regardless of time, place, or nationality.

Thus 50 years later, the movie remains a timeless humanist classic. And with it, I think Chukrai deserves a place alongside the early masters of Soviet film, that is, before the Stalinist tyranny descended. Now, I have nothing against tractors. In fact, I wish Hollywood would feature more such life-affirming inventions than the exploding cars they so love and worship. Nonetheless, I guess I'm glad that here, there's not a single tractor in sight.

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the agonizing burden of war brilliantly written and acted

Ballad of a Soldier is an exceptional work of art; and when other reviewers state that films rarely if ever get better than this they are right. The acting is superb and the cinematography works wonders for this film. The script is well written and the casting was perfectly done. The plot moves along at just the right pace with enough room for solid character development without ever becoming too slow or boring in any way whatsoever. In addition, the choreography was very thoughtfully done.

When the film begins, we quickly meet a front line Russian soldier during World War Two, Alyosha Skvortsov. (Vladimir Ivashov). With scarcely any equipment and no one to help him, Alyosha still disables two enemy tanks on his own; and he is rewarded with a decoration. However, Alyosha prefers a rarely given leave instead of the decoration; and his commanding officer grants him six days off just so long as he returns on time. Alyosha is overjoyed to be able to return to his village, see his mother and repair the leaking roof on their home; and he has every intention of returning promptly to the front.

Alyosha's trip home soon becomes much more eventful than he planned. He runs into a number of people all of whom give us a slice of life portrait at the high cost and futility of war. There's the wounded veteran Vasya (Yevgeni Urbansky) who has lost a leg in the fighting but who is taken back with open arms by his wife (Elza Lezhdey) in a powerful scene; and Alyosha meets and gradually falls in love with the beautiful Shura (Zhanna Prokhorenko) who is also a stowaway on the same train Alyosha takes part of the way to visit his mother. There are other very fine performances by V. Markova as Liza, the wife of a soldier named Pavlov (Gennadi Yukhtin); Vladimir Pokrovsky, the father of that same soldier and Valentina Telegina does a very good job with her cameo as an exhausted elderly woman truck driver trying to just get by and live using her very old truck; she gives Alyosha a lift but it isn't long before Alyosha has to get out and push every time the truck hits thick mud.

Alyosha meets other huge challenges with bravery and heroism; it's practically impossible not to see the hero in him by the time the film is over. The ending is a real tear-jerker; and I rarely if ever shed a tear while watching a movie!

The DVD comes with an audio interview with director/co-writer Grigori Chukhrai as well as the two stars of the film, Vladimir Ivashov and Zhanna Prokhorenko. As you listen to the interview still photos from the film appear on the screen. The movie itself is in Russian and there are English subtitles.

Ballad of a Soldier should be mandatory viewing for any film student; and the glorious black and white footage only adds to the emotional impact of this motion picture. I also recommend this film for film buffs and people interested in World War Two.

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A Genuine Masterpiece

I have seen no other film that compares to this movie. A deep, heartfelt film of a soldier who just wants to come home for one last time. You might be moved, or not, but it is a film well worth the time and effort of anyone's viewing. Enjoy!

Story of a Soldier's Visit Home

This is a wonderful "road" or more correctly train movie about a young soldier whom we've learn is now dead at the beginning of the film and his last trip home to see his mother. I have seen this film before but was always bothered by bad and scratchy prints. The print of this film is beautiful and the new revised subtitles reveal the story better than before. I found the movie very moving and am pleased that I bought the DVD and rewatched it. Ballad of a Soldier is a treat.

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Overrated remake of "Alexander Nevsky"

The heart of the director is in the right place, but the execution of his vision is flawed. He idealizes to excess---as we well know since the disintegration by spontaneous combustion of the Soviet Union. I was uncomfortably reminded of Eisenstein's superbly crafted masterpiece "Alexander Nevsky" (1938)---perhaps my favorite film. The topic is the same (glorification of the 'unquenchable spirit of the noble Russian people'), but what was fresh and daring in the 1930s (like Riefenstahl's films) is no longer tolerable after the horrors of Stalin's systematic abuse of his OWN people have become known. And they were already abundantly evident, even in 1959 (when this film was made), to those who cared to inform themselves. The 'innocence' of the young man and his 'tovarishchi' fellow-soldiers---is a bit too romantic. Since almost everyone is gushing about the film, I am looking forward to dissenting comments (about this review)!

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reviews: page 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7

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