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Ivan's Childhood

Play trailer Poster for Ivan's Childhood 1963 1h 37m Drama War Play Trailer Watchlist
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100% Tomatometer 27 Reviews 93% Popcornmeter 5,000+ Ratings
When Nazi invaders destroy his Russian village and kill his family, 12-year-old Ivan (Kolya Burlyayev) is placed in a German prison camp. Ivan escapes from the camp and crosses back over to Russia, and comes under the care of Capt. Kholin (Valentin Zubkov), who wants to send Ivan to military school. Ivan refuses, requesting that he be allowed to use his powers of stealth to return to Germany to spy on the Nazis and avenge the killing of his family.
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Ivan's Childhood

Ivan's Childhood

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Critics Consensus

Ostensibly an atypical Tarkovsky work (less than 100 minutes!), Ivan's Childhood carries the poetry and passion that would characterize the director from here on.

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Critics Reviews

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Geoffrey Macnab Independent (UK) 05/19/2016
5/5
Tarkovsky pays full attention to the squalor and pity of war but never loses his sense of poetry. Go to Full Review
Peter Bradshaw Guardian 05/19/2016
5/5
Unmissable. Go to Full Review
Tom Huddleston Time Out 05/16/2016
5/5
No other director is simultaneously so precise and so otherworldly. Go to Full Review
Josh Larsen LarsenOnFilm Apr 24
3.5/4
...has a mysticism and poeticism that would define later Tarkovsky efforts. Go to Full Review
JD Duran InSession Film 08/01/2024
A
It’s well directed, well acted, well shot, well scored and almost perfect in every way. As a directorial debut, it really doesn’t get better than this. Go to Full Review
Dave Giannini InSession Film 02/28/2024
A-
Yes, there is heroism, risk, and goodness in many of the characters in the film. But there is absolutely no lionization... Go to Full Review
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Audience Reviews

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Julian Rex M @Julian_M Sep 27 Exploring themes mourning both the loss of innocence and the meaningless cost of war, Ivan's Childhood is an earth-shattering, highly atmospheric debut from Andrei Tarkovsky that balances the director's knack for the technical with his ability to lay out densely intertwined dramatic ideas to their fullest extent. See more Esra Y Apr 10 Sorrowful masterpiece. See more Virgo V @vision Jan 2 Ivan's Childhood (1962) is a film by Andrei Tarkovsky that received international acclaim and has many positive reviews: Cinematography Some say the cinematography is gorgeous and dream-like, with a hard-edged realism. The film's use of landscapes is Expressionistic, and the birch forest scenes are especially striking. Music The haunting music score contributes to the film's mood. Story The film's story is thought-provoking and wrenching, with memorable scenes and images. It tells the story of a Soviet orphan who befriends three officers while working as a scout behind enemy lines during World War II. Themes The film features many of Tarkovsky's characteristic themes, even though it was early in his career. Impact on Tarkovsky The film helped Tarkovsky articulate ideas that he would later develop in his book Sculpting in Time. International acclaim The film won the Golden Lion at the Venice Film Festival, which gave Tarkovsky international visibility. Reception The film received a 100% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes, and Ingmar Bergman called it a miracle. See more Gabriel E. B 10/16/2024 La guerra es la guerra. Andréi propone una historia bélica, dolorosa, diferente, una realidad contundente que apunta a la introversión de Iván, sus necesidades, carencias, indiferencias, anhelos y deseos más profundos. Un niño al que la guerra le arrebató a su familia, le quitó su infancia, el miedo, todo. Forzado a dejar su inocencia, Iván, con sed de venganza busca ser útil al ejército soviético, no conoce más allá de la violencia y vive inmerso en la pérdida y la crudeza del conflicto. El carácter de Iván, sus sueños, su forma de pensar y de ver la realidad, nada lejos de una pesadilla. Constantemente expuesto a situaciones de alto riesgo, rodeado de un círculo que intenta preservar su puericia que ha sido manchada por la guerra, impidiendo se pueda hacer más. Finalmente una vida inocente que se pierde en la maldad del hombre y me genera un interrogante ¿Qué culpa tiene? Andréi deja una muestra de su inteligencia en una composición que indaga en la tensión, un ritmo que sella una forma, que emite códigos precisos, Tarkovski deja la marca de su esencia, moldea el tiempo y lo ajusta, sin dejar de un lado el sentido propio de la historia. See more Giuseppe F 01/25/2024 Poetic masterpiece. Absolutely a must seen movie See more Leaburn 11/30/2022 This film was quite good 👍🏼 See more Read all reviews
Ivan's Childhood

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Movie Info

Synopsis When Nazi invaders destroy his Russian village and kill his family, 12-year-old Ivan (Kolya Burlyayev) is placed in a German prison camp. Ivan escapes from the camp and crosses back over to Russia, and comes under the care of Capt. Kholin (Valentin Zubkov), who wants to send Ivan to military school. Ivan refuses, requesting that he be allowed to use his powers of stealth to return to Germany to spy on the Nazis and avenge the killing of his family.
Director
Andrei Tarkovsky
Production Co
Mosfilm, Tret'e Tvorcheskoe Obedinenie
Genre
Drama, War
Original Language
Russian
Release Date (Streaming)
Nov 29, 2011
Runtime
1h 37m
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