Actual Realism
I thought that this film was very interesting. The film portrays the role of soldiers very well. It shows, as well, how little time soldiers of this time period got to spend with their families. I think that this film has a good plot and the music really helps back up the film. I really liked the relationships between the characters in this film. Alyosha loved his mother so much that he turned down a promotion just so he could see her. He also loves helping people in need. He gets all of the people out of the train that's on fire. He goes through a lot of trouble to get home, when he easily could have given up. His perseverance is what leads the whole film.
This film is very different from all of its genres. This is a war film, but it shows very little actual battle. There are only two scenes that I remember seeing that showed actual violence and warfare. This film is also a romance, but they don't end up together in the end.
Overall I really enjoyed this film. I didn't like the ending though, because it wasn't very happy. To compare this film with the previous Socialist Realism films that we have watched, this film does not really meet any of the criteria of a Socialist Realism film. At the end of the other films, The couples end up together, everyone is together, and everyone is happy. At the end of this film, however, Alyosha ends up having to leave everyone behind and no one really ends the film happily. This film shows how the majority of soldiers actually live while in the army.
This film is very different from all of its genres. This is a war film, but it shows very little actual battle. There are only two scenes that I remember seeing that showed actual violence and warfare. This film is also a romance, but they don't end up together in the end.
Overall I really enjoyed this film. I didn't like the ending though, because it wasn't very happy. To compare this film with the previous Socialist Realism films that we have watched, this film does not really meet any of the criteria of a Socialist Realism film. At the end of the other films, The couples end up together, everyone is together, and everyone is happy. At the end of this film, however, Alyosha ends up having to leave everyone behind and no one really ends the film happily. This film shows how the majority of soldiers actually live while in the army.
I enjoyed how this was a "war film" but included very little battle scenes. One, primarily because the battle scenes were atrocious, and two, this allowed a different aspect of war to be revealed to the public.
ReplyDeleteI also really liked how it focused more on his adventure rather than the glory' and 'tragedy' of war. Although you could argue the film did show this, I would say that it was the story that was more captivating than the war itself.
DeleteI feel like it can be considered a Socialist Realism film because of the ending scene, where it says he will be remembered as a Russian soldier above all. He never even questioned abandoning his squadron to stay longer with his mother, or run away with Shura. He was definitely an ideal Russian soldier.
ReplyDeleteHonestly, I really liked the ending to this film because it was bittersweet, and it gives you the reality of risking life on the battlefield. Compared to the ending of Chapaev where they decided to leave the film looking like the characters were successful, this one tells us the bitter truth.
ReplyDeleteThe ending to this film reminds me of the early pre-soviet Russian films that had no happy endings only realistic endings kind of like this one.
ReplyDeleteI have to agree that the movies plot was very different from any other wartime movie I have seen, but in a good way. I explores the life and choices of a soldier when he is not fighting, building a character that people in the audience see as more human, and relatable. Great review.
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