Today we watched the film Ivan's Childhood. I thought that this film was very good. I especially enjoyed the idea of the kid being such a big part of the war. When he first comes back to the Russian side, the military officer doesn't even believe what Ivan is trying to tell him. Ivan is shown to be a huge part of the Russian military and at one point it is even said that scouting is the most important part of war. This film ends tragically when we find that the boy has been killed. Ivan knew that he had the chance of death though. He didn't care, he wasn't scared of anything really. At one point he said that anyone able to be in the war but not helping is a useless person.
The film shows the maturity of Ivan very well. Ivan lost all of his family and was left alone, but then he found the military. He is already great friends with Kholin and Katasonov and then we get to see the great friendship develop between Ivan and Galtsev. I think it is almost like a brotherly relationship. Sometimes it appears like they are trying to control him, like a father, but he ultimately makes his decisions which makes it feel more like a brother trying to look over him but eventually letting Ivan decide.
This movie seemed alot different to me than Mirror. It had a much better story line. One of the repeating images that I noticed were the birch trees. I really enjoyed the multiple scenes where the camera would be moving through the birch tree forests. This type of forest is very repetitive. The trees all look the same and it almost seems like you lose track of where you are or where you started. You look around and all you see is trees. He did a very good job directing this movie.
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But the more I watch the film the more distant Ivan seems from Galtsev. After awhile Galtsev almost seems desperate to gain Ivan's attention and win his affection--but Ivan seems rather indifferent, almost at times oblivious to him and far more intent on Kholin, Katasonych and avenging his family (and all Russians) for what has happened in the war.
ReplyDeleteNice descriptions here of the birch tree scenes--and I agree, it's incredible stuff!
I have to disagree that Ivan showed maturity in the war- i felt as though he was seeking revenge for its parent's death and to me that shows his immaturity..
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