Product: My Name Is Ivan [VHS] (1963)
Rating: 5.0
A devastating look at the impact of war - a remarkable debut film by one of the greatest filmmakers
Andrei Tarkovsky wrote of making this film, his first full-length feature, that he had to prove to himself whether he had it in him to be a filmmaker. He certainly did. It is a masterful film, shot in richly textured black and white, and Criterion's transfer is stunningly crisp and nuanced. Tarkovsky's innovations here can be seen in his approach to memory and dreams, his affinity for the elements of water and earth and fire, the sense of longing for a lost innocence that drives Ivan. At the same time, in many ways this film fits neatly into the period in Russia, during which a new openness to Western culture allowed young Russian filmmakers to innovate and explore new styles of film making, and also to bring a greater degree of realism to subject matters such as war. While the film is not critical of Russian conduct during World War II, it depicts clearly the horrors of war through its impact on a child, who should be experiencing childhood but is instead forced by circumstance, desperation and force of will to expose himself to danger. What is so touching about the film is the way the hardened young Ivan, who refuses to be coddled, nevertheless embraces and kisses the neck of his commanding officer, the closest thing he has to a father, and the next moment refuses to be sent to a school and threatens to run away as would a child. Highly recommended, both as an accessible introduction to one of the greatest filmmakers, as a striking and important statement on war, and as a beautiful example of the possibilities of cinema.