Product: My Name Is Ivan [VHS] (1963)
Rating: 4.0
Ivan's Childhood
This is the grim story of a little Russian boy during his country's occupation. Ivan's carefree childhood ended abruptly when his parents were killed in the War. By the age of 12, he has become a hardened soldier, driven by revenge. As a scout for a Red Army battalion, the littlest patriot can go places his adult comrades can not, behind enemy lines for espionage. Ivan volunteers for the most difficult, dangerous assignments, carrying them out with a recklessness that worries his caregivers. They know his bravado is a cover for his fear and a defiance of the nightmares which haunt him. But their need for his service ultimately outweighs their desire to protect him. "My Name is Ivan" is typical of Soviet-era films about the Great Patriotic War, with its noble themes of comraderie and heroic sacrifice. But it is darker than most, and captures the desperation of a people's struggle for survival, in which even the youngest had to participate.