Product Description

Andrei Tarkovsky's debut feature is an extraordinarily moving and powerful story of war and revenge. Determined to avenge his family's death at the hands of the Nazis, 12 year-old Ivan joins a Russian partisan regiment as a scout, where he becomes indispensable for his ability to slip unnoticed behind enemy lines. But, as his missions become increasingly dangerous, it is decided that he must be removed from the front line. Ivan resists and convinces his commanding officers to allow him to carry out one last expedition.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #11259 in DVD
• Released on: 2002-08-26
• Rating: Parental Guidance
• Aspect ratio: 1.33:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Formats: Black & White, PAL
• Original language: German, Russian
• Subtitled in: English
• Number of discs: 1
• Running time: 91 minutes

Special Features
Russian
Region 0
English

Synopsis
Visionary Russian filmmaker Andrei Tarkovsky's first film, MY NAME IS IVAN, is a powerhouse of visual and emotional impact and a portend of many themes Tarkovsky would develop throughout his legendary career. Ivan (Nikolai Burlyayev) is a 12-year-old boy roaming the destroyed landscapes of World War II Russia along the German front. Between Ivan's ecstatic dreams of his missing family and his mud-and-blood-encrusted reality, the viewer learns that Ivan's father, mother, and sister were killed by Germans and that since then he has gone into service as an intelligence scout for the Russian army.
Ivan's shocking bloodthirsty hunger for revenge is juxtaposed with the innocence and earthbound lyricism of his dreams and memories, creating a portrait of a stolen childhood and a bleak future. Protected and loved by his makeshift family of stoic army officers, Ivan resists being taken out of the army and forces his way back into another scouting mission, putting himself directly in the line of fire. Tarkovsky underscores this wartime drama with a compelling poetic vision through the use of evocative black-and-white cinematography as well as stunning sound and production design. Each element plays a significant part in this brilliant film, based on Vladimir Bogomolov's novel IVAN.

Customer Reviews

Children of war
Ivan's Childhood often amazes with the fluidity of its camerawork, its wonderful use of sound and its matter of fact depiction of war - not the moments of combat that make up only a tiny part of the experience, but the moments between, where people try to catch whatever they can, be it love, hope, memories or just sleep. It's a simple tale extraordinarily well told, and if the sudden leap in chronology at the end is jarring, the result is nonetheless very moving. Even the fantasy/memory scenes of a nature more vivid that the burnt out husk or swamps of war are beautifully handled, and it's easy to see this being a major influence on Spielberg's most underrated film, Empire of the Sun.

Very impressive indeed, it's a surprise to learn from the DVD that the film was shot on an ultra-low budget because another director and cast had used up half the budget before their version was scrubbed, only for Kruschev's disapproval to limit the film's Russian release while it was conquering the arthouses worldwide.

The kind of film that calls for reflection
Ivan's Childhood is about a boy who helps the Russians in order to avenge the death of his family by the Germans. Ivan's bravery, independence and vulnerability are set against the darkness (war, night-time) of the film. For a boy so young, his courage, boldness and fierce determination are both amazing and frightening but these qualities are juxtaposed by his childish outbursts which are warm, amusing and endearing. The flashbacks remind the viewer that there is a vulnerable child behind that hard exterior and provide the explanation for Ivan wanting to destroy those who have robbed him of so much - his family, idyllic childhood and happiness. A beautiful film that tugs at the heart strings.

Poetic War Film
"Ivan's Childhood",like all of Tarkovsky's films ,stays with you long after it is over and it only gets better with repeated viewings. Although it is shot in monochrome, this medium seems to suit the gloomy themes of the film; war, sorrow, revenge and loss of love."Ivan's Childhood" is set during the Second World War and Ivan is a young boy who is acting as a scout for the Red Army as they prepare for an offensive against the Nazis. The film contains dream sequences showing scenes from Ivan's idyllic childhood before his mother and sister were shot by the Germans. This idyll is juxtaposed with his current situation where he puts his young life on the line daily, fuelled by a burning desire for revenge. The boy who plays Ivan puts in a remarkable performance for one so young. However the acting and plot play second fiddle to Tarkovsky's beautifully constructed cinematography and poetic imagery. He has a knack of creating images of great style and beauty from the bleakest and ugliest of landscapes, while his skilful use of sound is like aural sculpture. A memorable film.