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      Steamroller and the Violin

      Released Aug 18, 1962 45m Drama List
      91% Tomatometer 11 Reviews 83% Audience Score 500+ Ratings A road worker intervenes when he sees a group of bullies teasing a 7-year-old violin student. Read More Read Less

      Critics Reviews

      View All (11) Critics Reviews
      Time Out Tarkovsky's graduation project at the VGIK film school in Moscow offers a key to all the later 'mature' work: it's his clearest statement of frustrated longing for a perfect union with an idealised father-figure. Feb 9, 2006 Full Review Walter Goodman New York Times Young Mr. Tartovsky has side-stepped all the visual detours and pitfalls of the standard experimental vignette. Apr 2, 2005 Full Review Ed Gonzalez Slant Magazine 1960's The Steamroller and the Violin was Andrei Tarkovsky's thesis film at the Soviet State Film School. Rated: 3.5/4 Aug 26, 2003 Full Review Dennis Schwartz Dennis Schwartz Movie Reviews An accessible minor work that reacts strongly against bullying children. Rated: B Mar 3, 2019 Full Review TV Guide A perspective of the world as revealed through the observations of the very young is a familiar theme in Soviet cinema, and the creators of this picture have handled it beautifully here. Rated: 2.5/4 Aug 26, 2013 Full Review Jocelyn Szczepaniak-Gillece PopMatters Perhaps the most wonderful aspect of The Steamroller and the Violin is the exciting feeling of a genius on the brink of realizing his full potential. Aug 26, 2013 Full Review Read all reviews

      Audience Reviews

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      Raphael G Such beautiful photography and colors. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 09/25/23 Full Review Audience Member This was my first dip into the pool of Tarkovsky cinema, one of the most talked about filmmakers of his time. I watched this after Red Balloon and found eerie similarities, thematically and visually. A boys innocence is impeded upon by bullies who want to disrupt his pleasure, a violin, all for the sake of their small economy. Substitute the violin with a balloon, and you have the premise for both stories. Add that both the steamroller and the balloon are red, and you have a visual parallel. Both are masterfully filmed, with Steamroller being the most excelled cinematography. I think I was a bit more emotionally invested in Red Balloon, whereas Steamroller and Violin was more eye-catching. Both efforts are worth their place in the history of great shorts. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 01/12/23 Full Review Audience Member A proper diploma work, which hints at a big artist emerging. There is some quite peculiar footage of post-war Moscow being constructed. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 02/05/23 Full Review Audience Member Andrei's graduation project shows early signs of what's to come from one of cinema's masters. It has a lot of his trademarks spreaded throughout it's short runtime and discovering these make it even more fun to watch. Knowing a little bit about Andrei's background also adds an additional layer to the movie. Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 02/10/23 Full Review dave j Andrei Tarkovsky's less than 1 hour short centering on the relationship between a 7 year old violist, Sasha (Igor Fomchenko) and a steamroller, Sergei (Vladimir Zamanskiy.. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 03/30/23 Full Review andrey k Andrei Tarkovsky's inception. It's a simple and poignant story about an adult worker and a boy-musician who met each other and spent a day together, influencing each other's lives forever. There's no deep meaning or multilayered pictorial narrative we're so accustomed to see in his future mature works, but still there are shots that convey his view of the world, some symbolism, like when the old house is being destroyed we see a new and monument building in the background. It's always nice to witness a director's origins. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 03/31/23 Full Review Read all reviews Post a rating

      Cast & Crew

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      Photos

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      Steamroller and the Violin

      Steamroller and the Violin (1960) Steamroller and the Violin (1960) Steamroller and the Violin (1960) Steamroller and the Violin (1960) View more photos

      Movie Info

      Synopsis A road worker intervenes when he sees a group of bullies teasing a 7-year-old violin student.
      Director
      Andrei Tarkovsky
      Screenwriter
      Andrey Konchalovskiy, Andrei Tarkovsky
      Distributor
      Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
      Production Co
      Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
      Genre
      Drama
      Original Language
      Russian
      Release Date (Theaters)
      Aug 18, 1962, Original
      Runtime
      45m