Ballad of a Soldier (1959)
…………………………………………………
Ballad of a Soldier Movie Review
Ballad of a Soldier is a 1959 Soviet war drama film directed by Grigori Chukhrai and starring Vladimir Ivashov and Zhanna Prokhorenko. It’s an episodic, but tender flick.
………………………………………………….
“He was, and in our memory will forever remain,
a soldier… a Russian soldier“
…………………………………………………..
…………………………………………………..
During World War II, earnest young Russian soldier Alyosha is rewarded with a short leave of absence for performing a heroic deed on the battlefield. Feeling homesick, he decides to visit his mother. Due to his kindhearted nature, however, Alyosha is repeatedly sidetracked by his efforts to help those he encounters, including a lovely girl named Shura.
The main problem with this movie is its highly episodic nature. I liked most of its episodes so to say, but still the end result is a very patchy, quite uneven movie that felt too much like a television series and not a feature film. It needed a stronger connective tissue between its segments as this way it felt slim.
But there is no denying the power in its vignettes, most of which are truly terrific. The highlight for me was the romance which is so playful, charming and absolutely lovely. The movie never decides if it’s a drama or a romance owing to its messy structure, but in these romantic moments, it reached true greatness.
I also loved that final scene which is so cinematic and oh so emotional. The entire film is very moving without ever being overly manipulative and cheesy. That I appreciated quite a bit. Its maturity and restraint are evident in its every scene.
…………………………………………………..
…………………………………………………..
I also found the performances terrific. This is one of the rare movies from this period to actually use unknown, new actors and the end result is fantastic and so appropriate. Ivashov is particularly effective as very likable Alyosha whereas Prokhorenko is lovely as Shura. They share a great chemistry, and all of their scenes together are wonderful.
Ballad of a Soldier has solid dialogue, a good youthful energy to it, fine direction and mesmerizing black-and-white cinematography with some quite memorable shots and takes. The score is also fine, but the pacing and the whole structure are again very troublesome.
Ballad of a Soldier is a very problematic movie in its structure. It consists of a series of vignettes, and thus it felt increasingly episodic, and also not well paced at all. But most of its episodes are excellent with the highlights being its very moving ending and a great romance. The two actors are both terrific, and the film is quite tender and emotional without ever being manipulative. Its cinematography is also splendid.
