Born in Soviet Union, Andrei Tarkovsky was a master of world cinema. His production is compact but the range is vast: from historical epics to futuristic visions and movements of the human mind. Ivanovo detstvo or Ivan's Childhood was his first feature length film, which was based on a short story 'Ivan' by Vladimir Bogolomov, published a few years earlier. The portrayal of war from a child's perspective instantly proved the master's talent and his unique personality.
The plot is quite difficult to summarize without getting into the details: the film builds on a series of episodes from the WWII. The protagonist is a 12-year-old boy, whose family has been killed by Germans. A group of Russian soldiers pick him up but when the boy refuses to leave and wants to take part in military actions; they're forced to keep him. The character of Ivan is built marginally: he is serious and smiles rather rarely, he lives a life which sadly has become quite normal for him - the concept of what is right and what is normal is totally twisted for him. At times he gets sudden aggressive bursts of hatred and moments of juvenile joy, when he forgets that he is a soldier.
The poetic narrative of Ivan's Childhood is both classic and modern, Tarkovsky's style is strong, classical but on the other hand he modernizes cinematic poetry and creates something completely new and original. The film builds on many poetic contrasts: reality and fantasy, life and delusions, deserted dark areas and beautiful light birch forests. Dreams, fantasies and returning memories form pictures of the past, which are shown to us as the story goes on. As Tarkovsky realistically portrays the horrors of war, he paradoxically finds something poetic and beautiful in its all cruelty.
Ivan's Childhood is a cruel and honest film. Does it portray the world where the point of no return has not yet been passed or one where there is no turning back. With regards to Tarkovsky's pessimism, obviously the latter. The story could've easily been juvenile and conventional but not in this case where Tarkovsky created an extremely original film about war in the eyes of a 12-year-old. Ivan's Childhood grows out to be a film, not just against war but against everything which turns us into something cruel, against everything which allows children to be exploited and let's them lose their innocence and childhood.
The plot is quite difficult to summarize without getting into the details: the film builds on a series of episodes from the WWII. The protagonist is a 12-year-old boy, whose family has been killed by Germans. A group of Russian soldiers pick him up but when the boy refuses to leave and wants to take part in military actions; they're forced to keep him. The character of Ivan is built marginally: he is serious and smiles rather rarely, he lives a life which sadly has become quite normal for him - the concept of what is right and what is normal is totally twisted for him. At times he gets sudden aggressive bursts of hatred and moments of juvenile joy, when he forgets that he is a soldier.
The poetic narrative of Ivan's Childhood is both classic and modern, Tarkovsky's style is strong, classical but on the other hand he modernizes cinematic poetry and creates something completely new and original. The film builds on many poetic contrasts: reality and fantasy, life and delusions, deserted dark areas and beautiful light birch forests. Dreams, fantasies and returning memories form pictures of the past, which are shown to us as the story goes on. As Tarkovsky realistically portrays the horrors of war, he paradoxically finds something poetic and beautiful in its all cruelty.
Ivan's Childhood is a cruel and honest film. Does it portray the world where the point of no return has not yet been passed or one where there is no turning back. With regards to Tarkovsky's pessimism, obviously the latter. The story could've easily been juvenile and conventional but not in this case where Tarkovsky created an extremely original film about war in the eyes of a 12-year-old. Ivan's Childhood grows out to be a film, not just against war but against everything which turns us into something cruel, against everything which allows children to be exploited and let's them lose their innocence and childhood.